Nurses at the Forefront: Dealing with the Unexpected
Kino Xandro G. Anuddin, RN
Hon. Celso L. Lobregat – our City Mayor; Hon. Leonila A. Faire - Member of the Board of Nursing and our special guest speaker for today; Dr. Milabel E. Ho – Immediate Past Chair and Governor, PNA Region IX; Professor Florence Alcazar – PNA Governor for Region IX; Ms. Nerissa Alonso – PNA President, Zamboanga City Chapter; Mr. Nestor Zeta – OIC Professional Regulation Commission, Region IX; Deans of the different Colleges of Nursing; PNA Officers, my co-professional nurses, proud parents, dear families and friends, ladies and gentlemen, Good Day!
About a year ago, I and many of my co-June’06 NLE passers were standing outside on PRC grounds eager and desperate to take our oath. It was in no way near to our oath-taking today – this one is splendid and well-prepared. Our oath-taking last year was not as I had imagined it to be during my student days. It was immediate and we were basically unprepared, and on each of our faces were mixed expressions of uncertainty and optimism. It may not have been the best oath-taking ceremony, but it was very valuable for many of us. For us, to receive our oath meant that we will finally have in our hands the full privilege of being a registered nurse; a privilege that we have worked hard to achieve and that we rightfully deserve; a privilege that some people, because of their selfish intents, almost took away from us.
Unfortunately, things still didn’t work out in favor of us. We have faced ridicule and doubt. Our credibility and competency as nurses were still under suspicion. We understand that the leakage controversy may have sparked concerns for public health and safety, but we felt that to punish us, the examinees, who had nothing to do with it, is outrightly unjust! Finally, many of us decided to accept the retake of the NLE, either Test 3&5 or the whole set, with earnest yearning that hopefully the issue will be settled and that we will be left to pursue our individual careers as nurses without prejudice from others.
Our theme for this ceremony couldn’t have been more appropriate. “Dealing with the unexpected” – who could have foreseen the events which unfolded last June of 2006. It has tarnished the reputation not only of those who were directly affected but also of every Filipino nurse and our Nursing profession as a whole. Now, just over a year later, it is pleasing to say that we are all on our way into recovering the full-integrity of Philippine Nursing and that the offenders are finally given the lawful dealing.
And for us NEW nurses, there are definitely more to come, a lot more to learn, and way more “unexpected” to deal with. Indeed, in the dynamic, fast-moving, and demanding society we all live in today, we play an important role most especially in healthcare and service to the public. Constantly we will be facing challenges and frequently we will be confronting the unanticipated. Fellow June’07 nurses, we may be the youngest members of the nursing profession today, we may be beginners, but we are now officially professionals and with a strong, resounding voice coming from our hearts, we are confident to say that, YES!, we are up for the challenge! And with full-competence, we are ready to deal with the unexpected! So bring it on!
Fellow nurses, it is a fact that we are the future of our profession. Each of us has the potential to become nursing leaders in healthcare or in education or in whichever field of nursing we wish to practice. Sitting amongst us here today may be a future chief nurse, the BON chairman or the PNA president. But wherever our lives might lead us, let us not take for granted the lessons we can grasp from the events that had affected us lately. The leakage scandal tells us that as an RN, we each carry the noble name of our profession. We have to be careful in our deeds and decisions. It is every nurse’s responsibility to maintain and uphold the integrity of the profession he/she belongs, to safeguard public health and safety by observing the standards of nursing practice, and that none of us has the right to cause so immense of a trouble to other people in order to satisfy our own end. Let us not forget the teachings that our respective alma maters inculcated on us, that the moment we chose to become a nurse, we offer ourselves in service to God and to other people, not just ourselves. “Men and Women of God, Men and Women for Others”. So do your very best in the things that you know best, and you will know in thy soul that you are the greatest success in the world!
Undeniably, it is a great honor for me to be included in the Top Ten and I am certainly privileged to speak in front of you today. I would also like to commend each and every June 2007 Registered Nurse for making it! All the hardworks and sacrifices finally paid off. Together, let us go forth and excel in our nursing practice with competence and with the trademark of every Filipino nurse – tender, loving, intelligent and exceptionally-skilled quality care. Congratulations and let us all give ourselves a thunderous round of applause because we greatly deserve it! I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Almighty God for blessing me so much. To my parents, Mr. Jalaluddin and Mrs. Teodora Anuddin, my siblings,
The
I, solemnly pledge / myself before God / and in the presence of this assembly;/
To pass my life in purity / and to practice my profession faithfully./
I will abstain / from whatever is deleterious and mischievous / and will not take / or knowingly administer / any harmful drug./
I will do all in my power / to maintain and elevate / the standard of my profession / and will hold in confidence / all personal matters committed to my keeping / and family affairs coming to my knowledge / in the practice of my calling./
With loyalty will I endeavor / to aid the physician in his work, / and devote myself / to the welfare of those committed to my care.
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