Application for Nurse Trainee at World Citi Medical Center

             World Citi Medical Center is located along Aurora Boulevard, Quezon City. It is actually near the LRT Anonas Station. It is a tertiary hospital with 279-bed capacity and provides a wide range of health services from diagnostic, preventive to curative and rehabilitative stage. Their website boasts of cutting-edge facilities and advanced technology that cater to various health concerns. 

              If you really want to go abroad, the hospital there require that you have worked in at least 100-bed capacity hospital. Well, this hospital is just right for you.

            I went there last week to pass my credentials. I was given a piece of paper with the list of the requirements and was asked to fill up the form. I was asked to just leave my documents with the guard on-duty. I placed the requirements inside a brown envelope. The guard said it was better to place everything in an envelope to avoid having the papers misplaced.

           Here is the list of the requirements for Nurse Trainee:

1. Resume with picture

2. Photocopy of board rating

3. Photocopy of board certificate (If not yet available, no need to get one)

4. Photocopy of PRC license (clear image, as much as possible)

5. Diploma

6. Transcript

          I was not comfortable of the idea of passing the original copies of my diploma and ToR, so I just had them photocopied. So far the HR has not reprimanded me for it.

         There was a note on the small paper where the list of requirements in written, it says,

          "After thorough screening of resume, all qualified applicants will be notified through phone call, text message or email regarding their interview and examination schedule."

          A few hours after I passed my requirements, I received a text message asking me to come the following day for an exam. I nervously replied to the text my name, as a confirmation. Good thing I searched on the net and came across a thread in http://allnurses.com/nursing-in-philippines/training-hiring-process-650171.html about the initial exam. I brushed up on drug computations, abbreviations and meanings of some medical terms. They were right, there were 10 items on drug computations and 15 items on meanings and abbreviations.

          Before the exam, they will ask you to fill out another form. This form is like your resume, must be filled up completely and accurately.

         After the exam, the HR will tell you to wait for another text about the schedule of interview. So far, I haven't received a text from them. Another applicant told me, it usually takes 1-2 weeks before they call you up again for an interview.

        I will just wait for now and pray I get included in the trainee program.

        If you have inquiries regarding their nurse trainee program, you can call (02)-913-8380 local 308.

Application to a Hospital as an RN

I am a newly registered nurse. Despite the pride and joy the title "RN" brings, I must admit, I feel ashamed at some point because I am not a practicing nurse. Through my job hunting, I realized how little the government acknowledges the presence of nurses in our country. There are hundreds of thousands of us but only few actually practice the profession in the clinical setting. Some of us are stuck in call centers, in industries far from what we have studied and in institutions that pay less if none at all.

Though we are degree-holders, board passers and even licensed in various training such as Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiovascular Support, Intravenous Therapy, among others, we still cannot get into our dream job. Most of us are not wearing that scrubs, or that neatly pressed nursing uniforms because the hospitals we dreamed of entering are either "not hiring" or just accepting "nurse volunteers".

Through checking blogs and threads on the Internet about how to get hired in a hospital, I learned that getting hired sometimes is so hard- you really have endure lots of patience and God's mercy if I may say so.

I learned that in order to get hired you either apply first as a nurse trainee, or a volunteer. Well, after you have passed the initial exam to get into the nurse trainee program, you must pass the interview too. Then after a few weeks of in-house training, you must pass another series of exams and interview before you can be included in the manpooling process.

Crazy, huh? But that's the way it is nowadays. Oh, did I mention that you have to pay too? They range from P6,000-P15,000.00 depending on the level of care that institution provides. If you really want to get into those big and famous hospitals, you have to prepare at least P10,000.00 from what I heard. And this payment is not a guarantee you will be hired.

There is this so-called rule, "No registered nurse immediately gets hired as a regular staff nurse." According to the threads that I have read, no one gets into a hospital without undergoing a Nurse Training Program. If you want to be hired, you must undergo the training provided by the hospital and pass the training.  Though not all institutions implement it, but there are those who claim that there are indeed institutions that follow that simple rule.

Nevertheless, I, together with thousands of registered nurses all over the country, follow the rules and comply with the requirements just to get into a hospital. Just because, it was the only way to get in.  Unless, you have been pre-selected by the HR simply because you have a backer who has a high position in that hospital you wish to apply to.

Letter # 1

There is a big reason why I do not write blog entries about you, or anything for you. It's not that I am not inspired, actually I am inspired, but I just never got the desire to write.

You see, every emotion, feelings and experiences I had over the past two years never got the chance to be put into writing. They were all happy, lovely, and wonderful. I had lots of memories that I never documented in paper, all because they are too good to be written on a blog site that I rarely visit anymore.

You are the reason why I don't write anything about you. Simply because you became my living diary, where I put all my good memories and feelings. I usually write because I felt something and I had no one to share it with. Most of the time, I put entries that are filled with sadness, anxiety and anger. But now that I rarely feel any of these, I never wrote again.

The truth is I wrote for you. I wrote you letters of thanksgiving, of love and joy. On cheap stationery, I write with excitement and joy that when you finally read what I have to say, I will see a smile on your face. Writing you letters is just one of the reason that you can say I am "romantic".

I hated it that you still felt bad and sad despite all my promises and all the logical reasons why you should not feel threatened.

Still, I love you.

"The Happy 10th (year)! text message"

"Happy 10th!"

This was the text I received from you this early morning. I was shocked, surprised and confused after reading this in the middle of the night. You see, we haven't talked to each other for a long time. I already changed numbers, and you seemed to have found a way to reconnect. As far as I can remember, we agreed that communication between us should be secured, otherwise, I will again receive threats and messages from your party. I do not want to have another non-sense, useless argument with an individual who will never understand.

I thought you simply just sent a very exciting and happy message to the wrong person. Half-awake, I checked the time and date. 12:01 AM July 25, 2013. Oh yes! The 25th of July. How could I forget. Well, I should forget or should I say, WE should.

It's been more than two years ago when we bid each other good bye, for good. But we still remained as good friends as we can be, minus the frequents texts, calls and meet-ups. We haven't talked for a long time, not because we hated each other, on the contrary we REALLY love to talk to each other. We never ran out of things to talk about and we really enjoy each other's company. But why can't we talk like the good old says? Well, we just don't want other people to get hurt, and we are dead tired of explaining to other people - to our respective partners to be exact.

It has been ten years when we became very close to each other. Three years prior to year 2003, we became friends. You became my Kuya Ian, and I, your little Agnes. I was 16, you were 19. Fresh from high school, you guided me as I entered University. You became my mentor for my years of stay in the University. You were a constant companion, best friend, lover, partner and a patient listener to my endless stories. You helped me explore the realms of life. Though I must admit, this relationship of ours became my secured ground, that I was shut down from the social life that I should have had as a college student. I learned a lot and I can say this proudly that I am who I am right now because you made me.

A month from now is our supposed "marriage". We thought that 10 years as a couple is a good foundation for starting married life. However, destiny, if you may call it, played on us and decided that we will never make it. Two years short from our wedding plans.

The courses of our lives took their own turns somewhere, and it is never going to happen. It will, maybe, in the darkest of the night in our own secret dreams.

Well, how did those plans get out of hand anyway? First, we stopped believing in the concept of marriage and weddings. We became far from our dreams, we indulged ourselves the reality of life, the philosophies that guide it and we realized that there is more to life than just being in love. Lastly, we fell in love with another person.

I silently blushed when I recalled those days, I had good memories and I learned a lot.

How could I forget this day? I did not forget, I just had too much to think about and there is no one to remind me about this day, but you. For friendship's sake, I will never forget the memories, they are totally embedded somewhere in my memory. I never erased them but, new beautiful memories just keep on coming and bury the old ones deeper.

Happy ten years of friendship and love!  I am hoping to have more, because you are just too good a person to be forgotten. But this is as far as we can get, until you partner finally decides to accept the truth that we are good friends, and that I am no longer a threat to your happy ending.

Though I already have my own happy ending, I still have to erase your message as soon as possible after replying, and I know you have to erase my response as well. We do not want other people get hurt, much more, our own lovers.

I am happy because you made an effort an effort to send me a message, and I am, without hesitation, proud to send you back  - The "Happy 10th!" text message.

15 years after my Mother's heart surgery

January 16, 1998. My mother had her quadruple coronary artery bypass graft surgery, wherein a vein was removed from her leg and then grafted to her heart to bypass the clogged coronary arteries. The doctors told her that the operation was good for only ten years, and she has to undergo another surgery again. But God has been faithful to us, as always.

my mother has been in and out of the hospital for the past five years, and there were times when she was confined twice a year due to heart attacks. The last time she was confined to the hospital, she suffered a major heart attack which led to a complication called pulmonary edema, where due toM the inability of her heart to pump blood well, fluid accumulated in her lungs. While in the ER, she suddenly had difficulty of breathing. I held her hand  and watched the cardiac monitor as the vital signs go below normal. She turned blue and fainted. I hear the rushing sounds of the monitor and the nurses as they run to my mother's side and wheel her to the blue code area. I knew what was coming and i no longer need an explanation for the procedures needed to be done to her so i just gestured to the medical team to go on. 

I was already in tears when i saw the doctor insert a tube in her mouth. He couldn't  insert the tube because her trachea was bleeding. I then prayed to God and asked Him to help my mother survive. But halfway in my prayer, something dawned on me. i remembered how much my mother has been through, her daily complaints of pain, and struggle to stay alive. So instead of bargaining with God, i surrendered my mother. i told Him that whatever His will is, let it be. I was ready for whatever answer He might give. 

I dialled my sister's number and told her what was happening, and she was stunned as i was. I called my dad and told him to come back to the hospital immediately. 

The fast buzzing sound from the monitor slowed down, and I saw from the monitor that her oxygen status has improved greatly, her vital signs have also improved. the tube was already inserted in her mouth after the third try. She was on mechanical ventilation and had many tubes attached to her. She survived but needed strict monitor for the next 24 hours. Though I was completely exhausted  - emotionally, physically and spiritually, i wanted to stay beside her but with all the machines around her, i was asked to stay outside instead and wait for developments. I spent the night outside, praying until I fell asleep. The following day when i checked on her, her condition improved and machines were removed one by one. She was already talking by noontime and was moved to a different area with less monitoring and it was only less than 24 hours! She had to stay in the hospital for almost ten days to ensure that she is in good condition already. Aside from worrying about her condition, we were also worried about the bills at the time which was enough already to buy a car. But we stood on God's promises and He fulfilled them.

That was October 2011. She was not confined more than 24 hours in the hospital since then. 

Though she has had attacks and complaints of chest pain or irregular heart rhythms, they were all relieved and treated by medications or rest -at home. 

I still cry whenever i remember that night when i thought God would already take her away from us. But i always thank Him because He never left us when we needed help. He has kept my mother safe in every operation, every childbirth, every illness. He abundantly provided for my mother's hospital expenses ever since through my mother's friends, colleagues and other people who have shared their blessings when my mother needed it. And we those people whom God has sent to get us through those tough times.

Today, we are celebrating the 15th year after her successful operation. And we are praying for another 15 years or so. 

Sent from my iPad

What Do I Want This Summer? (super delayed post)

What Do I Want this Summer?

I miss the refreshing feel that this shampoo brings after every wash. It is a seasonal product that is distributed only in summer. It reminds me of the fun summer classes I had.



Since summer is all about high temperature outdoors, it is good to cool down with a bowl or glass of an all-time favorite Filipino snack, "Halo-halo". Although this can be prepared all-year round, nothing beats the summer heat like a bowl filled with ice and fresh sweets topped with ice cream or leche flan!



S
Sun, Sand, Swim and Sea is the perfect combination for the summer. The sight of a beach makes any long trip worthwhile for every vacationer. There are many activities we can engage in aside from swimming and searching for new friends. Try snorkeling, surfing or learn how to scuba dive. I want to try the last two if only I know how to swim well.



Books

I want to catch up on my reading, so I have started checking our shelves for books that I have set aside for months now. So far these are the books that have been in hibernation for the past year... But wait, I haven't checked under my bed yet...





DVD
Nothing kills boredom like having a marathon of your favorite TV series or watching movies from a disc or from torrent. My choices may have made me sound geeky but who says intellect and humor don't go together?

When My Dad had a stroke

In my family, my mother has always been the one who is sick. Ever since I can remember, I would go with her on her medical checkups. She has been diagnosed with many diseases and has been taking more than five medications a day specific for each disease.

My father, on the other hand has been the strongest. He rarely goes to the hospital, the only time I can remember he was hospitalized was in 2000 due to kidney disease. When he suffered a heart attack in 2007, he was only prescribed two medicines-an antihypertensive drug and aspirin.  Though a little overweight, he looked healthy and younger than any other 71-year olds. He only had few white hairs, he can lift his grandchildren with ease, and still goes about his business. He never wanted to retire because he believed it will only make him weaker. Early morning, you can catch him sitting on his chair watching cable tv news. Before breakfast, he would drive to the Sports Oval and walk for around 30 minutes. At lunchtime, he watches Eat Bulaga then dozes off but wakes up when you switch off the TV. Then he would watch Discovery Channel, National Geographic or the Lifestyle channel while occasionally looking at the World Map he posted behind the living room door. When he goes to sleep, you can hear political issues discussed on his radio until he dozes off again.

He knows which continent does a country belong, or who is the prime minister of Britain, he knows quite a few trivial things about the world and he tells them in a matter-of-fact way. He can compute production costs and profits on a piece of paper, often without an aid of a calculator. He can compute how many tiles are needed in a 5x10 meter space and how big each tile is. He can drive for long periods, he goes with me when running errands and drives any family member to any destination. He was good in geography; he memorized the towns in Luzon because he loved to travel. He drives my mom anywhere, and any sick family member to the hospital especially on emergency cases.

When he recently had his medical check-up, it was discovered that he has a kidney problem, osteoarthritis, gastric problem (ileus) and atherosclerosis. Although the doctors assured us that these were just part of aging and can be managed with medicines, I believed, compared to my mother, he was very healthy and can do with minimal health care.

Until last Tuesday, I received a call from my mother telling me that there was something different with my dad. His face looked paralyzed on one side, and he was not speaking well. As she was worriedly saying these things, my mind was running, looking for any interventions that I learned in nursing school. Turned out, I knew nothing about stroke. It was a shock to me to know that it was my father, not my mother, who was having a medical emergency. I was used to hearing my mother over the phone say that she was having a heart attack, and then I would prompt my father to console her and bring her to the Emergency Department. I knew my father can carry my mother to the car, but with my dad’s weight, it would take two to three men to carry him up the car. I then instructed my mother to tell my brother to get the car and ask neighbors to help carry my dad to the car. Then I rushed out of the school, took a cab while giving them instructions. Out of worry, the interventions I was able to instruct them were those that we do for heart attacks, this time I was really unprepared. I just knew we only have minutes before an irreversible damage to occur.

I was beside my father on the Blue Code area. I held his hand as the doctor asked me questions. When he was inside the MRI laboratory, I silently prayed that the stroke was only acute and if there was damage, may it be minimal. When he came out, he was already able to speak well and when he returned to the bed, he looked and acted like he didn’t even suffer a stroke. I was relieved, though the MRI showed there was indeed a stroke, because of the small dark spot on film that is conclusive of unoxygenated brain tissue. It was easy for my family to understand the condition of my father because I know what happened and I was able to relate to my family what happened.

It was the first time my father held my hand for so long. He held my mother’s hand and my brother’s and each of us taking turns. I knew he was afraid and so was I.

When his vital signs stabilized and was cleared to go to a regular room instead of the Intensive Care Unit, I knew he was alright and will be sent home soon.

                We usually spend time together by running errands or I would always accompany him on his trips, but this time I was his private duty nurse, attending to his needs such as diaper change, bed baths, feeding and providing comfort. He was at first hesitant, probably because he was not used to being weak and somebody else doing things for him. When I explained to him that this was part of his recovery, well, he started to be open about how he should be cared for.  On his last day in the hospital, the doctor said my father’s other illnesses, which can be managed again with medicines, I realized that all this time we were too focused on my mother. My father rarely complains and is usually does not share his feelings, so I thought he doesn’t have anything that we should be worry about. Lesson learned: if he’s not complaining, it doesn’t mean he is not sick.

When he was cleared to go home, I told him some things will change from now on. I was wrong. A LOT of things will change from now on.  

                I realized the changes as soon as we are about to got home. Who will pick us up from the hospital, who will go with me to buy the medicines? Because I was used to having my dad help me in managing the house.

First, medical expenses have gone up, if before, I would only purchase medicines for my mother, now, I will be purchasing and preparing medicines for both of them. Second, my dad cannot drive for long periods now, so running errands will take a slightly different turn. Then, he has to slow down and avoid stress. We have to make sure that the house is safe for him, fix the furniture, make sure the bathroom lock has keys, the floor is not slippery, and remove things we don’t need to avoid accumulation of dust or allergens. We have to change rooms so he can sleep comfortably, and he cannot go anywhere alone and someone always has to be there with him. I even have to make sure his cellphone is always with him and that the line is working. I have to make sure he complies with his medications and monitor his food intake.

We now have to adopt some family roles to adapt to this big change in our family. I am not sure how, but we have to. Though my father was found to have no deficit in sensory, motor, and cognitive skills, and is fit to continue his activities after a few weeks, I believe it is time for him to slow down and age healthfully. God has given us the chance to change our health habits and made me see my father in a different light. W should not focus on just one parent when it comes to health, we have two parents and both should receive the same attention like what they have given us all these years.

I just pray nobody from us will ever have to suffer a Cerebrovascular accident or stroke just to realize how fast we are living our lives.