Salute to the #GlobalPinoy Nurses
Every Pinoy, for sure, knows at least one nurse who’s planning to or is already working abroad; be it a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, or a neighbor you see walking in white, every so often. I call them the White Hustlers – nah, not the White Walkers, though they sometimes look like zombies after covering for multiple clinic or hospital shifts!
They were once students bleeding to guzzle tons of information from the hefty books straight to their tireless brains, not to mention the joggling of exhausting completion of clinical and laboratory hours, and braving through the certifications and examinations saga.
Where are they now?
- Abroad, living their dreams as medical practitioners. Yey!
- Abroad, living their dreams doing something else. Woah!
- In our beloved country, living their dreams as medical practitioners (Salute!).
- In our beloved country, excelling in another field, hopefully still living by the Nursing Care Process. Cheers!
Their Impact
Irrefutably, nurses do take care of the communities no less than other professionals do. Beyond the science of Health, they deliver care and compassion not only to their patients, but to their superiors, colleagues, friends, family, and countrymen, as well. Of course they remit money, but they also help improve our overall economic situation and raise the bar in the healthcare practice globally (or the industry they are in), in the process.
The Challenge
Approximately, 19,000 Pinoy nurses leave every year to work abroad, mainly for higher salary and more reasonable work load. Now that one’s for those who were lucky and persistent enough to gather sufficient experience to be considered for jobs overseas. The rest have dedicated their time and energy in uplifting their lives as representatives, officers, professionals, and even executives in IT, BPO, RPO, Finance, Insurance, and so on. All of these result to – yes, you’re right – not enough nursing work force in the PH hospitals.
Your Share
While legislators are taking enough effort to raise the wages and benefits for government employees and nurses, it wouldn’t hurt to appreciate the White Hustlers the best way that you can. Respect the nurse assigned to you, or the one you see walking on the street every single day. Talk to them about health, sanitation, diet, or anything sensible; believe me, we know more than just taking your BP.
Join me in cheering for the #GlobalPinoy Nurses around the globe, as we aim to better their situations wherever they are (Salute!). If you have questions or comments, write a letter to cpguanzon@gdfi.ph.
