Journey of My Nursing Career

1992 - Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia was the easiest and fastest way to start my dream. It didn't need a lot of professional requirement other than being a licensed nurse and a little professional experience plus being smart during job interviews. Let your interviewers know you are competent to work as a nurse and you are good to go.

There were 60 nurses who traveled that same day. It was exciting and scary, not knowing what is there ahead of us.But because the other nurses on the trip had been in that country before, they can speak and understand Arabic language and have a good knowledge of the culture.That made our fears much easier to manage.

A group of Filipino nurses had given us a welcome party on the day of our arrival. In fact the chief nurse was a Filipino and most of her nurses were Filipinos.It was a very warm welcome with traditional menus on the table. It was a great relief to see that we will be working mostly with The nurses' dorm is located adjacent to the Hospital. A room accommodate 3- 4 nurses who will share the bathroom the kitchen and the living room. Sharing all the flat makes us more at home, more safe and secured.Not that the something is scary but that we share the same feeling of being away from home.

Sabt al Alayah Hospital, a 100 bed capacity hospital is one of the not so rural, neither is an urbanized small town in the southern part of Saudi Arabia. The climate is very temperate, an irony of what i was expecting. There were green mountains,trees and grasses.Housing,food and utilities were free as part of the contract,Work 40 hours a week. 4 weeks paid vacation plus Saudi Arabia Holidays 8 days making it a 5 week paid vacation every year.Flights to and from the origin of recruitment was paid for by the employer We were paid US$700.00 a month tax free.

Female nurses are not allowed to go out of the campus by themselves and if they do,we were chaperoned by an elderly female Saudi National. There is a bus that take us to outings and shopping. Gold jewelries was every ones wishes to buy as it was inexpensive. We go shopping for our personal use during our scheduled trips.

The medium of communication between the workers was English which make it easier for all of us.We chart in English.Doctors were from India,Egypt and Sudan.Most if not all patients can not speak English.Thanks to those who were there before us who acted as our interpreters. They have made our lives much easier than it should have been.

The challenge was, how to deal and communicate with patients of a completely different culture from mine.The language alone was the biggest struggle. Even communicating with doctors and nurse seem difficult as well because of the different English accents of everyone. I have an experience where the doctor was yelling saying "go get a ballad,go get a ballad".I was not getting what he meant until he said "the patient is bleeding" then of course I understood what he meant that i need to go get the blood in the laboratory. I did not know what was going on in the other room so I have no clue of what he wants. Experiences like these was common in this kind of setting.Different people of different races.But is was a challenge.

However,freedom does not equate these advantages. My nursing goal is still as strong as it was the day i made it.I made plans to move on the first day i got to my first journey.

Abha , is the capital of the Asir province,Saudi Arabia. Situated 2,200 meters (7,200 ft) above sea level in the fertile mountains of south-western Saudi Arabia. Its mild climate makes it a popular tourist destination for Saudis. The province is sparsely populated with only an estimate of 252,126 people for 2009. Many of Abha's homes are made of stone and mud and were built by hand. Some of these homes are over 300 years old and have been continuously inhabited.This is the closest urban city we can go to for shopping from Sabt Al Alayah. We go out once or twice a month.We were in a rural area where there was not much freedom to go where ever you want. Not designed for migration of people who have a different culture. SO my career moves on.....

1998- The Royal Hospital Oman



After 3 years of waiting for a my USA application,I got bored and decided to move on. Going to the United States at this time was difficult.There were no visas for nurses.Nursing visas to USA were held in 1995.I decide to move on and after a few application,I was hired as a labor and delivery nurse at the Royal Hospital in Muscat, Oman.(middle east Asia).There are 14 delivery suites with 8 nurses on duty per shift.
The hospital serves all the people of the region not just the Royal Family (there is a special Royal Suite for the Royal Family). The Royal Hospital is an acute tertiary hospital established in 1987.The facility was the breakthrough of the Health System in Oman The facility has state of the art services in specialties including cardiac, medicine,obstetrics, gynecology, oncology and pediatrics.

It was one of the milestones in the development of comprehensive health services in Oman.
In 1998, almost 90% of nurses were expatriates from the Philippines,India and SriLanka. Omanization (the training and hiring of Oman citizens) just started. Recent statistics show the success of their Omanization program, as evidenced by 31% of all staff working in the hospital were Omanis two years later .

My nursing career got more opportunities. While in Oman I attended an interview from UK representatives recruiting nurses to UK. I was one of the lucky ones.My journey to the western world is at hand.....

In 1994,I passed the Commission of Nursing Graduate of Foreign Nursing Schools. C.G.F.N.S International is an immigration-neutral nonprofit organization, globally recognized as an authority on credentials evaluation of the education, registration and license verification of nurses worldwide. A US based but has testing areas all over the world including Philippines.C.G.F.N.S. certification is one of the requirement of the US Nursing Board prior to taking the NCLEX-RN.

B.S.N (Bachelor Degree in Nursing) was the only nursing program in the Philippines. A s a nurse,we are able to work anywhere. And that was one of the major reason I went into nursing career. Yes, my dreams to travel to the western world was not very far after passing the C.G.F.N.S.

From then on I left Saudi to pursue my western journey.
Want to learn more about the CGFNS international ?go here..CGFNS International

On August 16, 2001,I started my western world I travel.My first flight to UK landed at Heathrow Airport. That same day I left for the Torbay Hospital in South Devon, 5 hours away from Heathrow by bus. It was very beautiful scenery on the way to Devon with many large green fields and trees as well as an occasional ocean view.
Devon is England's third largest county with nearly 7,000 sq. kilometers of land.It has the two natural parks of Exmoor and Dartmoor, the coastal towns and seaside resorts of two coast lines, picturesque villages with their thatched cottages and charming inns, the industrial centers and a variety of ancient history. There is a lot to see and learn within the beautiful county of Devon.

Devon is a 99% white population(a marked cultural change from Oman). We were the first foreign nurses to work in the hospital.To be certified as a licensed nurse, the nurse will work with a mentor or preceptor for 3 months. No nursing exam is needed. The mentor/perceptor will recommend certification if she/he think the nurse is competent and meets the criteria for certification by the U.K.C.C. Fortunately I passed the preceptorship and earned my certification in 3 months.

Torbay Hospital in South Devon is one of the 5 flagship Centers of Innovation nationally. Because of its excellent track record - for example, it has one of the most successful Day Surgery Units in the country and runs the regional training center for consultants from across the NHS for the early detection of bowel cancer, it is very well regarded for the level of care the patients receive. Because of its success in reducing waiting times in many specialties, patients are known to travel from neighboring areas to the Torbay Hospital for earlier treatment. Also the hospital's service for stroke patients has been ranked in the top few nationally.
Worked here for a year and a half and decided to be with some close friends in London. London here i come......

Central Middlesex Hostpital

For the first 5 months in London I worked in a long term care facility, while seeking a hospital position. The five months working with long term care patients was a new experience for me (but not my last). Culturally, Philippine families take care of their elders, at home, till they die. This was a new professional experience , caring for elders in a long term facility. The workers were culturally diversified. Most caretakers were Africans, with a few whites, and three fellow Filipino nurses on staff. While employed in this facility, i got a job in a hospital in the area.

Central Middlesex Hospital in a day surgery unit.Though this was a Day Surgery ,there was a step down unit where post surgical patients stay for 24-48 hours. While the staff (again) was diverse, most of the nurses were English and Africans then me, the only Asian on the unit. One of the things that I learned a lot was that due to my range of professional experiences, I can work professionally with anybody regardless of ethnicity or cultural background. By this time in my career I had worked in four countries, with over twenty different nationalities and with different patients whose ages ranges from newborns to elderly.

Central Middlesex hospital is one of the Northwest Hospitals in LONDON. NORTH WEST HOSPITALS IN LONDON care for more than half a million people living across Brent, Harrow and beyond - making it one of the biggest and busiest NHS Trusts in the capital.

Central Middlesex Hospital was reorganizing and moving their staff to a sister hospital. I lived close to Northwick Hospital and not wanting to travel further I applied for and was offered a position in the telemetry unit and CCU. I took the job, my fourth in England and moved to Northwick Hospital.

NORTHWICK HOSPITAL..after 8 months in Central Middlesex Hospital I moved to Northwick Hospital, only a few minutes away from the house I rented with my friend Angie and her family.

I was accumulating more and more knowledge and skills as I move and worked around the world. I had proved to myself that education in the PHILIPPPINES is as good as anywhere else in the world. GO Filipino Nurses! Explore and travel the world!

After three years going around UK, my USA visa finally was processed (you will learn to be patience regarding governmental processing and red tape) and am ready to go explore United States of America. In Aug.2004, almost three years to the day of my arrival in England I was ready to leave for the U.S.....

London is a diversely populated, old historic city. It is known to be one of the busiest city in the world.Famous for its magnificent palaces whose history is intimately intertwined with the history of Great Britain. So much to see and so much read and visit..
You can move around London and city suburbs easily via the London underground and public buses...

INA (International Nurses Alliance) a Maine based nursing agency have brought in a lot of Filipino nurses to Work in Hospitals and Long Term Care facilities. Sandy River,the company who then owns 11 Nursing homes throughout Maine have used INA to recruit foreign nurses and this started my nursing career in Spring brook Nursing Home,Westbrook Maine.

Spring Brook Center is a facility of various services (a rehab,skilled units, long term care and Alzheimer unit.). It was formerly owned by Sandy River Health care system until a Pennsylvania based company,Genesis Health Care bought all Sandy River's facilities in early 2007.

To this date, I am still with Springbrook Center and is the longest employer I am with since I started my nursing journey.For many reasons I stayed employed at Springbrook Center, my American dream has come to reality. People i worked with,the management and the job itself are just few of the reasons I have stayed in this facility for this long. I met a wonderful down to earth people at the job that being a foreign nurse has not limited my capacity to maximize my nursing skills. The Alzheimer unit where i am a charge Nurse at present and at the same time the House Supervisor had been challenging but with the help of nurses and the CNA's who worked 11-7, it makes the job easier.

In August 10,2005,just a year i was in Springbrook, I met Chuck (through kelly,chuck's niece in a blind date),who at present is my very significant other, showed me the beauty of Maine. I was very amazed at how naturally beautiful Maine is.

Maine is the northernmost part of New England and the easternmost state in the contiguous United States. It is known for its scenery , its jagged, mostly rocky coastline, low rolling mountains, and heavily forested interior. Maine is known for its seafood cuisine, especially lobsters and clams. If you like lighthouses, Maine has it all. There are more than 60 light houses along the coast of Maine.