On the second day of my duty, I was reassigned at another ward. A private one. Most of the patients are VIPs.
For two consecutive days, my preceptor was a male nurse who I have noticed has a tendency to be lax. He always came in late for the endorsement and after the endorsement; he took five for his breakfast.
The nurses there are commenting that I am being abused by my preceptor. Honestly, I do not mind it at all. It is nothing compared to the abuse all the trainees have experienced at the Lung Center of the Philippines.
While it is true that we are not allowed to chart and to give medication to the patient at PHC, I think being asked to do so by the bedside nurse would not cost me an arm. Besides, I really feel futile by just sitting there, taking vitals and wheeling patients to and from the lab. Whether his reason by delegating to me his tasks was for me to learn or for him to get rid of them, I am up for it. I want excitement.
I do not have ill feelings about the staff nurses at my current ward assignment, but I think I need to do and learn more. Most of the patients in this ward are just there for executive or routine check ups. No special conditions. I want to handle level 2 and up patients as this is where my critical thinking will be tested.

Part of the requirement for the apprenticeship program at the Philippines Heart Center is the chest x-ray to ensure that none of us has a communicable disease. Although I have gotten mine about 2 months ago, I decided to have the test to ensure that I have not contracted any lung disorder when I was at the Lung Center of the Philippines.
After three days, gotten the result of my x-ray and I am pleasantly surprised to see that I have normal findings. After being exposed to pathogens while on immunosuppresant, I only have God to thank for keeping me safe.

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, the nursing aid 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 the 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 to 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 anther 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.

In September, we shall be having our case presentation to end our 3-month basic skills training program. I am excited and that the same time sad because this is the end for the Lung Center experience and me. I am not going to be emotional here to I would focus on what will happen in September. It will be a soiree so we are expected to be in our best night gowns while the men are asked to be in their tuxedo jackets which I think will be awesome.

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.

After three years of graduating from nursing school, I  am back to school or class, as you can appropriately call it.

Today is the beginning of my three-month training program at the Lung Center of te Philippines.

I am really excited to meet young and old faces. Some are newly graduates some have just graduated from nursing as their second course.

I have learned on the orientation that the top ten trainees would get a chance be lined up for manpower  pooling at the LCP. Well, with 121 students who are I think very much willing to kill just to get a job there, good luck on my quest!

First of all, I am having severe leg cramps, yet again. It is my second day on Burinex and Aldactone. My doctor instructed me to pop these pills whenever edema sets in my feet.

As I had to evenly space out my medications, I decided to take them in around lunch time right after my dental check up. These diuretics are expected to kick in from 15 minutes to 2 hours so I need to be near a comfort room to go.

I have been to St. Luke’s and Lung Center of the Philippines and fortunately, their comfort rooms really offer comfort. I also had to use Chow King’s rest room which is clean too on my way to LCP.

I got the result of my 2D echo and the finding s are mostly normal except for:

- Minimal pleural effusion

- Mild mitral and tricuspid regurgitation

I’m a nurse but I don’t know that exactly they mean but from the sound of it, they are on the lighter side. Well, I don’t want to second guess, I will be having a cardio consult with our in house cardiologist.

I also went to see a doctor who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Gosh, I have to check what these doctors are called.

Anyhow, I arrived around 1 p.m. and I am already 10^th on the list. I have waited for almost an hour and when there was no sign of the doctor’s arrival, I told the secretary that I will just be back.

This is why I hate doctors. They make you wait forever as if they are the only people in the world who are busy.

I need to go to LCP to complete my requirements for the nurse trainee program.

I arrived at LCP before 3 p.m. and went straight to the training office. I wore my mask on. It was the Lung Center of the Philippines, which means every possible lung disease are existing there and afloat. Good thing, wearing masks there is highly encouraged.

After reviewing my requirements, the administrator gave me an order to get chest x-ray and PPD (Purified Protein Derivative) test. These are the tests required to all the trainee applicants. Although I had my chest x-ray last March, the result would no longer be reliable according to her. SO I obliged. Anyway, I also want to know if my lungs are still healthy. I could have the test performed in our office lab but I had to justify my request and I need to have the result interpreted by LCP’s radiologist which will also cost me some money.

The chest x-ray was available immediately. It’s like Polaroid! I was called by the receptionist and the first words that came out of my mouth: Are my lungs okay?

The receptionist replied that they are okay and the result will be sent to the training office. I felt relieved. I was scared that they might see some problems like pleural effusion – the thing that my nephrologist wants to rule out.

Then I headed for the PPD test. It is a skin test to check if you have been exposed to TB bacillus and do not ask me why it is called PPD. I was asked to be back on Friday for the reading and as I look on the test site, there has no signs of wheal formation. Maybe because I lost all the protein in my urine. Ha-ha. If you get 10mm or more of induration, you might be considered positive for exposure but it’s non-confirmatory.

I finished all the tests before 4 p.m. and I headed back to St. Luke’s. I arrived around 4:30 and went in to see the secretary. He told me that I have been called already and just wait to be called again after the patient then being seen by the doctor. Well, not bad. At least I had no time wasted.

I was called in after 15 minutes and related my back problem to the doctor. She ran some physical exams and the last thing she did was like sort of massaged my back really hard and I was in pain. She told me that there is muscle spasm on my back and it is called the MPS or Myofascial Pain Syndrome.

She ordered a 6 physical therapy sessions and ordered me to plot a sked at the rehab department. She also gave me some muscle relaxant. Another pill? Aaargh!

I chose to get the thrice a week session in the morning. I am planning to head there right after my graveyard shift so I could have longer and uninterrupted sleeps when I get home.

I hope that this MPS thing will go away after the complete session. I will be evaluated after 6^th session.

This is a very tiring day for me, although my plan was to hit the gym after running the errands, I begged off. I have done so much cardio running from one floor to another and from one place to another.

I need a cold shower to relieve my leg cramps.