Dominic Limpin: The Singing Travelling Nurse

In a time when Filipino nurses are stereotyped and under appreciated, one Filipino stands out in his profession through his own unique way.

Dominic Limpin, a Filipino nurse who have been working in New York City on the 9/11 bombing of the world trade center is helping himself heal from post traumatic syndrome by traveling the US and singing to his patients while performing his duties as a dialysis nurse.

Dominic Limpin signed on with a company that sends him around the U.S. As a traveling nurses, he helps hospitals fill in empty shifts while using his voice to ease the suffering of his patients while attending to them.

“I never encounter any patient, no matter how sick they are or grouchy, who doesn't like singing.” says Dominic.

Dominic may be a little modest about his musical abilities. He performed with a choir that sang with the Philharmonic in New York City. He says he’ll do anything to get patients’ minds off their ailments.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

My Nursing Licensure Exam(NLE) Experience

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

Why me? Why me?

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

      This was the mantra that I kept on repeating to myself when I took the Board Exam for Nurses last November 2009. And I’m sure this was a thought repeated by many others last December 19 and 20. Even the strongest of will can crack when placed under this amount of pressure. We all just want to get it over with and put it all behind us like some bad dream. Yet when it’s all over, you can’t quite grasp the feeling of relief you hoped to feel. Let me walk you through my experience of the emotional roller coaster that was the board exam.

 

Pre-Board Jitters

      Yes, I sat through a lot of review classes and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning reviewing my notes. Yes, I attended group studies and spent a lot of time (and money) studying in cafes just so I won’t “accidentally” fall asleep while studying in my bedroom. Yes, I visited 7 churches and prayed on my knees to the Higher Beings to help me pass the exams. And yes, I went out of my way to be extra kind and helpful to get extra points from He-Who-Controls-The-Universe. But none, and I mean none, can really prepare me for what’s to come. The anxiety that seems to eat me up as the day gets nearer. The guilty feeling I get everytime I take a break and relax for a bit. The stress in trying to cram four years worth of lessons into 2 short months. And of course, the thought that keeps on popping in my head and catches me by surprise: “What if I don’t pass?” The hardest point was the night before the exam where I wanted to have last-minute reviews but I can’t coz people told me it’s-not-a-good-idea-to-cram and I think they’re probably right but another part of my brain thinks "what-if-the-part-I-review-tonight-comes-up-in-the-exam-tomorrow-and-I-won’t-get-it-coz-I-didn’t-open-my-notes" and I start sweating and shaking and puking and I think I must be going crazy. Oh wait, I AM crazy for even taking this course in the first place. So there.

 

It All Comes Down to This

      On the first day of the board exam my roommates and I woke up very early and we headed out to our delegated exam areas. As nervous as I was, I still imagined myself being one of the 10 top notchers. That was one of my motivations as my first answer sheet and exam booklet was handed to me. The exam was not easy. At all. There were times when I actually wanted to cry in the middle of it. As the day progressed and I finished the last exam for that day all thoughts of being a top notcher fled and the only thought left was “Please just let me pass”.  I felt so weak and heartbroken. When I went back to our hotel my roommates were there and we burst into tears. It seems funny now, but back then we felt hopeless to the point that we considered not showing up the next day. We were sure we won’t pass anyway. But we pushed ourselves and after we finished the remaining sets the next day we went out and got drunk and smashed. We were glad it was finally over.

 

The Longest Two Months of My Life

      But alas, our relief was short-lived. We had no idea that waiting for the result was harder that preparing for and taking the exam. Every day we would talk and we did the biggest no-no in taking exams: we compared our answers with each other. We would drive each other crazy because there were a lot of instances where our answers and rationales differ from each other. I often concluded that I won’t make it. Other people would chide me for thinking such things but I knew in my heart that I failed. I was, after all, the one who took the exam. There were lots of crying, anger bursts, and periods of depression. I seemed like a totally different person.

 

 

 It’s natural, to think you didn’t do your best and you could have done better.  That you shouldn’t have watched that movie and the two hours you spent there could have made the difference. That you should have enrolled to that review center and not to this one. Others felt what you are feeling now, and others will feel it someday.  But pass or no pass, you would feel that everything was worth it. Pass or no pass, you became a better person with strengths and weaknesses and you can surely take on whatever comes next. So when that result comes up in a few months, jump for joy or cry for a bit, and remember to breathe.

Truths About Male Nurses of the Philippines

    
      What do fat people and male nurses have in common? Both of them are the butt of many jokes, especially in popular media. Ben Stiller's character in the movie "meet the parents" is a classic example. In the movie, Jack Byrnes (Robert Deniro) takes an instant dislike to Greg Focker (Stiller) and openly criticizes him for his choice of career as a male nurse. A more recent example, quoted by the Sue Sylvester of the hit TV musical "GLEE" states that "female football coach, like male nurses, are a sin against nature."  Being in the twenty first century, one would think that stereotyping is a thing of the past, but believing that is like believing in Santa Clause or world peace, you'll just end up disappointing yourself. In the Philippines Male nurses are as common as female nurses, but in western countries and the middle east male nurses are still not fully given the respect that they deserve.

Not All Male Nurses Are Gay
       I know many male nurses that are gay, but I know even more that a straight. Regardless of sexual preference and gender, their main reason for selecting their profession is because they (or their parents) believed it promised a more stable financial life through working in other countries. So stop being immature and start respecting male nurses like the way you want to be respected yourself.

Male Nurses have Equal Chance of Being Promoted
      Many think that male nurses have a lower chance of being promoted in a female dominated working environment. That is just not the case. Hospitals have a system to follow in awarding promotions, giving male and female nurses equal footing in competing for the top spot. Like in most professions, industry and being competent are the more important factors that nurses must be focusing on and not something as uncontrollable as sex.

Female Nurses are Gentler than Male Nurses
      This may only be true in a few cases. Patients prefer a female touch in some aspects of a nurse's duties, not because of the male nurse's lack of skill but because people generally associate a motherly finesse in the business of taking care of the sick. But there are also situations where the male attributes are very useful. Heavy lifting and physically controlling larger patients are only a few of the many services where the male nurse's physical advantages become convenient.

So the next time you meet a male nurse, treat them like the professional that they are. Who knows, a male nurse may one day save your life.

Fire Survivors Take NLE

Source: Villamor Visaya Jr. Inquirer Northern Luzon
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TUGUEGARAO CITY— A fire tore through a five-story budget hotel before dawn Sunday, leaving at least 15 people dead, nine of them nursing graduates in town to take a licensure examination, police said.

Some managed to escape on their own but others may have panicked and got trapped by the flames.

A nursing college instructor, Romeo Opido, told police that about 36 nursing students were at the hotel. At least 27 escaped and nine were missing, he said before the bodies were discovered.

Twelve nursing students were taken to hospitals with minor burns.

Most of the fatalities were from the University of La Salette in Santiago City, said Senior Insp. Neil Caranguian, city fire officer.

Survivors take exam
The fire did not deter survivors from taking the licensure examination in the morning.

“We had to borrow slippers so we could take the examination because we failed to save any of our belongings,” said Rona Grace Pablo of Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.

Caranguian said the fire broke out shortly after 1 a.m. and raged for 10 hours.

The fire was apparently fueled by car tires and other combustible materials stored in a motorcycle parts shop also owned by Fondevilla. The second floor housed the shop’s stock room. A section of the second floor up to the fourth floor served as guest rooms.

Senior Supt. Mao Aplasca, Cagayan police director, said investigators were verifying reports that the fire started in the stock room. Paint cans also may have been in the building, which was recently renovated.

“Everything is hazy. The claim that the stock of oil and tires at the second floor [sparked the fire] was an initial analysis,” he said. It would take time to establish the cause of the fire, he said.

Councilor Kendrick Calubaquib said he passed by the area on his way home at past 1 a.m. and saw sparks coming from the hotel. “I thought it was a fireworks display … I was shocked when I realized that it was a fire and it was spreading,” he said.

Why It's a Bad Time to be a Nurse In the Philippines

      Not that there ever was a good time to be a nurse here. Lack of proper government policies has led the country's most popular profession to its dark ages.

Too many nurses
      As of July 2010, according to the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), there were 187,000 unemployed nurses in the Philippines. The number will only increase after the coming December 2010 Nursing Licensure Examination. The increasing number of unemployed nurses means that each nurse will have tougher competition in applying for nursing-related jobs. Many of my friend nurses work in call centers while there are still no hospital hiring for nurses. A wise economic choice, but the work experience will not help them as professional nurses. Besides, we did not study for four years to work at a job that can be done by high school graduates.

Exploitative Hospitals
      The large number of unemployed nurses triggered a defensive reaction from hospitals all over the country. Most hospitals have employed very creative systems in taking in volunteers and avoid keeping them long enough to make them regular staff nurses. We do understand that hospitals try to maintain a positive cash flow while trying to cater to as many volunteers as possible. It is a business after all. But for hospitals to charge nurses when applying as volunteers is just not right. There are hospitals all over the country that charge nurses from 300 to 5000 pesos(depending on how greedy they are) to be volunteers for 3 months. Isn't being a volunteer enough sacrifice already? Some nursing graduates work as volunteers for more than 3 years with out SSS or Phil. Health before finding a paying job.

Unprofessional Coworkers
       As we all know, great numbers doesn't always come with great quality. In fact quality and quantity are inversely proportional. So if a fresh nursing graduate with great professionalism, dedication and a strong set of idealism and integrity is mixed with a nurse who is on a verge of a burnout, conflicts often arise and this happens more often than most think. Ask any nurse who have worked in a hospital and you'll hear of stories of the evil head nurse or the incompetent charge nurse. It's sad to see one burned out nurse spreading the burn out virus to idealistic young minds.

Low Pay
      Even if a nurse becomes a staff nurse, things doesn't become any easier. Sure they get paid , but their salaries will not be enough to cover their own needs let alone their family's. Many hospitals around the country pay below minimum wage and most nurses with homes far from the hospitals may need to take a bed space or a room in boarding houses surrounding the hospitals.

To all my fellow nurses, things may look dark now but there is no harm in believing that the night is darkest before the dawn. Things will get better if we strive for it, so let us wake up tomorrow with a smile in our faces remembering that we and our profession were created to do good.

Reasons Why Nurses Burnout

Every time a nurse goes to the hospital to work, the accumulated stress from many factors can burn her or him out. If you are a nurse, watch out if any of these factors are taking a toll on you.

1. Too Much Work
      The work place for most nurses can be very toxic. They perform very detailed activities on schedule, and missing a schedule could mean the death of an individual. Everything on the to-do-list must be done and must be done precisely on time. There are times when one nurse must carry the workload that is meant for two nurses. In addition to that they must maintain a high level of focus for at least eight hours. Together with the other factors to be mentioned, being a nurse can be pretty taxing.

2. Schedule
      Being a nurse in a hospital means having very irregular schedule pattern. Unlike other professions which follow the normal biorhythm of the body(work in the day and rest at night), a nurse's schedule have interchanging night shifts and day shifts. The schedule can be changed every month or week depending on the workplace system. Nursing duties continue even on holidays so spending Christmas and new year's eve in the hospital emergency room must be something future nurses must be accustomed to.

3. Patients and Visitors from Hell
      Because it deals with life and death situations every day, the hospital can be a very stressful place. Each person can be at his or her boiling point and the nurses, who are the ones at the front lines, can be at the receiving end of a buffet of complaints with a bit(or lot) of profanity at the side. This happens more often than everybody thinks and the best part is, it's not always the nurse's fault. A nurses could just be at the wrong place at the wrong time to be singled out by a patient's rant but as a good nurse(please note that not every nurse you meet is a good nurse and may act differently), he or she must let the worst part pass through his or her ears and continue being proactive.

4. Dealing with Sickness and Death on a Regular Basis
      Have you ever had a dying patient in your home? If you have, you may have a small hint of the emotional aspects of a nurse's job. Now imagine dealing with that day after day for the rest of your professional life. Not fun at all. Some may say they've grown accustomed to dealing with this but not everybody's a rock. Nurses must find a way to cope with this and all the other factors mentioned if they are to be effective at what they do best: provide care.

A Dream

      When I was 8, I used to work for my mom. She'd pay me ten pesos everyday if I watered the plants in our 200 square meter garden. I know you'd think that 200 sq. m. isn't much work, but I had to do it using 2 pails and a dipper and the water source was 10 meters away. Plus I was a skinny kid back then. At first it was fun, earning extra bucks before going to school, until the early morning hard labor began to take its toll on my body. I began to feel tired during school hours and sometimes sleep in class. When I could take no more, I motivated my self by doing what any self respecting laborer would do. I asked my mom for a raise. I asked for a 5 peso raise or I'll stop watering the plants. It was an offer she couldn't refuse. Or so I thought. My mom laughed at my demand. She knew from the start that I wouldn't last long working every morning and going to school. She told me that I could stop if I wanted to and she'll have the helper take my place. Refusing to be terminated by my mom at the age 8, I continued working. That was the first time I worked for money and it wasn't easy.

      I thought I was in a bad spot, until now. Today, I know some people who work for nothing. Even worse, I know some people who work professionally and they are the ones who are going to pay. It doesn't sound fun does it? That is what hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of unemployed nurses in my country has to deal with when they start looking for work. Even an 8 year old would feel there's something wrong with that system. But of course, most of them would argue that paying for a job to gain experience to be qualified for jobs abroad is a rational decision. Is this the Filipino dream? If it is, it's time to redefine it.