Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Work, finally

I'll finally be working next month! Thank God! I waited for over a year!

However, it's not a regular job, it's only as a staff volunteer in a local hospital here in Cebu. But anything is okay for me, as long as I'll be able to develop my skills and knowledge and gain some experience.

I have to review the basics again, the concepts, drugs, and especially the nursing interventions.

I'm so happy!

Friday, April 03, 2009

Nursing: A license to serve

Nursing, in essence, is all about service. Service for other people, the ill and the well. We all know that, especially us nurses. But sometimes we forget that essence, and so practising our profession becomes a little more difficult and challenging. When we remember the ultimate aim of nursing, our tasks become lighter, because we know why we do what we do. Even though many times during the course of our work we may experience all kinds of negative emotional experiences and stress, it helps to be reminded that since nursing is all about service and providing care, our emotional responses and personal gripes don't really matter much. In other words, it's not about us, it's about them, our clients.

Every one of us, including those who are not in the health care profession, have the ability to serve. We have the ability to fulfill our obligations to one another. But nursing, since it's a profession, gives us the ability to provide high-level care. That gives us the opportunity to help more people, especially those who have more unique health needs. If all professions are noble, how much more is nursing, which is all about giving direct care to clients? Other non-health care professions help people in many ways, more often indirectly, but the health care professions, including nursing, give hand-on service. It is service which is so personal, since a nurse can actually interact with his or her clients eye to eye while serving them.

I really believe that as nurses, we are in a very privileged position, because we have the ability to help so many people. We have the ability to fulfill our obligation to other people on a daily basis, in the course of our work. We have the ability to practice what Jesus preached when he told the story of the Good Samaritan. In the eyes of God, those who are great are those who serve others. Therefore, we as nurses, together with those in the health care profession, have the tremendous privilege of practicing greatness.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Good news for unemployed registered nurses!

I got this from TV Patrol Central Visayas.

The Department of Labor Employment has a new program for unemployed registered nurses. Called NARS, or Nurses Assigned in Rural Service, the program aims to provide employment for all those registered nurses who haven't been working as a nurse for at least three years. Qualified applicants will be assigned to designated municipalities and will receive basic pay. At the end of the employment, the nurse will receive a certificate of competency.

Visit the DOLE website here for more info on how to submit your application.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Are assessment fees necessary?

We went to a consultancy company yesterday to inquire about the requirements for working and living in New Zealand. I have to be honest, I regretted going there. The thing is, they charge you with 800 pesos just for an assessment! I've been to a similar agency last year and I got the same information for free!

Well, I can't blame them. They're just running a business. But 800 pesos is just a little too much, and especially considering that other agencies don't charge you with anything.

That's what you call an expensive lesson.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

For all those who didn't make it in the Nursing Board Exam

Are you one of those who didn't make it in last November's Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination?

I can't imagine what you may have been feeling these past few weeks. I know many fellow nurses who also didn't make it the first time around.

I have this to say: Don't lose hope, and don't give up!

You may still be feeling a little down right now, but I tell you, one can only go so low. You will stand up again, and you will feel strengthened to try harder the next time.

The good news in all of this is this: When you fail, it doesn't mean that you don't have what it takes. It only means that you may have not prepared for the exam adequately, as you only should. Or it may mean that you allowed your emotions to get the better of you during the day of the examination, so much so that you weren't able to concentrate. Well, whatever the factors were, the truth is that failing doesn't really say much about your own intelligence, capability, or potential as a nurse. That's a fact! And I've seen these many times. I've seen people close to me who didn't make it the first time around and who tried harder the second time. And you know what? They are now excellent nurses! I know a cousin who failed the test the first time, but who is now a very skilled and competent nurse-leader. Another relative, who is now in Dubai, who also took the exam twice, also became an exceptional nurse in Bacolod, and she earned the respect and trust of her peers and other members of the health care team whom she worked with because of her commitment and dedication to her work. If anything, failing only brought out the best in them. So failure is not a judgment, it's an encouragement.

So, again, fellow nurses, when you fail, it doesn't mean that you don't have what it takes. It only means that you need to prepare better and try harder. It does not in any way say anything about your capability or potential. In the same way, when someone passes the exam on his or her first take, it doesn't mean that that person is better than those who didn't pass. It only means that that person has prepared more, or, in a few cases, luck was on his or her side.

So cheer up! Take a vacation, and try again!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The November 2008 Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination result

The result for the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination (PNLE) last November 2008 is now available at the Professional Regulation Commission website:

November 2008 exam results

To all the passers, congratulations and welcome aboard the profession!

To all those who didn't make it, don't lose heart! Don't give up!

First post after a billion years!

Wow, this is my first post after what felt like a billion years!

A lot has happened since I finished nursing school!

I took the Nurse Licensure Examination (the board examination for nurses here in the Philippines) last June 2008 and passed. After that I took many months off in preparation for my wedding.

Bel and I initially planned our wedding to take place on March this year, but a very unfortunate thing happened.

Her mom became severely ill. She had long been suffering from cancer. After many radiologic therapy sessions and frequent trips to her doctor's office, her health worsened and we had to admit her to Davao Doctors' Hospital. She stayed there for a month, then her doctors told us the sad news: her case is already terminal, so all we can do is give her palliative care. They allowed Mama to go home so she can be with the rest of her loved ones. We took her home and took care of her for many weeks. On the 5th of November, she passed away after a bout with pneumonia.

We were all very much saddened, but still we thank God that He allowed her to stay with us that long. She was first diagnosed with the disease in 1998, so she really fought a good, though unimaginably hard, battle. We were glad that at least she is now free from all of her pains.

Mama Leling, before she died, asked us to change the date of our wedding to a much closer date: the 11th of December. So we changed the date and did our best to prepare everything. She was so happy about it and she kept on telling our relatives and friends who visited her that her daughter's wedding is on the 11th. Sadly, her condition grew worse by the way, and on the 15th of November, she peacefully passed away.

Bel and I decided to push through with the wedding despite the fact that we were still mourning, since it was Mama's chosen date, it was her wish. We were sure that as we marched on the aisle that afternoon in December 11 last year, she was with us, as she promised she would be, though in spirit.

So 2008 was a very busy year for me, so much so that only recently have I began to file my application to the different hospitals here in Cebu!

But I'm so glad to be back blogging!

I'll be blogging about all things related to nursing, so stay tuned!

Friday, September 19, 2008

New home

I found a new home at Counting My Blessings. Please come and visit, and don't forget to leave your mark. :)
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