UK Nurse, Mr. Joemar B. Delos Santos challenges would-be nurses to be health advocates for the people during the College of Nursing’s 39th Cap, Badge and Candlelight Ceremony held at Astoria Regency on Friday, August 2.
“Be an effective nurse, not a room nurse.”
This was stressed by the Inspirational Speaker, Mr. Joemar Bucoy Delos Santos, during the 39th Cap, Badge and Candlelight Ceremony of the Western Mindanao State University – College of Nursing on August 2, Friday.
Delos Santos, a Senior Staff Nurse in the Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot, Berkshire, United Kingdom, graduated in the WMSU College of Nursing in 1995. He has been in the UK for four years as a health advocate. In his speech during the ceremony, Delos Santos pointed out Senator Cynthia Villar’s statement delivered last February 23 in the GMA News TV “Pagsubok ng mga Kandidato” segment during the election season.
Villar was quoted to have said “Actually hindi naman kailangan ng nurse na makatapos ng BSN or Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Kasi itong mga nurses, gusto lang nilang maging room nurse… para mag-alaga. Hindi naman sila kailangan maging ganoon kagaling.” These lines challenged the Filipino nurses worldwide.
In the Philippines, Nursing is regarded as a highly respected profession and a passport out of poverty. However, with the onslaught of global recession, the number of jobs available for nursing graduates has declined. Even Philippine hospitals have been rigidly selecting nurses—recruiting only those with years of adept experience, leaving thousands of graduates unemployed including majority of the 16,219 Nursing Licensure Exam 2013 Passers.
According to Delos Santos, the student nurses should assess and develop competence in knowledge, skill and attitude. “This is your asset in being an effective nurse, not a room nurse as mentioned by Cynthia Villar,” he added.
With the theme “Bridging the gap: empowering nurses through safe and quality education,” the candidates of the WMSU Cap, Badge and Candlelight Ceremony held at the Astoria Regency were level II BSN students. 225 of them were females; 30 were males that sum up to 255 candidates for cap and badge.
The presentation of candidates was led by the CN Associate Dean Prof. Vicente J. Gaan and was accepted by Prof. Leila D. Benito, OIC-Dean who also directed the imposition of the caps to the female students and the badges to the male students. The cap and badge rites were in sync with the lighting of candles that was led by Florence Nightingale 2013-Ms. Samirah Dhaniah S. Taupan, BSN IV.
Delos Santos further challenged the would-be nurses to show the world that they are not merely room nurses and that they should be globally competitive nurses loaded with knowledge, skills and attitude. (AJ Dalugdug – PAO/WMSU)
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