Planning is every nurse’s business

A symposium called “Your Nursing Practice as a Business” will provide nursing students and professionals a road map for a successful enterprise in the health care industry.

Presented by the CSUS Division of Nursing and cosponsored by the CSUS chapter of the California Nursing Students’ Association and the Department of Health and Human Services, the symposium will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 9 in the University Union Auditorium.

“Our focus is to show nurses how to make nursing education branch out into business opportunities,” said Robyn Nelson, chair of the division of nursing.

The symposium is one of the senior projects conducted by students of the nursing program in their fifth semester.

A panel of influential speakers, including Susan Odegaard, principal and CEO of Turner Healthcare Associates, local marketing specialists, legal consultants and successful nursing entrepreneurs will make presentations.

These speakers seek to motivate nursing students and professionals to start entrepreneureal nursing businesses and can help guide step-by-step the process of establishing and managing businesses from financial and legal aspects.

Some students can benefit from the project and explore their options after graduation, according to Louise Timmer, professor of nursing program.

Three CSUS alumnae have became successful nursing entrepreneurs — Mary Baker, who initiated Chicken Soup Home Health Care, Dixie Lee Schneider, who owns A Dose of Dixie and Lari Knedel who is managing Homehealth Care Agency.

Student registration is $25; registration for other participants is $50.

For more information call (916) 278-4969, e-mail csusnsg@netscape.net or visit the symposium Web site at www.hhs.csus.edu/NRS/symposium/.