Why Nursing?
Why Nursing, Kuya Alex?
After obtaining several degrees from college and working dead-end jobs. I knew I did not want to work for others but I wanted to work for myself. However, in order to work for myself, I must learn all the ropes first by learning the profession more in depth and have hands-on experience to tactical the practical side of the profession. Most importantly, I want to take care of my own parents when they get older and unable to care for themselves. Caring for other people is my calling. I knew nursing will always be a need to others, so i pursued it full force. I must start somewhere, learn the ropes, and get some real life experiences; so I enroll myself into a Certified Nursing Assistant Program to see if Nursing is really for me. During the CNA program, as a student, I learned pretty quickly. I really enjoyed the experiences – the good and the bad. After graduating top of my class. I found work waiting for me as I planned ahead and it payed off. I did job searching 3 weeks prior.
During my years working as a Certified Nursing Assistant in a Skilled Nursing Facility, I am always surrounded by Filipino co-workers. Majority of the staff are 80% Filipinos. They are extremely hard-working, determined, truly caring, cheerful, and very family-oriented. Every time I went into work at 6am in the morning, I am always greeted by a few of them. They make my work enjoyable throughout my shift 7am-3pm shift.
The Next Step…
While working as CNA, I knew I need to move up the nursing profession ladder, so i applied to a Vocational Nursing Program since majority of my prerequisite are already completed. It didn’t take long before I got accepted. You see, Nursing is a very compacted course and students are put into a lottery pool. The first 35 students would be selected with 5 being back up replacements. So I guess I was lucky.
Being in the Vocational Nursing program as a student nurse is very exciting for me. Not only did I do patient care, I get to dispense medications, give shots, and create nursing care plans. I really enjoy it. Having CNA experience really help me out a lot with the practical aspect of nursing. The best part about being a student nurse is learning about the patient and his life stories and experiences. We are not subject to the clock unlike the staff nurses. As student nurses, we can stay and communicate with our patients. Every patient I encountered have their own unique life stories.
While working back to back shift as a Certified Nursing Assistant and as a private nurse for about a year. It really drained me out so much. Sometimes I even volunteer to work back to back shift to cover a fellow co-worker who is sick. Since I am single, I even volunteer to work holidays so my co-workers can spend time with their families. I get the job done.
