Boards Results

The results of the June 2007 nursing licensure examinations will be released in August, or a month later than the results of past tests have been, a member of the Board of Nursing (BoN) said Friday.

“The release of the June 2007 nursing li censure examination results will be out by August 15 or 17 up to 31 at the Professional Regulation Commission office in Manila,” Marco Sto. Tomas of the BoN, which prepares and oversees the entire exam process, said.

-PDI

The delay must be due to the volume of examinees this year. Tomorrow is another knife.

Marimar

The partial list of casts & characters of the most awaited drama on prime time TV "Marimar"

Marian Rivera as Marimar/Maria Del Mar Perez later on Bella Aldama
Dingdong Dantes as Senior Sergio Santibañez
Richard Gomez as Renato Santibañez
Wendell Ramos as Gustavo Aldama
Bing Loyzaga as Angelica Santibañez
Jonee Gamboa as Padre Porres
Manilyn Reynes as Corazon
Desiree Del Valle as Natalia Montenegro
Julia Clarete as Inocencia Del Castillo
Victor Neri as Bernardo Duarte
Mylene Dizon as Josefina
Rita Avila as Selva
Tintin Arnaldo as Brenda
Mike Tan as Choy
Pekto as Arturo

Michael V. as the voice over of her canine dog "Fulgoso"
and many more...

Directed by: Bb. Joyce E. Bernal

PEP

Put male nurses in panties!

I reported this morning for my first day as a school nurse. Unfortunately, something terrible happened, which made me depressed the entire day and forced me to rethink my future. All the while I thought everything was alright until the administrator talked to me saying that he is denying my application BECAUSE I’M A MALE NURSE. He realized that hiring a male school nurse would create problems about parents allowing their children- especially girls, receiving care from a male nurse. The school just wants to avoid unwanted feedback from the parents. Nursing gender bias is so ingrained. This is very archaic and discriminatory. I feel so prejudiced. It's like that old riddle about the man who brought his son to the surgeon, and the surgeon says "I can't operate on this boy, he's my son!" and nobody gets it (the surgeon is his mom).

While I really love the profession, I haven’t enjoyed being treated like a woman.

I remember during my clinical rotation as a student, I am used to encountering discrimination. I have given up on taking affront to or trying smart remarks when asked if I am a nurse. I just smile and confidently inform the patient/family that I am indeed the student nurse for the day (have to admit I still conceptualize those remarks). People just assume I am a Doctor when I go into a room and ask me to go and get the nurse for them.

It’s really hard being in a female-stereotyped profession. In my opinion, a male nurse takes more time to develop trust with some patients and families.

Given the possibilities in the near future, I would still proudly say that I'm a Male RN. It hurts like scalpel that a minority of the public is still ignorant in perceiving all nurses as females wearing a white hat & white uniform. The public must overcome this concept that the nursing profession is just a woman's job.

Remember Ben Stiller in the movie "Meet the Parents?" His chosen profession was the butt of all jokes in the storyline.

"After all of the chaos [Stiller's character causes], the one thing the father can't forgive is that he's a male nurse," he complains. "I don't see that as funny."

TRIVIA:

Do you know that nursing originally was male-dominated profession before it was feminized by Florrence Nightingle. She is worshipped by the modern nursing community for her contributions. Unfortunately, this incident indirectly drove men out of nursing.

I strongly believe that Men in nursing are healthcare’s best-kept secrets. Hire me.

Just got hired for my first job

I'll start this monday for my first job as a school nurse. The board exam result is still pending (release is on July 15). I was amazed they provided me this opportunity given the fact that I'm not yet a registered Nurse. Honestly, I don't care about the salary, all I'm after is the job experience. I made a promise to myself and my classmates that never should I include call center on my job list, over my dead body! No offense to call center agents. But, today, everyone is just studying to become a call center agent without realizing that the amount of hardwork you put on it only tantamounts the (large?) sum of money you are actually earning minus the abnormal sleep patterns.

Ten years from now, I'm seeing myself as a Community Nurse. Smiling on less fortunate children while giving them vaccines ( then posing for pictures afterwards, lol). Why would I work abroad if my fellow Filipinos are sick?(sounds self-righteous?). I don't want to work in a hospital setting. I mean, hospitals are just second on my list . You know, If the goal of nursing is preventive rather than curative, why would anyone spend more time alleviating illnesses rather than preventing it from occurring and promoting health in statistically probable areas. I'm sorry but for me and Dean Lopez, we believe that 90% of the patients are not in the hospital. They are in the community. They are our mother, father, brother sister brush your teeth. Seriously, If nursing in a 'real sense' actually abiding on it's principle about quality care then we would have reached our goals on decreasing morbidity and mortality rates. The problem is, the more expanded the nursing roles today, the complicated it gets. In order to achieve this, I need to pass the board exam in the soonest time possible so that I could reformat the Philippine health care system.

I sing this song to all of my age

Here is my second video, Next in Line. Dedicated to all future RNs.

Being a nurse you see life in a different light, but people never realize the importance of nurses until they find themselves on a hospital bed. I know it's not important for us.

I can't wait to call you guys my colleagues!

Who's life will i save tonight?
Someone is alive today because of my duty.
Sometimes we cry cause we can't save them all,
A baby's first breath when he looks at me,
The joy of my first delivery.
The tear i wipe a way with my own hands,
The life ending of a gentle old man.
How many mothers will greet their babies with a kiss?
I will be strong when i am needed
That is my job, I am a nurse..that is my duty.
-Dawn Butler, RN

Photo of the day

Christian Bautista at his best!

Board's Over!

Finally, board exams are over! I was assigned in P. Gomez Elementary School, somewhere Espana. During breaks, I took pictures as usual, because nobody can stop me!! I even asked my seatmates for a group picture. Now, the painful moment is here, the waiting, waiting for the result. I know everyone would agree that the hardest part is the Nursing Practice IV, damn! most of the questions talked about cancer, the subject I hate the most. My life resumes to normal but i have to get my self employed before you call me irresponsible. And while the BON prolongs the agony I'll resume blogging.

To my seatmates: Please click the pictures to go to my multiply page and get the high resolution copy

My New Baby

Last weekend, I bought my self new pets. I picked one that does not demand for extra care -Colored chicks, vendors are selling it to kids outside school campuses, they colored it with dyobos to appear more attractive. Aren't they adorable? I know it's too early for Easter holiday, but this is the frustration of a man who always wanted to have a cute dog when he was a kid. I caution parents not to give chicks to their children as pets, because we all know kids are stupid and baby chicks are adorable, they will inevitably put them in their mouth or kiss them, not knowing if it's infected with salmonella.

So I decided to name them Josh and Michael, too bad Josh died (pink one) the next morning. I burried him in the backyard with my heart broken. I have to go back to the vendor and buy another Josh. I hope they will grow and infect my neighbors with bird's flu.

I remember when I was still a cute kid, I didn't really have the chance of raising a dog of my own. So, I wished to my mom on my 8th birthday to buy me a cute and harmless dog. So she bought me one,I was so happy until I was rushed to the nearest hospital because I was bitten on my eye brow. The next day she sold the poor dog named Coffee and bought me pig and ducks as pets instead, which we ate on my next birthday. I was bitten by a dog for more than five times, no joke! I'm so lucky to be still alive- that is the reason why we don't have pets in the house.

I love Dogs but they hate me! huhuhu...

P.S. Next Easter, please have some sense, don't send live chicks in the mail, because it's inhumane.

Board Exam: Tools and Essentials

This post is best read while listening to this song.



Im getting ready to take the board exam, five days left.I'm burned out. I just want to finish this long awaited stressful day. It's more like, I'm ready for them to be over. The more I study, the harder it gets. So better not study at all.But, you know what, I just realize, like today that no matter how hard or long you study, there will always be questions on the test that you havent studied for.The key is to understand the basics and work through the questions given based on the knowledge you have and the items you've studied.

It's enough that I read the new Public Health Nursing book for nurses cover to cover and as well as Udan. This is strategic because Public health book is endorsed by the DOH and no doubt, the contents will be included,--Udan because this is the manual used by UP since board examiners are mostly UP graduates. I still have IMCI (Integrated Management for Childhood Illnesses) to finish.

Oh no, I sounds like I have put in good solid study time and will probably do fine on the exam (blogging perhaps is the key).

Everybody, please speak before me...

I will know some,I can narrow some down to two answers, I will cheat some (kidding!) and some I just have to guess!

Best of luck to me and to everyone who will take the boards. See yah in hell!

New Guidelines in BP Monitoring

(note: may only be applicable in Philippine settings )

Measuring and monitoring blood pressure are common knowledge to all nurses including those graduates from proprietary nursing schools and yet, is often performed incorrectly. To standardized the procedure,(especially in community settings where there is no Digital equipments available) the Philippine Society of Hypertension provided guidelines and was translated by the UP College of Nursing for Nurses. (It is published in the new Public Health Nursing book endorsed by DOH).

Common Errors:
1. Some obese people are incorrectly diagnosed with hypertension when in fact their blood pressure is actually normal. This false diagnosis is usually based on improper use of blood pressure equipment, namely using the wrong sized blood pressure cuffs.
2. Improper application of BP cuff (Ideally around the upper arm 2-3 cm above the brachial artery). Apply cuff snugly with no creases.

3. Arm is not within the level of the heart

4. Not rested at least 5 min prior to procedure.

5. The client has smoked or ingested caffeine 30 min prior to procedure.

6. Nurse has not applied his stethoscope.

120/80 is the usual format in recording BP, but do you know that in the new guideline they include the Korotkoff Phase IV sound? So, in recording, you have to document it as 120-80-76 format.

During procedure, while deflating, we listen for pulse sounds (Korotkoff sounds) through stethoscope. We know that the appearance of the first clear tapping sound is the systolic BP (Korotkoff Phase I) and we record it as the numerator. Note the diastolic BP (denominator), which is the disappearance of sounds (Korotkoff V) unless sounds are still heard near 0 mmHg. In which case softening/ muffling of sounds is noted (Korortkoff Phase IV).
Document Phases I, IV, V by following the format for recording BP:
systolic/ muffling/ disappearance (e.g. 120-80-76)

Every NURSING procedure has a corresponding rationale. I believe that this is created to lessen errors in BP monitoring. Because errors in measurement may mean wrong decisions in blood pressure management, thus compromising care.

It is VITALLY important that clients become more aware and assertive about correct procedure in BP measurement.Of course, it is also important to note that not all diagnoses of BP problems are all inaccurate that one should ignore their blood pressure readings or disregard any diagnosis of hypertension. Not at all! It is that diagnosis of blood pressure problems should be done on the basis of accurate data.