Nurse 101

As a Nurse, I am very proud to say that my job is to save lives of people, remove their pains and by merely interacting with them, it alleviate their sufferings. This makes us important in this society. We come to patient to assess their complaints on their health and take appropriate action base from our scope of discipline. Life as a Nurse is not an easy Job. Some people don’t even recognize it as a job but here in the Philippines, it is more of a vocation because of a minimum wage salary we get.

 Many Nurses nowadays focused to finding themselves job abroad so they take up different foreign exams and even study again to other countries. But for me, so many times, it struck to me to quit as a Nurse in the hospital because of burnout and not pursue international career anymore.  Maybe, I will try other venture like business or a Nurse educator. Now, that I am enrolled in a Graduate School, I can be able to pursue my dream to be a teacher. Though, nursing schools here in the Philippines shrink for the past few years, I am still optimistic that my career will have a bright future. By being an Educator, I am free of graveyard shifts, not so good compensation and worries if I give my 100% to my entire patient. At the same time, I have a passion for teaching. Sometimes, taking another path will find an inner peace and fulfillment to us at the same time you’re still serving fellow Filipinos.

My hospital experience in a tertiary setting placed me in Operating Room and Delivery Room where I grew as a competitive and effective Nurse. I did not learn this when I was in College maybe because I was not serious then in my profession. Overall, I enjoyed my job because I am lucky that my hospital is clean, doctors are good to us and there are lots of food in our department.

There are many factors why Nurses feel stress aside from a 1:50 nurse-patient ratio in a government hospital. Watching your patient dying because of financial constraints which I hope I can help them but I have none, Parents who are calling you incompetent because medicines just don’t make an effect to their children, one day off in a week that will only make you decide to use this to sleep and rest, which makes your social life not exist anymore or maybe a disdainful event that your supervisor ask you to make an incident report because of a negligent action you make to your patient.  There will be days when I cry inside my room just to release tension inside me but I know it shall pass me.