diapersprinkles

i am a nurse here in the philippines with a strong clinical background. lately, however, i have come to realize that bedside nursing is not really for me. i have attended the seminar in health informatics offered by the national telehealth office at UP manila. they have advised us to master the FOSS and freelance in doctor's clinics to gain some credentials, which i find very unstable. i am at a crossroad right now on whether to take up a Masters in Nursing or a Computer Science course. if i pursue the comsci path, how are my chances of getting a nursing informatics job here in the philippines? any insight will greatly be appreciated, especially those who are still here in the PI. thank you.

1. what are the materials that you used? i was supposed to read saunders cover-to-cover but i was unable to do so because i have been working 12 hour shifts lately (toxic!). i have read saunders only up to chapter 21 (sheesh). i figured that i won't be able to finish reading saunders so i just tried to answer nclex style questions from cds during my rest day and when i have free time. i used nclex-rn review made incredibly easy and the saunders cd. 2. how many hours per day did you study? how many questions did you answer per day? it depends. when i received my att, i even made a study schedule, but i wasn't able to follow it because our schedule changes every week. it's very hard to establish a fixed study period because i'm also working and i work different shifts (and most of the time, 12hr shifts) every day or every other day. one day i'm from night duty, the next day i'm on a morning/afternoon duty. it's very difficult especially when i'm already very, very tired from work. i usually spend 30mins to an hour to answer questions but it's not on a daily basis. i make up for it during my rest days by answering a lot of nclex questions the whole day. i have answered only around 1500 questions all in all. 3. how many days or months in total have you studied before taking the exam? around 3 months, but as i mentioned earlier, not on a daily basis. i only had 12 rest days during those 3 months wherein i had the chance to really seriously study. i was scheduled to write the exam on the last week of november but i had it moved until the final day of my att validity because i am so not prepared to take the exam. i just had no choice but to take it at this time because it will expire already. have i had no work and more time to study, i would've studied more thoroughly. 4. what are the specific strategies that you used or the test taking skills you applied during the exam? prioritization, maslows, abc. good thing there was a chapter about that on the early part of saunders. however, i still had difficulty on prioritization questions during the exam because most of the time, the choices/cases/situations all require the nurse's immediate attention. it took me a long time to answer those questions because i still have to analyze each situation. i was putting myself in the situation and kept asking myself that if i am the nurse, who will i assess first. i also had difficulty with the select all that apply questions! it was even harder for me because i have not memorized normal laboratory values, foods that are rich in this and that, cranial nerves, etc. i guess it's the combination of stock (and unstuck) knowledge, good test taking strategies, and sheer luck. read the questions and choices carefully and analyze. when i took my nclex, i hid the timer button so i won't get conscious of the time i spend answering the questions. i'm not telling you to ignore the time or take too long answering the questions, it's just because i can't think properly when i'm constantly reminded by how much time i have left. i have encountered a lot of questions where i have totally no idea of the answer! i try to make an intelligent guess and make sure that i get the answers right on the questions that i am familiar with (which has been harder for me because i have a lot of select all that apply questions-one wrong check, everything's wrong). i have also used a lot the process of elimination... and lots of prayers! 5. take one or take two? take one. passed at 75 items. thank god! though i passed, i am still wishing that i was given the time to really study for the exam... that would probably make my nclex experience less excruciating. what i have written above is just my own experience of studying while working. have i been given more time, i would've studied more thoroughly. i have been waiting so long to contribute to this thread and now i finally can! thank you for all your inputs. it has helped me a lot.

i took the assessment test and it said my total score is 74%. it also has a breakdown of my scores but it didn't explain what those meant. does the 74 mean i'll fail if that was the real test?

what's the pearson trick you are talking about? thank you.

thanks for the information you have given. i just want to clarify. so if for example i am single and my name is Anne Marie Gomez Lopez, Anne Marie is the first name, Gomez is the middle name, and Lopez is the first name? thank you!

thank you so much live to learn and june 2009!!! i will ask our charge nurses if the normal range that we use is applicable to patients on mech vent.. if the values they use aren't adjusted, then i'd just disconnect when reading cvp unless contraindicated. thank you again!

does the patient have to be disconnected from the mech vent when taking cvp? because i see some nurses practice it and others don't. i once asked what the rationale behind that and i was told that the mech vent increases the cvp reading. i tried looking at the skills manual but there isn't anything mentioned there about disconnecting the patient from the mech vent while reading cvp. please enlighten me on this. thank you very much.

does the patient have to be disconnected from the mech vent when taking cvp? because i see some nurses practice it and others don't. i once asked what the rationale behind that and i was told that the mech vent increases the cvp reading. i tried looking at the skills manual but there isn't anything mentioned there about disconnecting the patient from the mech vent while reading cvp. please enlighten me on this. thank you very much.

does the patient have to be disconnected from the mech vent when taking cvp? because i see some nurses practice it and others don't. i once asked what the rationale behind that and i was told that the mech vent increases the cvp reading. i tried looking at the skills manual but there isn't anything mentioned there about disconnecting the patient from the mech vent while reading cvp. please enlighten me on this. thank you very much.

most hospitals look for BLS and IVT only. ospital ng makati requires ACLS.

you have to take the IELTS again, Academic module.

just submit your resume at the guard. the training is for 3 months and you have to pay P2,500.00. they will text you for the schedule of your exam. i was texted 1 week after passing my resume and credentials, took the exam. i was told i passed the exam through text (5 days after the exam), then scheduled for interview. passed the interview and had to pay P2,500.00 within the week. i was told i'd be a trainee for 3 months (the one wherein i'll pay P2,500), then after the 3 months, i'd be a volunteer for an indefinite number of months, and if there is a vacancy for the staff nurse position, that's when they'll hire me. oh, btw, the trainees will be rotated to different areas, they are allowed to administer meds. i was told that there are 2 days work + 2 days off, and we will be given a certificate after the 3 months training. anyway, i didn't proceed with the training. hope this helps!

they will text you for the schedule of your exam at the nursing service office. how long? well, in my case, i submitted my requirements 3rd week of january, i received their message and took the exam 1st week of feb, then i was texted after 2 weeks to inform me that i passed the exam and i am scheduled for interview. usually, you are informed through text. screening? well, written exam first, then psych exam, then interview. hope this helps.

depends... what did they tell you? because in some they send a text message that you passed and the next steps.. for some batch, they were told to call on a certain date to inquire about the results and the next step. if you pass the panel interview, the next step is completing the physical exam, then orientation, then deployment.

yes, it is a panel interview.

good luck!

will you be an employed staff nurse or a volunteer nurse in the tertiary hospital? if you're gonna be employed, then it would be better to transfer... but if for volunteer nurse, then just stay in the secondary hospital. but if there is a chance for you to be "absorbed" by the tertiary hospital and to be employed there, then i think you should give it a try because transferring to a better, bigger, and more equipped hospital will help you hone your skills more and gain more experience.

i submitted my requirements last November 10, they called me for an interview on November 21 but I am wasn't available that day. They called me last January 19 for interview.

you can ask someone to drop it for you.. just make sure that you have completed the requirements. i don't think they have a deadline... the last time i went there, the drop box is still there. they require the prc license... it's item #2 (Current PRC ID) on the list of requirements. 2 year contract... and we have to complete those 2 years.. but it's okay... i'm not in a hurry to go abroad anyway...

congratulations stef_08! i dropped my application in the same box for cetn (there's no box for direct hire). they called me for interview. i thought it was for cetn but they told me it was for direct hire. i've read you're from mindanao... try completing all the requirements for application first (cert of board rating, passing, transcripts, nbi clearance, birth cert, certificates, etc.) so that once you go here in manila, you could pass your application to a lot of hospitals. but most hospitals here require prc license. good luck!

For those asking, I am typing the whole list of requirements and instructions posted at the Mezzanine of MMC: Makati Medical Center Competency Enhancement Training for Nurses APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS: Photocopy of the following: - Updated Curriculum Vitae/Resume - Current PRC ID - Board Rating and Board Certificate - Transcript of Records with RLE - BSN Diploma - Good moral certification - NBI clearance (current) - Birth Certificate (NSO) - 2 pieces 2x2 colored pictures (white background) Training fee: P10,000 (3-month training program) Reminders: - INCOMPLETE requirements will not be accepted hope this helps..

i didn't have any work experience before i applied at MMC... i'm a june 2008 passer and graduated from one of the top 10 nursing schools. that's what they told us... that those they got for direct hire belong to the top 10 performing schools. they also considered the board rating.

doing something related to nursing is better than not doing anything at all. i know a lot of people will disagree with me on this. i myself was also against volunteering. as much as possible, i want to work as a hired staff nurse... but it took a long time for hospitals to give feedback regarding my application... so i volunteered and i was able to use my background as a volunteer in a positive way. i used it as a stepping stone in order for me to get hired in my present job (as an employed staff nurse). but since you're a new board passer, i suggest you finish all the trainings first (that most hospitals here require) such as your BLS and IVT... after you've finished those, apply apply apply!!! apply in all the hospitals that would hire you as a staff nurse... and since it takes a looooonngg time for you to get some feedback from these hospitals, you could also volunteer in the meantime so that you won't forget nursing stuff and you also get to practice your nursing skills (this will come in handy when you're called for a clinical interview or skills exam). just make sure that the hospital where you're going to volunteer will allow you to do what hired nurses do and not the job of a nursing aid. oh, and if you're going to volunteer: - find a hospital near you (remember, they're not going to pay you, so it's better if it's walking distance) - bring your own lunch/dinner (to save money) - clarify with them what your work will be, the scope of your work and your responsibilities (do not accept if as a nursing aid or you'll just be doing vitals signs, bed making, etc.) - ask them how long you'd be volunteering - ask them if there is any chance you'd be absorbed as an employed staff nurse - ask them if you're going to get a certificate after let me clarify that i am not encouraging volunteering... it is really unfair for us nurses to be exploited by these hospitals. but with the situation we have here (plenty of nurses and few hospitals willing to hire), i think that we should just make the best out of the situation that we have. look at it as a chance to practice nursing - a venue to learn. but don't stop at volunteering... as i said earlier, make it a stepping stone for you to get a job and also to become a better nurse. hope this helps! and goodluck to your nursing career!

this is so true... i have noticed that the people who stammer and can't express themselves well during interviews don't get to be called back for the next step. i went to several interviews even if i don't have any plan of working at some of them (i.e. call centers, sales, etc.) because that way, i get to practice my interview and critical thinking skills, especially for those clinical/panel interviews. i am not boasting, but i think the experience (and the feedbacks) i got from the interviews i've been has helped me a lot to improve in interviews and in getting my present job.

no, i didn't because we were told not to follow-up.