sentiments on *some* schools here in the Phils.

[ultm]

case: marine engineer. 25 y/o and not happy with sealife. environment/salary is nice though but, the relation amongst ethnic groups (local/provincial roots) are sour, kind of fake smiles and fake "good morning" greets. so much said.

recently, I have inquired admission requirments from:

Fatima college(valenzuela) ---this one ain't too friendly. the envionment looks good overall--clean grounds, trees, security guards etc. downside: student population is big and guess what? they even don't have a prospectus. so I asked them: "a university doesn't give prospectus??" no curriculum list?

answer: "please just visit our web site"

ok, they got the tune but they missed the lyrics.

Laconsolacion kalookan: poor environment for nursing students. no adequate facilities and most of all, no permit. (they just got the permit 1 year too late)----------end of line-----------

FEU/UST: better than fatima in many ways. air conditioned rooms. very big campus. clean/secure grounds also. very nice facilities. downside: tuition fee is sky high. but what school doesn't??? so, excuse the price tag and go to the next school.

St. Augustine school of nursing: now. this one is a puzzle. a newbie school that suddenly sprung from "overseas nursing demand". question: how competetive?? poor library(i have seen) and no base hospital/poor medical facility. very small area (campus??) -- everything squeezed into a 3~4 storey bldg about 150 sqm per floor.

pro: they offer 2 year "practical nursing course" / 1 year "basic nursing"they say it's a hot ticket to the US,UK and Canada. wow, that's pretty something huh and great too--viewing 2 or 1 year of study, less scratch on the wallet and less scratch on the shoes. (whoa, I won't need to change my shoes every year. 4 years would saturate my wallet big time)

but, as I gather the woodsticks, a friend had just told me that pratical/basic nursing ain't gonna airlift my luggages to US, UK or Canada. that literaly means I'm going to waste my hard earned money for nothing. (if that's really true and I take it so)

well, if these courses are nothing less than money burn and false hopes of future personal advancement, what could the government do/undo to ameliorate the situation?? and how come some schools are offering these courses without the proper facilities??

end of sentiment. thank you guys.

(anyone there who just had the experience?? I just blew my sentiments away) don't get the wrong end of the stick guys.

[ultm]

nrswnabee,

change carrers? yes

great perks? no. definitely no.

let me clarify. sealife is much closer to a jailhouse. a gulag. we are trapped in a lose-tie situation. one foot on the floor and the other in grave. (considering) free board and lodging, meals and hygiene- related supplies and the salary, tho really attractive, is not equitable to the perils we need to face. emotional stress(homesick), physical stress and mental stress consumes us slowly. yes, so slowly that you won't realize you have become an entirely different person.

we sometimes need to strip off our native skin and wear the new ones available in the locality. we face/meddle with diff. people from diff. places and diff cultures. that alone would consume our moral, mental, physical and spiritual stamina. ( considering the fact that you can't lose your temper around some nasty heated conversations. you really need to pull your sh*t up. )

those who tell that sealife is wonderful, well, they are lying thru their teeth. legends. false.

at most, you won't be able to find people, no, I mean seafarers who can talk in a fashion such as this. most of us, seafarers, are arrogant and spendthrift . few are reserved, knowledgable, wide readers, respectful, honest and loyal ( talk about infidelity huh?)

yes, I want to change my destiny.

[nrswnabee]

nrswnabee,

change carrers? yes

great perks? no. definitely no.

let me clarify. sealife is much closer to a jailhouse. a gulag. we are trapped in a lose-tie situation. one foot on the floor and the other in grave. (considering) free board and lodging, meals and hygiene- related supplies and the salary, tho really attractive, is not equitable to the perils we need to face. emotional stress(homesick), physical stress and mental stress consumes us slowly. yes, so slowly that you won't realize you have become an entirely different person.

we sometimes need to strip off our native skin and wear the new ones available in the locality. we face/meddle with diff. people from diff. places and diff cultures. that alone would consume our moral, mental, physical and spiritual stamina. ( considering the fact that you can't lose your temper around some nasty heated conversations. you really need to pull your sh*t up. )

those who tell that sealife is wonderful, well, they are lying thru their teeth. legends. false.

at most, you won't be able to find people, no, I mean seafarers who can talk in a fashion such as this. most of us, seafarers, are arrogant and spendthrift . few are reserved, knowledgable, wide readers, respectful, honest and loyal ( talk about infidelity huh?)

yes, I want to change my destiny.

-----------------------

first, forgive me for this unsolicited advise--- i don't know of any cna/pn studies in the phils. that will help place you in a nursing job in the u.s. (i.e. if it's u.s. you want). however, the phil. bsn has been a proven ticket to the u.s. for countless immigrant pinoys, for many years now.

your story isn't all too unfamiliar (i've worked with seafarers for many years!) yet i must tell you, becoming a nurse won't promise you an escape from the very things you hate about sea-life (and everyone who makes the crew).

as a nurse you'll have another gulag of sorts--- the facility, hospital. you'll be faced with a gamut of diseases, some life-threatening, too... you'll have a co-workers and i bet, there'll always be one or two who'd be not as nice, to say the least. (they, too, come in all shapes, sizes and temperaments just like your fellow sea-going boys...they can be assertive/agressive, too---something w/c can be somehow conditioned while in nursing school to carry out specific orders). your superior is also there, to keep an eye on you and if you are lucky, no one day is complete without a dressing down for something you thought petty. of course, you have patients...sick people (physically and otherwise) you'd have to care for despite your disposition for the day (and theirs!). they also have pestering relatives, if you hadn't known, to make your life all the more interesting and each day colorful on its own.

the thing is, nursing, like any other career can't possibly give you the refuge you need from a hell of a seafaring job. it has its own set of occupational hazards. probably, the only difference now is you're gonna be working on land and that you need not worry about being thrown overboard if the fight is much too heated... unless you have squarely/realistically considered the "undesirables" of nursing (and still want to pursue it)...or you have a deeper motivation for becoming a nurse (say, you're really that person loves to care...with or without bedpans involved!) , i'd say think a million times before joining the bandwagon. you may end up quitting midstream and blowing your "investment" for the very same reasons you left your old job.

[ultm]

nrswanabee,

that's so cool of you. I liked the way you dice-up the day-to-day scenario.

anyways, escape from hell is just one point to consider. I think it is much better (in many ways) to have a land-based job than a sea-based one. you can stress out after the hard work. the perils are much more contained and localized. (unlike in seafaring---> mistake of one, death of all)

and BTW, even before I took marine eng., i already have a pair of stetoscopes and a sphygmomanometer. memorizing amino groups and hormones has not been a problem for me but, memorizing the 32 points of the compass turned out to be a hard part for me. dunno why. I have several medical books. (cecile medical encyclopedia, medical dictionary)

the latest that I got was from Restak--mysteries of the mind, a neurology book. seems like I really wanted to be part of the medical world. hopefully, things would go smooth for me.

(thanks to you. you have unfolded for me the not-so-told glitches of nursing.)

[MOBITZ]

I feel your sentiments ultm, choosing the best nursing school is a task that you have to endure. So many things to consider, tuition fee, location, quality of education, facilities, housing, yadayada. and your choices may be limited since you are a second courser. Like what they said, most schools in PI do not accept second coursers, not even transfer students. ( a policy that i do not support), if you want to enroll in their school you have to start from scratch. (look at it this way.....you will be a freshman again:D ), I say, if you really want to be a nurse..just be realistic. choose a school that you can afford, make sure it is accredited by ched, reputable. facilities may not be comparable with Hilton Hotels:jester: (after all,you are there to learn and not be spoiled) If you want to be a nurse, study hard, work hard for it, make some sacrifices.

On your previous posts, you have mentioned some schools nd made some comments. You maybe right, they may not be the best, but we cant deny the fact that these not so perfect schools have produced successful nurses all over the world. ( Now I am wondering, Is it the school or is it the student that makes a good nurse?....)

You see ultm, as a practicing nurse, i can share a lot of disappointments, i can say that a lot of times i have thought of leaving the profession, why? lots of things, overworked, short staffing, pressures from doctors, patients, relatives and you will see a lot of attitudes from your fellow nurses. classic burn out i would say. ( and i know you can relate because...you said yourself, you want to leave your maritime career and pursue a nursing career)

Think hard my friend, choosing a good school in nursing is not the only hurdle.

It's just the start of a long difficult journey. Nursing is not for everyone. ( hey I am not discouraging you to be one huh), I just want to say that it takes a lot to be a nurse, so if you decided that you want to be one, your primary reason should be, "you really want to be a nurse" and not because of anything else. Some enter the nursing profession because of other reasons, and i have seen unhappiness. Please, we don't want another whiners and complainers. I've seen a lot of burn outs and it's not a pretty picture.

I don't know if i helped you or not, all i can say is goodluck. do not be afraid to make some changes in your life, no matter how difficult.

hope this helps,

luvanurse,

mobitz

[nrswnabee]

nrswanabee,

that's so cool of you. I liked the way you dice-up the day-to-day scenario.

anyways, escape from hell is just one point to consider. I think it is much better (in many ways) to have a land-based job than a sea-based one. you can stress out after the hard work. the perils are much more contained and localized. (unlike in seafaring---> mistake of one, death of all)

and BTW, even before I took marine eng., i already have a pair of stetoscopes and a sphygmomanometer. memorizing amino groups and hormones has not been a problem for me but, memorizing the 32 points of the compass turned out to be a hard part for me. dunno why. I have several medical books. (cecile medical encyclopedia, medical dictionary)

the latest that I got was from Restak--mysteries of the mind, a neurology book. seems like I really wanted to be part of the medical world. hopefully, things would go smooth for me.

(thanks to you. you have unfolded for me the not-so-told glitches of nursing.)

-------

despite the hazards, it would be irreverent not to say that nursing can be an immensely rewarding profession. i just think that decisions regarding careers should only be made with one's head on top of his shoulders. you can't keep on switching jobs if things don't turn out to your liking. a lifetime is too short to spend searching for that one perfect job because, maybe, it just doesn't exist. it could be that you're better off making the most of what you have now or perhaps, simply CHOOSE to do exactly that.

if you really want to trade your coveralls for scrubs, it's your take. but as soon as you've made your decision, promise yourself not to look back.

[ultm]

ah yes. that was very helpful. my thanks mobitz.

JOM

[ultm]

nrswanabee,

I must agree with that one.

--bite the bullet--

[Calliana]

i just wanna give a short comment about fatima university coz i'm a sophomore nursing student there (from the quezon city branch, i'm also a senior library and information science student at the university of the philippines in diliman). i actually find fatima a good nursing school because they actually give quality (if not excellent) education there. most of my professors have graduate degrees and they're very good in my opinion (but not as good as my professors in U.P., OK). plus fatima also produces nursing licensure exam topnotchers. quality-wise there's no question about fatima being one of the best nursing schools who accept second-coursers. the only reason why fatima is down there on the performance list of nursing schools is because they accept everyone who wants to take up nursing without going through an entrance exam. it's actually a mix of mediocre and genius students there, really. it's just up to you to take advantage of the education there, actually fatima's mission-vision is "to improve man as man". most fatima graduates are now working in the US, Europe, Canada, and UAE. so i guess fatima isn't that bad at all. on the downside, fatima in quezon city has mobs (yes, mobs) of students and during enrollment you have to be very early (like enroll on the first few days) to get ahead of those thousands on queue. and it's sooo dang hot in campus. but it's worth it. overall for me it's not really that bad. =)

[ultm]

I agree. fatima (valenzuela) has a "not-so-good" record when it comes to their instructors (and bribery/corruption) compared to the quezon city branch. UP is way above fatima and I agree with that.

[kiko88]

i just wanna give a short comment about fatima university coz i'm a sophomore nursing student there (from the quezon city branch, i'm also a senior library and information science student at the university of the philippines in diliman).

i hope you don't mind. did I get this right? you are now a sophomore nursing student in fatima university and at the same time a senior student of library science in UP? both at the same time? or were you a UP student before you transferred to fatima?

[Calliana]

i hope you don't mind. did I get this right? you are now a sophomore nursing student in fatima university and at the same time a senior student of library science in UP? both at the same time? or were you a UP student before you transferred to fatima?

yup, at the same time. i'm still finishing my thesis in UP, and I didn't want to waste time, so while finishing my thesis I enrolled in Fatima. Just didn't submit all requirements, just the birth certificate and copy of grades. and i actually got in! i'll be graduating in UP this summer. :) they're not really that strict with the requirements in fatima maybe because of the enormous quantity of students enrolled there now. :) i intend to complete my entry requirements in fatima after graduating from UP.

[lots_of_luv]

two good choices would be lanting and our lady of fatima university. i have a prospectus if you want i can type it up for you. and if ever you sign up for nursing make sure you take intro to anatomy right away, so after that you'll only have about 8 sems to go...