From RN to UKRN with God's love 😭💉🙌🏼
In a world where people can almost get everything in an instant, we seldom hear stories of how successful individuals reached the top. The truth is, a portion of them got huge “connections” that’s why they landed on the position which made them feel superior and rude at times. It really melts my heart whenever I read success stories brought by perseverance and determination. I hope that this article would also encourage aspiring nurses to continue pursuing their dreams.
I have always believed that some of the great things have come from the tough times and some of the strongest people have overcome the hardest struggles. Those trials are just preparing us on what’s in store for us. Always remember that everything worth having is worth waiting.
If you’re going to ask my friends about my personality, they would probably say that I’m bubbly and friendly. A person filled with happiness and energy but my life isn’t perfect. I just enjoy my life beyond its imperfections and maybe I’m just good at making the most of everything I got. I did not come from a well-off family but I was raised that wonderful things take time and I should work very hard on something I really want so that once I achieved it, I’ll value it for I know its worth.
I was once a dreamer who looked up into someone close to me. Unfortunately, I did not expect that I’ll be discouraged by this person from doing what I want, but it did not stop me from doing what I love. I studied hard and 4 years after, I earned my degree in Nursing and that same year, I passed the board exams and became a full-fledged nurse in the Philippines that changed my life.
“Welcome to the club of unemployed!” as they say. There are so many nurse applicants during our time that it’s really hard to find a vacancy for nurses. My friends and I tried to apply in every open position near us but failed to have one until one day, we found ourselves hired in a Language Center where we taught Korean students and that’s the start of our working career. It took me almost 2 years to go back to my field. Teaching is a noble job, but I realized that no matter how happy I am teaching university students, something is missing. That’s the love for nursing.
I took several trainings offered by Philippine Red Cross and it has been my training ground in preparation for my nursing career. I became a volunteer instructor. We would teach different people from all walks of life regarding Basic Life Support and First Aid. Yes, we might be empty-handed, but the essence of volunteerism has always been there and the feeling of fulfillment cannot be replaced. I thought of trying to grab the chance of being a nurse in the hospital and thankfully, the humanitarian organization allowed me to spread my wings and reach for my dreams of becoming a nurse.
Being a nurse in a country where health care professionals are under appreciated is hard. You take care of 20 or more people all at the same time that you sometimes forgot to pee in an 8-hour shift or eat in a 16-hour shift due to the influx of patients. That’s how bad the ratio of nurse to patient has become in our country that led me to consider a career abroad.
God is really good for one of my cousins recommended an opening for nurses in the UK. I was one of the applicants who successfully passed the exam and interview which gave us a job offer to be a UKRN, but it doesn’t end there. We still have to pass International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Computer Based Test (CBT) in the Philippines and the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in the UK for us to be hailed as UKRN.
It hurts to think that IELTS has become one of the struggles to face because it’s becoming a business in the PH that only few people get a band score of 7 and up in the writing subtest, but I know that I have a goal to reach. I worked hard so that I have money to pay for the exams I need. I learned how to juggle the life of a nurse with different shifts and a student because I have to review for my exams. Truly, all the hard work slowly paid off as I pass IELTS and CBT. I still have to work whilst waiting for my decision letter which meant that I can already take the OSCE.
Who would have thought that the usual 40-70 days of waiting for DL, became 21 calendar days? Yes. That’s why I still have to render the remaining days in the Emergency Department before I could leave.
It’s hard to walk away from the best days that we literally ran to save lives in the ER, but a new journey awaits.
Living in a foreign country can be quite difficult at first. I have to understand certain differences like culture and religion because it’s not the thing I’m accustomed to. I have to embrace the changes so that I can totally adapt to my new environment.
What I’m really grateful for is the great support system (family, loved ones, friends and colleagues) I’ve got who really helped me overcome my fears in every step of the way.
Most importantly, having a strong faith in God will make you realize that nothing is impossible especially when you’re doing your best in everything.
To aspiring nurses who wanted to take the same path as I did, you may have those fears, but no matter how tough the circumstances are, always remember that you can face the giants when you believe in yourself and you have perseverance. Keep reaching for the stars whilst keeping your feet on the ground.
