freely nnd without n cost; nurse practitioner's lnck of readiness to charge a foe; setting a sliding scale of fees to accommodate the client's capacity to p Ay; setting a standal'd fee for some treatmen ts. The ICN guidelines for nt Lrse entreprene urs encourages actjve participation in the developme11t of equitable fees for service. The suggested criteria for calculating fees include: {ICN: 20) complexity of the task tbe professional responsibility implied levelof expc1tise required time involved equipment needed Since the clinic operation was done to demonstrate independ ent practice, the following principles served as basis for professiona l fees: a There v,,;11 be a standard fee for treatment and follow up consultation (c Hent will be charged less if the visit was for monitoring or progress check) a l11e cost of the fee will be openly discussed with the client to give t]1em the opporlunil-y to make a decision. a No client will be deprived of nursing service because of lack of monetary capability The experience of e Kplaini. ng the professional fees was very enlightening. Clients showed willingness to pay the nursing professional fees. Many would explain that paying a standard fee for the nursing consultation and treatment makes a good closure for the transactio n and helps prepare for their next visit The professional fee was commonly paid after the consultation. MARKETING THE SERVICES OF THE NURSING CLINIC Marketing of the services is needed for the viability of the venture. It was done to make sure that a segment of the population knows about the services. The flyers contained the nature of lhe services offered, schedule, location of the c;;linic, practi~ioner!;i ~nd the contact number. They proved to be very helpful. Clients would usually come bringing the said information material. Allother method that was used was holwng short talks in the various offices of the 1miversity about the nursing clinic. The talks commonly 1asted for fifteen minutes and consisted of the giving out of flyers, explanation of services and an open forum. Common questions include: O Wbat are the services? a What is the du. ration of a consultation? a Wbat are tl1en credentials of the practitioner? a What are the problems that they can c,onsult with the nurse? a How much does a consultation or treatment cost? One of the best ways in attracting clients were referrals from satisfied friends or relatives. For the Westhaven Nursing Clinic in the USA, the strategies included door­ to-door flyers that listed the clinics services, open houses, mass screenings and home visits done by students (Heh,;e 1998, p. 387) ESTABLISHING LINKAGES AND A REFERRAL SYSTEM The cycle of care will not be complete without the setting up of appropriate linkages. ·323 