My Current Issues With My Course As a 2nd Year BSN Student

I've just recently started my second year and I'm really close to wanting to shift (but I can't since the school curriculum is messed up now in this country). Nurses Announcements Archive Article

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My Current Issues With My Course As a 2nd Year BSN Student

I've only recently started community service and clinicals and I swear to god I am close to begging my parents to allow me to take up Journalism. Now Nursing wasn't really my choice since I have a huge dislike for hospitals thanks to various past events that made me go back into one each time. When my first year started at my previous college, I really felt regret for letting my parents pressure me into it When I failed psychology (which I still complain about along with 40 other students), I had the chance to switch but I decided to stick with it since it seemed impossible with all the medical equipment my parents bought for me and that writing in tagalog.... is definitely a suicide attempt if I take up journalism.

Now I have survived another one year in college and I was actually starting to like nursing just a bit, until my duty started. And oh. My god. I swear I am going to legitimately die. I am not joking. You know how we're taught about aseptic techniques? Yeah well.... no one uses that here. I swear even the med tech student that drew my blood for blood testing didn't even sanitize his hands in between patients. And he's a 3rd year student with a nurse who wasn't even 'trying' to watch while doing the same thing he was doing! My clinical instructor told us that my group would me stationed at the health clinic first while the rest will go to the community to find one family to interview. No one and I mean no one used gloves on the patients. Well vital sign in excluded since you can't really feel anyone's pulse that way.... We performed Leopold's maneuver and gave tetorifice toxoid by doing intramuscular injections with- AHEM! No gloves.

Nope! Nothing! My dad used to be a med tech before he retired and he was extremely mad when he found out. He even saw picture of my classmate injecting someone without gloves with the teacher watching and openly yelled to me about it. If he was able to send a complaint to that student I mentioned earlier and get the dean to talk to him about it, then I swear the same thing will happen if the C.I.'s try to discourage me into wearing gloves. One even looked at me weirdly when I was trying to demonstrate how to break a vial and 'inject' the dummy we had! The community was even worse since it mainly meant giving physical assessments to not only pregnant mothers, but children. And the whole community is filled with squatters in the area.

I had the children and I was so close to wearing gloves until my instructor came in. What's with them and not letting me wear gloves!? Now I would like to complain about this, until I realized BOTH college's I've been to have put me into life and death situations. Especially when dealing with chemicals that can most likely kill me. Now here's the good part... the equipment we are being taught to use is ancient. The IV line is ancient. And that's saying something with how the tube itself if yellowish in color. We're doing a thing called Benedict's test in order to test the sugar level of a persons urine. I told my dad the exact same thing my teachers did, 'Even med techs still use this.' He thought I was joking until I showed it to him.

And there's this thing we call a 'donut'. It's this weird, soft, round thing that is used to 'support' a patient, depending on what bed position they're put in. It was the first I've ever heard of it and the same goes for my auntie. And she's been a nurse for 10 years! Almost everything we're learning is outdated, and I am two years away from graduation. My plan is to go back to the US and never come back to the Philippines. Problem is, is that at the rate we're going I'll seriously be dead by then from whatever infection killed me. Can anyone PLS give me advice as to how I can convince ALL the nursing teachers to try to update the lessons they're giving us. Both the patient(s) and me are in danger at this rate.

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AvaVermillion

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Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.

I'm trying to understand, forgive me if I'm wrong. Are you saying this is a nursing program in the Phillipines? Or is this in the US? Because a US nursing program wouldn't last if they were that sub-par.

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I understand that culturally, you are obligated to obey your parents. Who have decided that as a nurse, you would have better opportunities for a job.

Unfortunately, your current school is not using best practices. Much like th US has for profit schools that take tuition and churn out unprepared nurse candidates, the same apparently goes on in your country. But with an added "American Dream" component.

I am at a loss as to how to change your school's practices. Only that you know you need to wear gloves and wash your hands.

There are many nurses that come to the US from the Philippines. But if the market is saturated, this is no guarantee.

Bottom line is that this is all a moot point if you are still under the direction and authority of your parents.

Your father saw practices that were not ideal. And I would assume he is paying for your education. Perhaps due to this, you could negotiate another path. Teaching perhaps?

And your medical equipment you could sell to someone who doesn't have those advantages.

Best wishes in your endeavours.

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Talk about over dramatic, sheesh.

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Living in the Phiippines, Volunteering in Guatemala and a Senior Nursing Student in the U.S You have to realize that whatever country you're on right now. YOU HAVE TO RESPECT their CULTURE & Practice. If you're in an undeveloped country. What makes you think they have money to buy gloves if most of their population are sick, unfed and malnourished?

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Oops! It seems I forgot to clarify that part... but yet this is in the Philippines ?

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My instructors told me not to wear gloves and masks in the community as it will give the locals the 'wrong idea'. My friend was sick and they told her to wear a mask only in the clinic but not when we visit the community. I can understand if they can't afford to give us but to restrict us of using them in public?

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futurenursepogi said:
Living in the Phiippines, Volunteering in Guatemala and a Senior Nursing Student in the U.S You have to realize that whatever country you're on right now. YOU HAVE TO RESPECT their CULTURE & Practice. If you're in an undeveloped country. What makes you think they have money to buy gloves if most of their population are sick, unfed and malnourished?

My instructors told me not to wear gloves and masks in the community as it will give the locals the 'wrong idea'. My friend was sick and they told her to wear a mask only in the clinic but not when we visit the community. I can understand if they can't afford to give us but to restrict us of using them in public?

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
AvaVermillion said:
My instructors told me not to wear gloves and masks in the community as it will give the locals the 'wrong idea'. My friend was sick and they told her to wear a mask only in the clinic but not when we visit the community. I can understand if they can't afford to give us but to restrict us of using them in public?

Unless it is a highly communicable disease like mumps or pertussis or any potentially endemic illness, there is really no reason to wear gloves and masks in the community.

If you were living in the US and decided to go back to the Philippines to pay for your education per your parents-well...that is the MAIN problem, not the country's problem; what you are describing as far as the equipment sounds like a First World vs a Third World problem.

And as another person alluded to-based on being a graduate from the Philippines, and if your plan is to move back to the US, there will be issues with concurrency, especially if you lab to move to California; I would search on the website in International nursing and see look at the challenges the posters have getting a job, passing NCLEX, along with the requirements in being a foreign educated nurse, take it to your parents-and make a serious plan as to whether a change in scenery (i.e. Studying in the US) will be a better experience for you or choosing another career to study for.

Best wishes.

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