Fillipino nurses, their way of doing things abroad

[Butterflybee]

I have been looking for threads on this topic,so far all of these threads get closed up (locked). That is a sad thing because as a non-filipino nurse we need a place to go to talk about this.This doesnt mean necessarily in a negative way. I dont dare say one thing or my thoughts because it will be closed. I will say this my new, first job it is apparently a Filipino hospital. I assumed it was an American one. I was hired by the one of the handful of Americans. Already I see the standards are different and there are other noticeable differences as well. Reading the other threads on this topic was a tremendous help. As an American we are accustomed to a high quality of care being given, good amount of honesty & integrity, cleanliness, compassion for the patient as a living human being. I chose to work here because of all the experience I would have but I want to learn the correct way. Also not all but most of these nurses seem not to welcome outsiders as Ive already been forewarned. These are the ones that either throw their credentials in my face without being asked or act so mean and disagreeable and write up another nurse without so much as a simple warning first. I am glad that I was able to find other nurses at allnurses willing to talk about this and that I am not the only one noticing these things. There are other foreigners but there are not as many as the filipinos. Things are not all hearts and flowers, this is a nursing board where we need to be able to be open to discuss our experiences. Commenting on this is not biased but based on the fact of personal experiences. Evidently USA healthcare standards are decling based on this and what can you do when those in charge are filipinos.

[SaraO'Hara]

I've only had one negative experience with a Filipina nurse - the rest have been awesome.

[hotmama2be]

I just finished my first clinical rotation at a ALF , and every single staff member was phillipino, and even the majority of my class is phillipino . They are the most hardworking and generous people I have ever worked with they taught me alot about myself and nursing!!!!!!

[tifffear]

I love working with all foreign nurses. My only hang-up if being left out of the converstion when foreign nurses group together and speak their native language. I find it rude, it is comparable to whispering in my opinion.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

I to have worked with a good diversity of people and have had good and bad experiences regardless on where they have come from. What we should be doing is using this opportunity on expanding our nursing knowledge and improving our practices as some may have ways on doing something which makes our own practices easier for everyone. A good time to teach and learn from others

[Atheos]

Looks like this changed from an antiFilipino thread to a proFilipino thread. Nice :)

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

I love working with all foreign nurses. My only hang-up if being left out of the converstion when foreign nurses group together and speak their native language. I find it rude, it is comparable to whispering in my opinion.

I worked with a bunch of Russian women. They avoided doing it when I was part of the conversation, but really, it was more like a lapse into what is more comfortable for them than an attempt to exclude me.

Really, if you worked in Manila where everyone spoke Tagalog on the floor except for one other nurse whose native language were English it would be natural for the two of you to yammer away in English out of relief that you didn't have to think about every word you were going to say.

That's my take on it, anyway.

:)

[smoke over fire]

I've always been glad to work with people from other places. I learn so much.

Not to mention the best potlucks EVER! :redpinkhe

[CHATSDALE]

i have worked with people from across the globe also good, bad and indifferent

i too don't like people using a second language in nursing station because i believe it is rude to exclude someone else

as for some of the newer foreign nurses i believer that some [not all] are shuffled through diploma mills and are not given adequate training

these schools are cheating the students, the other nurses who will be working with them and most important the patients who come to the hospital with no way of knowing who is a good nurse and who is not

[woknblues]

I think a lot of people forget that foreign people and graduates must overcome a great deal just to walk through that door in the hospital. They leave their family and friends behind, their food, their culture, their language and even their weather. Take that fact, mix it in with youth (that I feel crosses all cultural and ethnic boundaries) and there is bound to be a learning curve, (hopefully a manageable one)to be sure.

I don't really think that the OP was trying to be racist. If we talked openly about problems before they came to become actual problems, I suppose we would not be in the messes we are in. OP, have you tried addressing your problems directly with the "offending parties"? Have you "wiped the slate clean" over the trivialities so that you could start over with people? You might find that changing your perspective will serve you better in the long run. Things are not always as they appear, and believe me, the grass is ALWAYS greener. Your first job right? I have never met anyone who really got the hang of their "first job", or felt situated or acclimatized to it. It is a learning experience like many more that we will face in our careers, and that we all face.

[angelwingsamy]

OP, how do you feel about your philipino patients?

[Butterflybee]

Im glad the people that have had positive experiences have posted, that's great. As this is a good opportunity to learn. There was no bashing or racism just stating my own personal experience in the short time Ive worked at this particular place as my comments referred to a particular place at a particular time, I did not say all, I said most. Thank you though to all of the wonderful posters for all of your wonderfully placed comments. I have read many other threads that totally reiterated my thoughts completely and then some.

Thank you moderators for allowing this thread to continue you are most wonderful. So hooray for filipino nurses :yeah: I look forward to and hope that i too will see them in their profession behaving exactly as most of you have stated because the ones that have some sort of power over you are not showing me and other nurses where I work what you have said but that is going to change right? Sure it is because if I were to go by what is said here, all of them are just fantastic and great and never are anything less. Funny thing though, I have filippino friends that are nurses when I spoke to them about my situation they (4 of them incl 2 I work with) agree with me and were understanding about this. I have even had after a few days not only other nurses but a nurse superior warn me about their behaviour in this environment. She even told them in front of me, "treat her right because we dont want her to leave".

In keeping it real......in all reality, everyone is not nice all of the time, there are not nice people, everyone does not do the things that they should all of the time, everyone regardless of race/culture are not as competent and caring as others and I happen to work with quite a few of these and coincidentally they are the filipino nurses as such I was venting this . By the way, the one filipino nurse that argued and used the F word in a patient's room in front of them, that was not professional and certainly was unacceptable. I will uphold honesty, goodness, professionalism when I see it and in this case, I have not and cannot.

I see this as a learning thread because just perhaps some filippino nurses may not be aware and will be open to learning...others not and never will. If everyone continues to say there is no problem, they are all just wonderful, they will believe that and nothing will change. The ones that need to hear this, need to hear it. That is why honesty, keeping it real are a good thing, not something to frown upon. By the way, the facility where I work is dominated almost completely by filipino nurses and staff with Americans being a very, very small fraction. That may have something to do with my experience being what it is as opposed to the other posters here. Just a guess

[Butterflybee]

OP, how do you feel about your philipino patients?

My heart goes out to all people especially those that are put in a position of need and are depending on me for care. That is how I feel about "philipino patients". Whenever there is a opportunity to help anyone most definitely I rise to the occasion every time. God made us all and I am no different and neither are they. The problem for me comes in when certain philipino nurses are mean to me, others and patients etc. I know others have seen it too regardless of what is posted in this thread. To deny that is deny humankind because all people have the capability of being mean etc..