HOW - A Question of a Struggling Filipino Nurse.

There are almost 500,000 professional Filipino nurses and only a few percentage of this number is currently practicing their profession. What happened to the Filipino Nurse of Today, Where are we going? What lies ahead?

I personally chose this profession because of the increasing demand of nurses abroad. As a Filipino who happens to be a third world country, I believe that it is right to think that you want to progress and help your struggling family in terms of working abroad and earning much higher salary. That is a typical thinking of a young Filipino nurse and I think a lot of young nurses today happens to be in the same road.

For almost five years of spending thousands and thousands of pesos, struggling to pass all the requirements, and making your way to become an RN, Where are we now? It seems to me that our goal to professional life is lurking behind the bush. Yes, few will say that you have to wait because there are due processes that has to be
observed, there are decorums to be done and theres always an effort to battle out. My question is when? When can we taste the fruit of our labours? When can we provide the best for our family? When can we progress our individuality in our chosen profession?
Five or ten years from now is your answer...five or ten years from now when the kilo of rice is 100.00, when the transportation fare is 20.00, or when our family sacrifices the education of other siblings because if increasing tuition fees.

My fellow nurses, we are the hope of our fellowmen, country, and our family. How can we do this if we cannot affort to submit ourselves to volunteer in a hospital where there is no salary and nonetheless you submit in the burden of paying training fees and everyday allowance. How can we do this if the NCLEX itself is very expensive. How can we do this if the first world countries are starting to become rigorous and closing its doors to accept overseas professional nurses. Even I myself dont know the answer. I have many dreams..wonderful dreams, but its sad to think that they are slowly washing away. I know its very hard today but its even harder five or ten years from now if today youre not making any action. I acknowledge all the feeling because I myself has been a victim of this professional turmoil of nurses.

We are torn between serving and earning. Make a Stand and Learn It, Live It, Love it.
In the end, It can always be both happily serving and productively earning



Rand Matthew Celis, RN.
BSN4D Class Vice President