The nursing situation here in the Philippines has really became worse to worst. Yes it's true that hundreds of thousands REGISTERED nurses are either unemployed or underemployed. That the current nursing personnel in the hospitals (esp government facilities) are working on a very unsafe ratio of 1 nurse:1 ward.
Let's face it. Life is not always fair and this present situation is not making anybody happy. We may put the blame on very bad governance, lack of political will or over abundance of registered nurses.
The political agenda unfortunately doesn't include putting limits or caps to nursing enrollees because they (students) are all part of the plan to make more money for the schools generating more taxes for the government. More taxes means more social 'services' to the less fortunate. [Though, we all know that only a handful of people are able to benefit from these 'social services']
Unlike the more progressive democratic countries of the world, the Philippines cannot simply change its leaders. We tried that by marching to the streets clamoring for change of leadership only to learn that we took off on the proverbial frying pan to the fire. We tried doing it legally by voting in but even that was stripped from us through election fraud. So you see, it is no wonder why some of us are losing hope of a brighter future here.
If you see or hear a Filipino nurse wanting to go abroad, please don't think we are after the jobs of the citizens of that country. If we seem to be eager of serving other people than our own it is only because we are deprived of the honor of doing this.
Sorry for ranting here about this but I just can't help it. I felt that we are the most misunderstood nurses in the whole world. Some of our reasons for taking up nursing (esp second coursers) might be unacceptable to some, but we are all bound now by a common oath.
What we can do to make things better is to first analyze of how much are we willing to give. Let us not forget "bayanihan" (helping each other). Making things better doesn't necessarily mean pushing for something that is written in terms of laws or changing regulations in the nursing profession. Lets start small.
Let each and everyone of us be a better example to others. We may not have nursing jobs but we can still practice nursing. In our family, let us be their guardian of health. We can offer ourselves to the community in doing BP monitoring of our elderly. Sooner or later community leaders will take notice of our efforts. "Big things start from small beginnings".
IMHO, making things better starts from feeling good about oneself and one's profession. In this very trying times for nurses in the Philippines, we can make it better by being an inspiration to others, helping and supporting each other. Let us share what we have freely; the knowledge, the skills and the wisdom of being a true nurse.
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and so are the other professions. Our government isn't capable of providing us of what we all need. So let's start with ourselves, try to change our attitude, and vote wisely. If you're capable then provide jobs for the many, we're a capitalist country. I really can't understand some of my batch mates who are well off, they have good family business, they're riding these luxurious cars and yet they're taking up nursing to serve as an escape route from our country. Saying that the government is corrupt and the country is hopeless, why not change the attitude? Start within yourself. As a nurse, believe that you can make a change. With your simple touch and care to your client, you can make him think that there are these people who cares.
