What I find challenging about the nursing profession is, apart from dealing with the patients and their relatives, is knowing the disease and the disease process. What are the symptoms and how to deal with it. A lot of patients do not throw questions at the doctors as they seem to be intimidated. So as soon as the doctor steps out of the patient’s room, the patients and relatives begin to bombard you with questions regarding the patient’s confiment.
Since I am just new to this profession, I really find it hard to answer most of their questions that is why I always tell myself to find time researching. As much as I want to dedicate some time to it, my physical and mental strength are always drained right before I punch out. I almost always miss my bus stop especially when I came from PM shift.
I wish I could squeeze in the research task. I have to. I am planning to take my master’s degree so I need to improve my pacing.

When the economy was still in good shape, I did not quit my callcenter job while studying. I was able to get through the stressful situation after three years. Now that the global recession is still pulsating and with the sky high cost of my maintenance medications, quitting my job is not an option. One thing is for sure though, I do not want to die in the callcenter. I want to pursue my nursing career and bring it to a higher level. SO with the demands of my fulltime job and my basic skills training getting into Allied health institute is definitely a dandy.

During one of my job interviews at a hospital, I was asked what I would tell our president if I come face to face with her.
Seriously, I had no intentions of talking to her. Politics is not my thing. But if I were given an opportunity to speak up to her, I would ask her to look into the country’s healthcare system. Most of the Filipinos cannot afford the skyrocketing cause of checkups, lab work ups, hospitalizations and others. Since not all have disability insurance most of our people die without being treated or without the chance to be seen by a physician after the long suffering.

Last Saturday, I got a text from World Citi College (WCC) HR that I was chosen to undergo the Nurse Training Program and I was scheduled to take the exam this morning.  To which I texted back that I already went through final interview and has paid the initial training fee of P2500 in February and that I was supposed to be in the February batch of trainees but just deferred due to the short notice I got from them then.

The HR officer affirmed that I was indeed on the waiting list of the next batch of trainees and I should still come to their office on Monday at 9:00 am (which is today) for contract signing and instructions to which I obliged.

I swapped sked with my office mate so I could swing by WCC in the morning.

I was there before 9 am along with other examinees.  The HR assistant, after learning my purpose, did not ask me to take the exam and instructed me instead to wait for the HR supervisor. After almost an hour of patiently waiting, the  assistant informed me in a very apologetic manner that the contract has not been prepared yet and as she was about  to discuss further the supervisor approached us. She told me that there have been changes in their training program.

Originally it was a 4-month training program which is billed at P2500 per month. Starting the new batch, they will be adapting  the 2-month training program and they have not revised the contract yet as the signatories were out somewhere.

I was told that the training program will commence on May 25 and I will be surely contacted for the contract signing before then.

I was done with them at past 10:00 a.m. I decided to go straight to the office and just render an over time since my sked was at 1:00 p.m.

I needed to be productive.  The caffeine I chugged this morning at Mc Donald’s has kicked in and I was not expecting to doze off until the wee hours of the morning.

While in the office, I remembered to phone Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP).  I was included in the batch 18 of their “continuing education program” (read: volunteer) tagged P3000 for three months.

The batch in which I was reassigned is scheduled to be “trained” in mid-July.

I was told over the phone to submit the requirements already.

It’s my rest day tomorrow. So I will drop by to comply.

If my calculations are correct, I will be able to finish the 2-month training program at WCC right before the training  in LCP will start.

I won’t quit my call center job just yet.  Next week will be my first time to be on graveyard shift since time immemorial. I have aasked my team mates to swap their graveyard sked with me starting May 25. This way, I could joggle paid and volunteer works.

I just hope nothing gets compromised not even my health.

I also hope that LCP has pulled their acts together this time. The last time I went there, my name was missing on the list of any batches of trainees.

At this point in time, I am hoping for the best.