Pinay Nurse in Michigan

An American traveler's impressions of the Philippines

2011-01-20T15:24:00.002-05:00

Here, I'm sharing an excerpt from an email sent to me by an American friend who recently traveled to the Philippines. There are so many truths to what he observed and experienced. Read on. "For me, this was a trip unlike any other I had taken. It did not feel like a vacation, as much as an experience for me; I didn't go there for "fun in the sun". I really went on a discovery mission... And

Diving, snorkeling and kayaking in Batangas

2011-01-06T14:37:00.004-05:00

We rented a van to take us to our dive resort in Anilao, Batangas, about 110 km south of Manila. The resort, Portulano Dive Resort (http://www.portulano.com/), sits on the side of a steep rocky mountain facing the Balayan Bay. Upon arriving at the rural village of Balete, an outrigger boat took us to our destination in 5 minutes. Our room faced the ocean. And the reef teeming with fish was just

A homecoming to remember

2011-01-03T21:09:00.002-05:00

For the first time after long 10 years, there are nine of us together again. Spread around the world, four of my siblings still in Manila, two brothers in Los Angeles, California, a sister in Virginia, a brother in Vancouver , and I, based in Michigan -- all making our own lives with our own little families, have come back to reminisce our childhood and reconnect that special bond that only

Is it Christmas yet?

2010-12-18T16:59:00.002-05:00

I'm back! After a long sabbatical leave from blogging, I'm back to writing again. It's not like I got into a blogger's rot (well, maybe), but after a couple of blogs that got me into trouble, I thought I needed a break and a breath of fresh air. What was meant to be a "critique" of iPad (which I received as a birthday present) offended my friends who gave it to me and my blog came off as a

It takes someone special to care for a special needs child

2010-11-07T08:08:00.002-05:00

People don't realize how hard it is to be a parent of special needs children unless they themselves have special needs kids. From the moment that you realize your kids have special needs, there are these mixed feelings and reactions. There's anger, questioning God "Why you"; there's the denial when you try your best to believe there's nothing wrong with the child; there's the day-to-day

Turning 40

2010-10-18T22:30:00.000-04:00

Ah, forty! These past months, I've been dreading this day. Now that the celebration is over, how do I really feel about turning 40? Well, my arms are getting flabby; creases are beginning to show on my forehead; I can't seem to loose that bulge in my belly; I use eye drops to treat glaucoma; and I have other ailments that are too embarrassing to divulge. My body is definitely telling me that "

Forget the battle with the bulge

2010-10-07T11:45:00.000-04:00

The cooler months are here, and with it comes my lack of enthusiasm to go out and stay active. Beginning spring this year, I have been good about going for a run at least twice a week and working out in our basement using our bowflex machine for strength training. My family managed to stay active all summer long with fishing and swimming at the lake as well as trips to the beach, playground, and

Have you had the flu shot yet?

2010-10-04T14:14:00.000-04:00

It's that time of the year again. No, I'm not talking about apples and pumpkin pies, ghosts and ghouls, deer hunting and footballs. I'm talking about the flu shot. This year's flu vaccine will protect against three different flu viruses: an H3N2 virus, an influenza B virus and the H1N1 virus (swine flu virus) that caused so much illness last season. The CDC now recommends the vaccine for

Boy Scout Popcorn For Sale

2010-09-24T18:30:00.000-04:00

Am I crazy or am I crazy? As if I don't already have a lot on my plate, I volunteered to be the den mother for my son's Tiger cub scouts this year. Yeah, the den meetings are only once-a-week, but I don't simply attend with my son; I also have to facilitate the meetings, plan for and coordinate their activities week after week and attend meetings of the planning committee. * * * * * * * *

Class reunion: ready or not!

2010-09-23T14:23:00.000-04:00

I knew it's going to be just a matter of time before someone would post a photo of me online -- that photo of me, with my thick unruly hair -- a photo in high school that I would much rather forget. *****Thanks to online social networks, I'm now able to see photos, and read "status" of old flames, friends, acquaintances and even arch-rivals. My curiosity has led me to find out who my old

The Nurse Practitioner

2010-09-15T10:54:00.000-04:00

So I wrote so much about NP's or nurse practitioners but haven't really explained what they are. I'm sure in your navigation of the healthcare system in the US, you have already bumped into Nurse Practitioners. Maybe there was a time that you went to see your family doctor and it was a NP who came into your exam room and checked up on you. Or that last trip to the ER, you were treated by someone

Another RN vs NP job description

2010-09-14T10:43:00.000-04:00

When I first came to the US, I worked in a nursing home as a Registered Nurse. As the RN on the floor, I usually had about 20 to 30 elderly patients to take care of, with four to six certified nursing assistants or CNAs to help me. While my primary duties were patient assessment and medication administration, I also had to delegate the task of bathing, grooming and feeding of patients to my

Islam is not the enemy

2010-09-10T19:28:00.000-04:00

As we remember 911, let us keep in mind that Islam is not the enemy. We are not at war with Islam. Much controversy has hovered around the mosque planned to be built close to ground zero. And most recently, a Christian pastor of a non-denominational church has threatened to perform a public burning of the Muslim's Holy Book of Quran. It is one thing to burn books you do not care about,

Summer in Michigan

2010-09-03T14:40:00.000-04:00

Summer days are dwindling down fast. Daylight is getting shorter. Mornings are cooler. Trees are changing colors. While I look forward to the kids going back to school (and saving me some money for childcare), I'm not really looking forward to going back to a hectic schedule- school, work, driving the kids for after-school extra-curricular activities, doing home work and school projects. No,

Motherhood

2010-08-21T13:57:00.000-04:00

I will shout it out loud: “MOTHERHOOD IS THE BEST THING THAT’S EVER HAPPENED TO ME!” Many would agree that parenthood is not easy, so why do many still opt to have kids? A big part of it ofcourse is our biologic need to multiply, otherwise mankind will face extinction – but in this day and age, we have this choice of whether or not we would like to take on that big responsibility of taking care

NP vs RN Job Satisfaction on Patient Care

2010-08-21T13:11:00.000-04:00

Scenario: A Registered Nurse (RN) calls to my attention that a patient who has a permacath access for hemodialysis has fever and chills. I, the Nurse Practitioner (NP), tells the RN to draw blood cultures times two and to go ahead and give 1 gm of Vancomycin. In the mean time, the RN draws blood for cultures, places them in two blood culture bottles, packages them and sends them to the labs.