Ang Alamat ni Nurse Sungit

Bakit ba ang daming nurse na akala mo’y wala ng bukas kung magsungit?

Ewan ko ba. Nursing graduate ako pero hindi practicing nurse dahil mas ginusto kong ipagpatuloy ang matinding hilig ko sa pagsusulat. Kaya hindi ako ang ekspertong sasagot sa tanong sa itaas. Kasi nga, hindi ako staff nurse. Pero sabi nila, nasa kultura na daw ng mga nars sa Pilipinas na mag-iba ng ugali sa sandaling pumasok na sa masalimuot na mundo ng pagiging staff nurse. ‘Yun tipong mala-anghel ka pagkagraduate mo sa Nursing tapos mageevolve ka sa isang ubod ng sungit na nars pagtagal ng panahon. Parang pokemon lang ‘di ba? Ganun ba talaga yun? Parang hindi naman kapani-paniwala. Kaya ka nga naging nars dahil gusto mong mag-alaga ng may sakit at maglingkod sa mga mahihirap na nangangailangan ng kalinga ‘di ba? Tapos magtataray ka lang sa kanila? Ano connect?

Sa aking pagsasaliksik, napadpad ako sa isang online forum na may pinag-uusapang akmang-akma sa hinahanap ko:

Bakit Mga Suplada Na Ang Mga Nurses Ngayon????

Binasa ko ang iba’t-ibang kuro-kuro ng mga tao doon na nagbabatuhan ng kani-kanilang mga opinyon tungkol sa topic. Aaaminin kong natawa, nabwisit, at napukaw ang damdamin ko dahil sa ilang pahayag na nabasa ko. Ngunit nalaman ko na ngayon kung bakit may mga nars na ubod ng sungit……ang alamat ni Nurse Sungit. Ito ang mga sinasabing dahilan ng pagevole ng isang nars:

1. Ang mga nars ay Overworked, Underpaid at madalas (katulad sa panahon ngayon), Overworked, UNPAID!!!! – Kahit naman inis na inis ako sa mga nars na nagmamaldita sa mga pasyente (lalo na sa mga government hospitals), hindi ko rin naman sila masisisi kung magsungit sila ng todong todo. Bakit naman hindi? Bugbog na nga katawan mo sa trabaho, pinagagalitan ka na ng doktor, tapos meron pang mga pasyenteng pala-utos at feeling mayaman na akala mo kasama sa binabayaran nila ang service mo. Para malaman po ng lahat, KAWANG-GAWA lang po ang ginagawa ng mga nurse lalo na ‘yung mga volunteers, mga nars na nagbayad pa ng training fees imbis na sila ang bayaran, at mga contractual nurse (kagaya ng sa RNHEALS) na akala mo may trabaho na pero kulang pa rin ang sweldo tapos lagi pang delayed. Hindi po utusang-de-pindot ang mga nars. Subukan mo kayang magtrabaho ng walang bayad tapos 12-hours pa ang shift mo sa isang ospital na may 1:50 nurse-patient ratio? Kung unang sabak mo pa lang, malamang  may empathy ka pa sa pasyente, pero ‘pag ilang taon ka ng burn-out, ibang usapan na ‘yun kapatid! Kahit naman siguro sino magsusungit ‘di ba? TAO lang po kaming mga nurse at may mga sariling pangangailangan din. E kung 200,000 a month lang naman ang ibabayad sa akin, kahit 50 pwet pa ang linisin ko wala akong care..ngingitian ko pa kayo.

2. Mga doktorang nagmamaldita/ doktor na sobrang demanding/ doktor na nananantsing/pilosopong doktor - ‘Langya, dito lang sa ‘Pinas mo makikita kung gaano kalayo ang agwat ng nars sa doktor. Sa Amerika, parang doktor na rin ang turing nila sa mga nars. Hindi tulad dito na nakagapos pa din ang ilang doktor sa maling stereotype na “katulong LANG ng mga doktor” ang mga nars. Bakit? Nag-aral din naman tayo ng 4 year-bachelor’s degree ha? At saka, lahat ba ng mga doktor magaling? Katulad sa Nursing, marami din dyan ang tatanga-tanga. Isa pa, isang beses lang nilang nakikita ‘yung mga pasyente nila sa isang araw ‘pag nagrarounds sila, e tayo? BUONG stay nila sa ospital, mukha natin nakikita nila at tayo halos gumagawa. Kaya sa mga nars dyan, ipaglaban nyo ang propesyon natin. Hindi sa lahat ng panahon TAMA si Dok.

3. Mga pasyenteng feeling ANAK NG DIYOS – Sana lang malaman ng mga pasyente na TAO rin po ang mga nars at hindi ROBOT. Sabi nga nila, ang makina nga nagloloko kapag sobrang gamit eh, tao pa kaya? Tayo pa kaya? Sa dami ba naman ng pasyente, hindi sa lahat ng oras ay masusunod ng nars ang mga hiling ng pasyente. Maalala sana nila ang kahulugan ng salitang PRIORITY para maintindihan nilang kailangang unahin ng nars ang pasyenteng naghihinalo bago palitan ng diaper ang kamag-anak nilang natae. And besides, hindi ba nila kayang palitan ng diaper ang kamag-anak nila. Kaya nga sila nandoon ‘di ba? Hindi naman tayo nagsunog ng kilay para maging alila at maging “taga-linis ng pwet” gaya ng akala nila. Ang Nursing po ay isang special field at hindi synonymous sa “taga-linis ng pwet”. Kung gusto nilang ituon ang lahat ng atensyon sa pasyente nila, alamin nila ang pagkakaiba ng salitang staff nurse sa PRIVATE NURSE. Respeto lang po at konting pag-unawa ang hinihiling namin.

Alam kong may mga nars talaga na masungit at bastos makipag-usap sa pasyente. Karamihan makikita mo sila sa mga pampublikong ospital kung saan mismo ang doktor ay parang hindi na “tao” ang turing sa mga pasyente. Kung sigawan at sungitan sila parang ganun na lang. Kahit naman ako, maiinis sa mga nars na walang modo at respeto sa mga pasyente. Lalo na ‘yung mga akala mo kung sinong maganda. Ewan ko ba kung bakit kung sino pa yung mga mukhang pwet ng manok ay sila pa ang may ganang magtaray. Mapapaaway talaga ako ‘pag ganun.

Sa kabilang banda, hindi naman po lahat ng nars ay masungit. Meron pa rin namang mga mababait at may respeto sa pasyente. ‘Yun nga lang, sana maintindihan nila na TAO lang ang mga nars na may mga sariling pinagdadaanan sa buhay. Hindi porket nagsungit sya ng isang beses ay masama na sya. Respeto lang at pag-unawa sa isa’t-isa ang kailangan natin para umayos ang buhay.

Marahil nakasalamuha mo na si Nurse Sungit. Ito ang kanyang alamat. Sana naiintindihan mo na sya.

One Gory Thursday

Blood, blood, and blood………………

My nursing journey officially starts today. And what do y’all think is the perfect way to start fresh in the nursing field? Nothing but a day fully packed with needle pricks and blood stains. This morning, I went straight to CHEERS (Community Health Education Emergency Rescue Services) office, located along Quezon Ave., to attend a brief training session about blood collection or what we nurses know as phlebotomy. Actually, I signed up to CHEERS for my IVT Training and this one-day phlebotomy training is part of the whole package. The IVT Training costs 4,000 pesos but I have considered it as very good bargain because it is inclusive of the phlebotomy training (which you won’t find in any other training centers or hospitals), the 5 day-IVT Training (3 days of didactic and skills demo , 2 days of completion duty to be scheduled),  the snacks/lunch meals that you will eat throughout the whole training, and the processing fees for the ANSAP IVT license. In addition to these, the IVT Training will be conducted by ANSAP preceptors themselves inside ANSAP-accredited hospitals so I’m very sure I’m in very good hands. The hospitals where we will be assigned during the main IVT Training are the only problem I got because St. Vincent Hospital and Sta. Monica Hospital are both located around Marikina, which is obviously, not a stone’s throw away from Bulacan. I’m in no way trying to promote CHEERS because I made the decision purely because I want to bypass the need to make reservations to certain well-known hospitals where slots for the IVT training fill up almost faster than the speed of light. I’m just bored and tired of waiting, that’s all.

The training went smoothly from a short discussion and actual blood collection. We had to find our own partners for the hands-on experience. Luckily, I was able to pick Michelle (batch 2011 as well) as my partner perhaps because she was my seat mate and approachable just like me. When it was our turn to prick and traumatize each other’s veins, I found out just how lucky she was for having my fat,  palpable vein and how miserable I turned out to be after learning that my needle had to play hide-and-seek to catch her feeble veins. Luckily, after two attempts (one traumatizing prick for each of her arm) and assistance from our trainor, I finally managed to find the right target and get the amount of blood required. I learned a lot of tips and strategies from this experience so I’m confident that through constant exposure and practice, I will gain the confidence of a certified phlebotomist and IV therapist. How to overcome the tremors? Just be confident and practice relentlessly. After all, you can overcome performance anxiety by focusing on what you do and not on other people watching what you do. After a bloody 5 hours of exposure, we were given our certificates of attendance and informed about the details for the IVT training (which will start on Saturday at St. Vincent).

RNHeals Application………….

1. San Lazaro Hospital, Quiricada St., Sta. Cruz, Manila

After the bloody encounter, I travelled straight from Balintawak to Tayuman station of LRT-1 to submit my requirements for the RNHeals program at San Lazaro. I’m not at all hopeful for this one because in addition to the fact that some of the HR employees are not even aware that the said program exists in the hospital when I came there Monday to inquire, one HR guy told me this afternoon that they’re not sure if we will be called because it is just for ‘pooling’ purposes, meaning they will just collect applications until they are notified as to when the program will officially start.

For those who are interested for the RNHeals program, DOH main office (the one beside Jose Reyes) has been officially closed for applications and will resume it by January next year (probably mid-January). And don’t even bother to try JRMMC because  I’ve been there already and was told by a chief nurse that they already have nurses under the program taking the exam and that they don’t know when they will resume hiring. If you want to leave your resume like me, then it’s up to you. But don’t expect a call from them considering that they already have  hundreds of applications in store.

For San Lazaro Hospital, here are the requirements:

 PRC ID, Board Rating, Board Certificate/Certificate of Passing, TOR, Diploma, Certificates of trainings and seminars, Resume, and Application letter addresses to Dr. WINSTON GO (Medical Center Chief II). Just enclose these requirements in a long brown envelope and submit it to the HR department located at the second floor.

2. Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital , Lope de Vega, Sta. Cruz, Manila

After submitting my requirements at San Lazaro, I spent almost 40 pesos of tricycle fare to get to Fabella only to learn that they will resume their hiring for the third batch of RNHeals applicants by November 28. They didn’t accept my requirements but the HR girl was very nice to me. Well, I have no choice but to go back on the specified date and prepare for the exam, which, according to her, will be their basis for selection of qualified nurses. For those who are interested, please bring original (for verification purposes only) and photocopies of the following documents: Board Certificate/Certificate of passing, PRC ID, Resume, Application letter addressed to Dr. RUBEN C. FLORES (Medical Center Chief II), Board Rating, TOR, College Diploma, Certificates of trainings and seminars, 2 copies of latest picture (white background, formal attire, passport sized), Birth Certificate (must be 18 to 35 years old) and/or Marriage Certificate (if married). Submit these requirements to the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer and Human Resource Division from November 28 up to December 2, 2011 (3rd batch).

And for registered nurses who are interested to apply at NCMH, I just received a Facebook notification just recently and I want to share it with you:

DOH RN HEALS Program already started. Hiring is open to a number of DOH hospitals including NCMH. Those interested to apply at NCMH, please prepare an application letter address to Bernardino A. Vicente, MD, FPPA, MHA, CESO IV Medical Center Chief II, National Center for Mental Health Thru Lucila O. espinosa, RN, MAN . Bring resume’ w/ picture, autobiography, board rating, PRC cert, PRC license, BSN diploma. Transcript of record, training & employment cert if available, NBI Clearance,& authenticated NSO Birth cert. prepare 2 sets of these requirements & 2×2 pic. Proceed to Nursing Service Ofc & be prepared to take an exam & interview. Come in business attire. goodluck nurses!!! (to my former students, this is a good opportunity, give it a try. limited slots only.) LOOK for Mr. Louie Marigmen for assistance. Pasted from <http://www.facebook.com/groups/118126851551661/>

I will try to post it here if ever I do hospital trek again next time for this RNHeals program. I hope my efforts will pay off eventually. After all, we’ll never know what’s in store for us in the future. No harm in trying so continue to try, try, and try. And while we nurses are waiting, let’s keep our prayers powerful and continue to train, learn, and build networks. Godspeed fellow dreamers!-Nars A. Ko

RNHeals Batch 2: So Unfair

It’s been almost a month now since I decided to step out of the call center arena but I’m still battling with the depressing effects of unemployment. I’m still on that stage wherein I keep on telling myself that I’ve made the right decision as far as professional growth is concerned. I don’t know if it’s denial but there are a lot of times within this ‘unemployment period’ that I feel  I’m just waiting in vain and  the risk I took will not work at all. For this reason, I was elated when I heard the news that RNHeals (Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement and Local Service) Batch 2 is now opening its doors for thousands of unemployed registered nurses wanting to have a paid clinical experience of one year . Well, it’s good news at first but if you’re going to delve into the changes made for the second batch, a registered nurse, especially a newbie like me, will be a bit disappointed. I don’t have the full information yet  regarding the program because I only got the news from nursing websites and didn’t get the details straight from the DOH office. But so far, here are the changes I’ve found from the 2nd batch of application:

1. Compared to the previous batch, there will be no more online applications for the program. You have to exert miles of effort to do walk-in applications on certain DOH Hospitals included on their list. I heard some news from the first batch that the so-called “backer system”  took effect even if DOLE kept on reiterating that the application was on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis. Well, just imagine what will happen now that the online application has been taken aside. That equates to more chances of acceptance for registered nurses with relatives or friends within these DOH hospitals and fewer chances for nurses alone in their battle for employment. It’s back to basics, after all. And for someone like me who had struggled to kept myself awake and kept my internet connection open for the hope that I would have a higher chance in the online application, this is quite one of the most frustrating discoveries I’ve found regarding the program.

2. The DOH hospitals listed under the program are only limited to the Manila area and some parts of the country. That means it’s not yet clear if all the hospitals previously included in the program will reap the benefits of RNHeals. In Bulacan area (where I presently reside), for instance, none of the hospitals I know are included. I don’t even know if nurses from CCT areas outside Metro Manila can apply at some specialty hospitals like NKTI and PHC.  This is the reason why I’m planning to do my own research and walk-in applications tomorrow to get things clear for me. I’m regretting that I didn’t make an effort to inquire at DOH office a couple of weeks ago. I just learned from someone that DOH called her up for an orientation after submitting her application three weeks ago. Regrets aside, it’s really about time for me to try my luck tomorrow. I will surely write my updates thereafter.

3. “Previous volunteers” of the DOH hospitals under the program will be prioritized. At least, that’s what I found from the advertisement. A blog author indicated that newly registered nurses do have a ‘chance’ but knowing that hundreds  of nurses became volunteers of these hospitals in the past, the chances for some will be slimmer.

4. On a positive note, the second batch of RNHeals will get one year of straight hospital experience, which is the goal of every nurses who wants to be deployed overseas. According to a friend from the first batch (who are going to finish their one-year contract by mid-Feb next year), they were assigned in the community area during the first six months and will be rotated to different hospital areas (one area per month) during the second half.

For those of you who want to know about the details for the second batch of RNHeals, here are the links:

http://nurseslabs.com/news/rnheals-2-how-to-apply/

http://nurseslabs.com/nursing-jobs/important-guidelines-for-rnheals-2-applicants/

http://nurseslabs.com/news/rnheals-batch-2-application-is-now-open/

I’m a risk-taker by nature that’s why I’m trying to be positive fkor this program. I just printed all of my application letters and CV for my journey tomorrow. After all, I will not lose anything if I try. I mean, this is one of the rare chances that a registered nurse like me to get a paid hospital experience for one year. This is my PLAN A and if it will not work as I want, there are PLAN B and PLAN C for me. Who knows? I hope and pray that I won’t need any back-up plans anymore. I will try my hardest but if it’s not for me, so be it. I’m just a hard-working nurse waiting to be discovered by a good-paying hospital. RNHeals…here I come:>