The three-month training at the Lung Center of the Philippines has come to an end. We have had our case presentation and it went well, or so I thought.
I have asked around what are their plans after the training and mostly answered, they’ll be taking a break.
Our course in the ward might be short but it is long enough to drain our energy and interest.
We all feel that we paid to be enslaved. We are doing the bedside duties of the nurses and yes, even the nursing aid’s while they chill or sleep at night.
Although we have learned so many things, mostly on our own, we feel that we were pushed to the limit putting our endurance and patience to the test.
The irony is indeed palpable. Hospitals in the country lack nurses, yet they to do not hire instead they turn this problem into an entrepreneurship and ventured on draining poor nurse’s pocket. We understand that hiring additional workforce is out of budget but why collect fees for the so-called “training”?. The staff are fully aware of the big help the trainees give when they are around.
Instead of helping the nurses to land a job or at least get a decent hospital experience to land a job abroad, they chose to be vultures and rip their flesh off.
The government wants nurses to render service first here in the country before leaving for abroad but how can we do that if we are deprived of the opportunity?
We even opt to be volunteers just to gain hospital experience but most of the hospitals are too darn wise to make it as a profitable aspect of service. A total disservice indeed.
So now that my training is over, should I dish another serious amount to get into another training program? My answer would be a bitter yes but not at this very moment. I need to recharge financially and physically.
Sad to say, we are licensed to be exploited.

It was our second day of return demonstration and I came straight from my graveyard shift at work.  I managed to brush through my notes before punching at LCP.

Yesterday’s demo went well. The preceptor was cool and he even laughed at my mistakes. I am really not good at speaking in front of people (maybe I am cursed to speak with people just over the phone).

Today is another day. I took the number one tab just to get it over with  immediately so I could go straight home to rest. I was clueless that there’s a rear hole waiting for me down the demo hall.

Admittedly, I screwed up at some  steps in performing  tracheostomy care but for whatever that is worth, I do not deserve to be yelled at.  We are all professionals.  The reason I or we are there is to gain knowledge. This is not a collegiate school where it is okay to be howlered.

I paid up freaking six grand plus the uniform not to be humiliated in front of  other students and preceptors. I was really close to crying  and telling him that it is his job to teach me what is the right thing  to do. I bet that he did worse when he was a trainee like me.

I want to stab him in the neck so that he could be intubated then I could perform tracheostomy care on him.

I just kept mum about it.  It is not a dog-eat-dog system.  I am scared that I would blow up my chance of getting a slot there. I had and have to be nice.

Lesson learned.  Practice no maleficence and bring  lots of patience.