A Closer Look at Nursing : the

Globalization, rapid improvements in modern technology, and patients who have become extremely knowledgeable about their health care conditions (thanks to the Internet!) have all converged to increase the demand for a different type of health care practitioner: one who is competent and demonstrates critical thinking skills but who is also caring and compassionate. No health care profession requires these qualities of its practitioners more than nursing.

 

Increasingly complex patient care needs and limited financial health care resources require that nurses focus on giving safe care which is both efficient and cost-effective. One of the hallmarks of a safe, efficient, and cost-effective care environment is the ready availability of Information about patients to all members of the health care team.

 

For example, nowadays, especially in the US , healthcare practitioners no longer rely on heavy metal charts to find out a patient's lab works – all they have to do is check the patient's medical history using a hand-held PC or PDA. So, instead of asking a patient what drugs he/she is allergic to, the nurse or any health care professional can identify the specific drug and verify this information with the patient, ensuring that he or she is not asked the same question about allergies more than once during the entire hospitalization. All data are available at the nurse's fingertips in the PDA.

 

That, in a nutshell, is how Annabelle Reyes Borromeo, PhD , RN, CCRN, CNS, CPAN (simply Annabelle to friends) summarizes how recent technological advancements have enabled health care workers to facilitate documentation of lab works and focus more on the tasks at hand. She also mentions two major studies conducted in the US, which found that collaborative models (i.e., doctors, nurses and other health team members work together to ensure a patient's immediate recovery) produce better patient outcomes (less deaths and complications like pneumonia) than traditional approaches in medicine.

 

Feminine as a rose but confident as a general, Annabelle fills her brightly-lit office with her astonishing presence. She is, after all, considered as one of the top nurses in the country today. The founding President & CEO of STI-Universal Worker Inc. (STI-UWI) is also a nurse educator whose major stints abroad particularly at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene , Texas and at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital – Texas Heart Institute in Houston have equipped her with all types of training and experiences any nurse could possibly undertake.

 

Dr. Borromeo is also one of the youngest stars in the Philippine nursing landscape, despite a curriculum vitae that is kilometric -- cataloguing a background that began with a general nursing course from UP-PGH , a B.S. in Nursing at SLU, Master of Science in Nursing (Critical Care Nursing, minor in Education) at the University of Texas, before finally settling for a Ph. D. in Nursing at Texas Women's University in Houston Texas.

 

For thousands of Filipino nurses aspiring to work in the US , she's also become a familiar figure at STI-UWI. This international consulting firm based in the Philippines specializes in training, educating and preparing qualified professionals for a successful life and career abroad. Here, candidates are given a comprehensive but highly individualized training and acculturation program using a modular approach.

 

Fresh from its recent affiliation with STI, the leading network of colleges in the Philippines , the company is now able to ensure that its candidates are not just equipped with nursing-related skills, but are also IT-enabled. Can you imagine what would happen to a newly hired Filipino nurse if she'd be asked to check the temperature of a patient, and all she finds in the workplace is a medical strip instead of the usual glass thermometer we use here? Well, the same predicament happened to Dr. Borromeo when she first arrived in the US . But luckily for her, she had mentors like Penny Williams, an American nurse, and Amy Porterfield, a Filipina nurse, to help her.

 

"Most patients think that when they go to hospitals, the service ends after they've paid their bills. This is a common misconception and it's really a disservice if all they get is a prescription," says Annabelle. "In the US , we make the follow-up calls just to ensure our patients are OK. We try hard to make them understand their experiences better, we do patient education. As a health care practitioner I feel that we should start looking at the nursing profession as a service-oriented vocation. In my more than 4 years of experience working in Manila , the opposite can be said of a good number of Pinoy nurses," she adds wryly.

 

"Although our nurses need not necessarily be taught to care – they're a natural at this – from the way we talk and touch, it's like second nature to us already and it's what patients like about Filipino nurses. In fact, once they are taught something, most of them are able to do it so much better than their mentors. Most of them, however, still lack critical thinking. In order to be a nurse in the fullest sense of the word , you need to have both caring and critical thinking qualities," she stresses. "That's why at STI Universal Worker , our thrust is in strengthening nurses' education programs so that nurses' critical thinking abilities are honed and become well immersed in clinical skills. They are trained to focus on comprehensively managing the care of the patient from admission up to adjustments in the home environment while tapping into family members' social support.

 

To keep herself updated , Dr. Borromeo says she makes it a point to regularly read the latest medical and nursing journals as well as inspirational and self-help books. She's particularly hooked on O-magazine, an idee fixe of talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

 

Now happily married to an orthopedic surgeon with whom she's been blessed with a son named Andrew, Annabelle says nurses aspiring to work abroad and become successful should take note of the following simple rules: "First, know the rules and be assertive. You can't always say YES and not be able to deliver in the end. Second, get experience. Before going abroad, make sure you've had at least six (6) months of working experience. Third, get good mentors. Next, make sure you get a good education, one that incorporates caring, clinical, and computer skills. Obtaining your skills from reputable nursing schools is a big plus. "

 

"Finally, love your profession. Don't go into nursing just because of the financial rewards. Look instead for the satisfaction you get from practicing a profession that touches people's lives at their most vulnerable moment. Nursing has a huge potential for adding meaning to your life. It is easy to get into nursing; staying in it is difficult. Money alone, will not help you remain in nursing if your heart's not in it. I love nursing! I've always said to myself, 'I'd like to be the best nurse that I can be!' I worked hard and persevered despite all odds I had to face so I could finally reach my goals. Look where it's got me now...right back where I started, this time helping Filipino nurses reach their goals like my mentors helped me reach mine, " she ends with a big smile.