Filipino Nurses aren't just "Glorified Yayas"

i hate it when some of my fellow countrymen brand nurses as "glorified yaya's." honestly, we studied for 4 years hoping that someday we will get employed at some prestigious health institution. but apparently the demand for nurses suddenly rose, almost everyone had the urge to take up nursing. it came to a point where a new grad had to scowl the whole archipelago searching for a decent hospital to practice his/her profession. to put it simply, there was an overflow of nurses.

why did i take up nursing in the first place? because, as far as i can remember, when you get your license, its your ticket to a greener pasture. nice vision, eh? but in reality there are a ton of hurdles before you can even go abroad to work. that's why a lot of filipino nurses have to stay in the locale.

i chose to stay here for now because:

1. "You need at least 2 years experience to even leave the country." - apparently this notion has been debunked. the government just wants us to stay for us to help the government institutions, either as volunteers or staff nurses.
2. "You need to have 'backers' or an agency to help you with your employment." - technically true, but yeah most of us really need to use ourPadrinos to get hired locally or abroad.

i stayed here because i have to pass my NCLEX before i can practice my profession in Chicago(yes, im actually preparing for it, Thank God!). and because i couldn't leave immediately eventhough i am a licensed professional already.

so what happens to the nurses here? simple, they either try to pursue their career here or get sidetracked. i was fortunate enough to get sidetracked, because i saw the evil side of the hospital setting. lets just call it "politics and capitalism."

• you have to pay for your training/volunteerism - WTF? since when did that policy got published and implemented? i won't get paid for working, and i also have to pay the hospital? WOW, talk about capitalism here.
• after your training/volunteerism, you are still going to be on the waiting list for regularization. - so the 6 months training and bullcrap doesn't really count for anything. why the hell should i waste 6 months for nothing?
• some hospitals abroad don't recognize volunteerism as job-related working experience. - GREAT, ill just stay at home and blog(?) or be a bum.

so there, i was stayed. i got employed at the biggest of biggest of "contact centers," got money and gave it to my parents. i stopped working due to my deteriorating health condition, but yeah i got a huge sum of money, of which i gave everything to my mom to help with the finances at home.

then i heard someone say "Naku nag-nursing ka pa, eh wala ka namang ginawa kundi maglinis ng bahay. Buti pa katulong, nakakapag abroad as OFW's."

i seriously wanted to kill that person right then and there. i am a freaking professional, at the end of the day, i can still say to your face that "Hey, i'm a licensed professional, got problems with that? You don't even know what kind of hell us nurses are going through, would you like me to enumerate everything?" And at the end of the day, when you guys get sick, it's us who take care of you. Doctors find cure patients, us nurses take care of patients. There's a big difference between just curing and caring.

i'm not just a "Glorified Yaya." i'm sorry, i won't accept that. WE are not just "Glorified Yayas" to be exact.

*sorry, i just got really pissed off at that person. had to vent out.