Philippine Nurses Association of North Carolina

PNAA GK Village Groundbreaking

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 02:35:00 +0000

Great news to share with everyone!

PNAA GK Village

in Baliwag Bulacan, Philippines

Ground breaks - January 4, 2010.

One of the homes in this Village is called

The Philippine Nurses Association-NC home.

The first 3 of 30 houses are already built.

Each house has 2 bedrooms, a living room,

a dining room, a kitchen and a toilet.

Because of your continued membership & support,

PNA-NC has help built this new community

for our less fortunate “kababayans”.

Thank you and more power to all!

Cristina Hendrix (North Carolina): PNAA 2009 Nurse Researcher of the Year

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:05:00 +0000

Dr. Cristina Hendrix is the Assistant Professor at Duke University School of Nursing, teaching graduate nursing students and a Nurse Researcher and Nurse Practitioner at the Durham VA Geriatrics Research, Education, and Clinical Center. She is a Senior Fellow at the Duke Center for Aging and engages in clinical practice in a Post-Hospital Geriatrics clinic at the Durham VA Medical Center.

Her research career began in 1999 as a doctoral nursing student. Dr. Hendrix’s research project deals with assisting family or informal caregivers in caring for their loved ones at home. She received research funding from the NIH-NINR on the role of a tailored, one-to-one training given to family caregivers before patients are discharged from the hospital. To date, she had 4 NIH-funded studies as the Principal Investigator and a co-investigator in 2 HRSA-funded training projects. She has a total of 13 peer-reviewed publications and a co-author of a book chapter about research in the role of religion in bereavement. This book entitled, Handbook of Bereavement Research and Practice: 21st Century Perspectives (2008) has an international reach. She has presented in national scientific meetings. She has also been invited in Barbados, Antigua, Taiwan, and the Philippines to speak on nursing, specifically on promoting nursing research advancement in the delivery of care.

She has been the Chair of the PNA North Carolina Scholarship and Awards Committee for the past 8 years. As chair, she championed the promotion of scholarship among nurses in North Carolina and contributed significantly in the development, preparation, and execution of the PNANC Annual Seminars.

Dr. Hendrix has received numerous special recognition awards. Among them are: End-of-Life Education Consortium (ELNEC) – Graduate Award Winner AACN Masters Education Conference, San Antonio, Texas (2006); Distinguished Graduate Award (2002) and Dr. Linda Corson Jones Nursing Research Abstract Award at the 12th Annual Nursing presented by Epsilon Nu Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing in New Orleans, LA (2002); and FA Davis Award for Writing Excellence LSUHSC School of Nursing (2001).

Her research findings have potential for practical application and development of strategies for nursing intervention that offered both caregiver and patient support at the key moment of hospital discharge.

Adapted from PNAA Website's Awards Section

Summary of PNA-NC 3rd Annual Fall Seminar

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:39:00 +0000

Summary of Fall Seminar Presentations:

November 14, 2009

Duke University School of Nursing

1. Pamela B. Edwards, EdD, MSN, RN, BC, CNE

* Keynote address: Nursing and the WIZARD of Oz (The Journey for Courage, Caring and Thinking like a Nurse)
- The keynote speaker, Pamela Edwards discussed the important aspects of nursing which could be likened to the things that the characters in the movie were searching for:
the brain, heart and the courage. She shared stories that reminded us the main
reasons why we chose nursing as our profession

2. Lizabeth C. Weast, MT (ASCP)

* Treating Veterans with C.A.R.E
- Lizabeth Weast discussed the way the Veterans Affairs (VA) treats their patients with C.A.R.E which is an acronym for Connect, Appreciate, Respond and Empower. Although the talk was directed mainly for veterans, the same process can also be applied to any of our patients

3. Vicki L. Tutor, RN, BSN, CIC

* Where Do Your Red Shoes/Slippers Take You (To learn about influenza)?
- Vicki Tutor shared difference between the endemic and pandemic status of influenza as well as the different types of influenza. She also discussed the epidemiology of HINI virus in the US. The single best way to protect our patients and to break the cycle of infection is PROPER HAND WASHING.

4. James W. Bevill, RN, MSN

* Generational Diversity
- James Bevill talked about the different generations, the Veterans, the Baby Boomers, the Generation X and the Millenilas and how they relate to each other in the workplace and with their patients/clients.

5. Alberto S. Bonifacio, Jr., RN, BSN

* SUNSALONG NURSES: Understanding and Supporting Reservists
- Alberto Bonifacio shared his personal experiences as a military nurse in Iraq. How the life of the medic is so precarious and difficult and still has the strong desire to provide the best care to their patients. He also discussed the signs of PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) affecting reservists and the challenges they face in reintegrating to society, and how we as family members and healthcare providers can help them.

The CMM Experience

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:58:00 +0000

By: Merly Pascual

The thought of joining the mission for the first time & bringing it to my hometown brought so much excitement. It all started when I witnessed the poverty that had stricken my hometown. The desire to go back to my roots & contribute whatever little we have to offer...to ease the suffering from staggering poverty was so compelling.

I was naive to what lies ahead yet confident & trusting that everything will be all right. The whole experience was a faith journey & the road was neither smooth nor easy. Restrictions, expectations, distant communications, self limitations made my efforts seemingly end in vain. It was during those moments of disappointments when encouragements gently stream through. CMM coordinator, friends, families, co workers sometimes even music or captions from a reading energized & inspired me to move on & bring this mission to the finish line. With restless intention & perseverance, I was led from one person to another, one group to another until nothing was stopping me at any point as the project seemed to have taken a life of its own & all I had to do was cruise along.

It was a humbling experience to coordinate with Sr. Marinela Narvaez Sr. of Social Services, & the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen & Professionals Imus Chapter who were the primary contacts in Cavite . They collaborated w/ local physicians: Dr’s Diez & Ilog (Provincial Office), Dr. Calingasan (Imus Municipal Office) & Dr. Figueroa ( Kalayaan Hospital ). The team brought in their professional skills & delivered a highly organized & intensely coordinated work that the mission went on efficiently & smoothly.

One of the major responsibilities of the coordinator was, fund raising. Members of different North Carolina organizations, co-workers, youths, spouses, friends, fellow Imusenos, all rallied together not just to share their treasure but to reconnect with a community that were normally tied up with their own tasks & jobs. We prepared Filipino foods for Hillsborough Jazz fest; celebrated birthdays, coordinated bowling events, piano concerts, games nights, gala events, … we brought the community together reminding us that we are a family reaching out to our other brothers who are not as privileged as we are. The enthusiasm of everyone made true the words of Herman Melville that “We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men. Bishop Chito on his last message further confirms this when he said that when we are called to serve, we would never be alone.

The church and the government worked together for the first time enabling them to appreciate & respect one another. Doctors, nurses, dentists & non-clinical volunteers from the US, all over the Philippines together with those from the municipal & provincial office tirelessly worked hand in hand to treat more than 3,000 patients who waited patiently to be seen by these providers some of them waited this long to be seen for the first time. The dedication of the volunteers was so inspiring. On the surgical side of the mission, the doctors & nurses so used to the sophisticated equipments adapted to what a district hospital can offer. Children treated for cleft lip & palate surgeries were given a chance to live more normal lives, a mother having a prolonged labor unable to deliver the baby by a midwife had to have an emergency cesarean section saving the lives of both the mother & child. At the end of the 3rd day, the team was able to do 107 major & minor surgeries in spite of some volunteers getting ill from gastric infection & exhaustion.

Simultaneously, the medical teams were working just as hard in Imus basketball court. Noticeably, some patients were already crippled by their illness that their hope is to be seen by the doctors from this mission as they were unable to afford to be seen in other clinics. The municipal office brought in the mobile x-rays where 38 patients were identified with tuberculosis. Patients needing minor surgeries identified on this area were shuttled to Kalayaan Hospital for treatment. Those who were unable to afford & neglected dental care were seen for the first time. For those who were not able to get the treatments they needed during the mission, referrals were made for follow up thereafter.

By the end of the mission, we had the following statistics:

Total number of patients seen: 3255

Pediatrics……………..1368

Dental…………………460

Adult Medicine……….1323

Surgeries………………105

Finally, CMM left $1,000.00 to Sr. Marilena Narvaez for those who needed follow up treatments. Cautery machine, two surplus EKG machines, pulse oxymeter, & surgical supplies were donated to Kalayaan Hospital . Medicines were left w/ Municipal Health office to share with other patients. Dental supplies & anesthesia were endorsed w/ BCBP for their planned dental mission.

CMM 2007: A trip in discovering footsteps towards a legacy

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:56:00 +0000

by: Jesse Stephen Pasion

There are four needs in life according to Covey (2003), the need to love, to learn, to live and to leave a legacy. The burgeoning need for man to discover these needs delineates our behavior and defines our personal mission. I anticipated the recent CMM trip to Dumaguete to be meaningful; what I was not prepared was the profound inner transformation of my worldview. The recent CMM trip enlivened a plethora of humanistic and altruistic values far beyond basal experiences in my professional life. In the company of unselfish Filipino and American nurses, physicians and volunteers, I realize that the steps towards a road to timeless service is sometimes paved by the legacy of great men, living legends of the Carolina Medical Mission (CMM).

There is a natural homogeneity between the goals of CMM and our organization. As Filipino-American nursing professionals, we are held in a perpetual pedestal, built on patient’s trust, to advocate the delivery of the highest quality of nursing care. The rigors of our profession have the power to divert our attention away from other social and spiritual needs of our native countryman. Each of us have the innate and mature responsibility to give back to our home land, which has areas and populations still ravaged by a dearth of medical, surgical, dental and nursing services. My commitment and sacrifices to join this year’s CMM was compensated a thousand-fold by what I received in return-an invigorated spirit and a healthier soul. I agree with the common perception that medical missions such as the CMM cannot change the state of health care of the Philippines; however, every person touched by the free services we deliver is one person less than the staggering number of indigents that need immediate attention.

Fellow nurses, it is time for us to forge a closer relationship with the Carolina Medical Mission. The success of the PNANC should not only be measured through the actualization of our organizational mission but should also extend to our collective response to social issues of our times. The time for us to plant the seed of our legacy has come. This will serve as a social paradigm that can be emulated by future PNANC generations. I am emboldened by the words of Elbert Hubbard that states “He who influences the thought of his times influences the times that follow.” CMM has paved the road for PNANC to achieve-our personal nirvana.

Nursing Informatics: A New Technology In Traditional Nursing Care

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:54:00 +0000

By: Jennifer M. Dizon, RN, MAN

(Published 2006)

Nursing Informatics. This is a term we hear more often in our practice of nursing. If we look around in our work environment, we see it everywhere. But before we can identify how it affects us daily, we need a definition.

Nursing Informatics is the application of computer technology and information science in the practice of nursing. If facilitates the gathering and communication of data in the provision of nursing care to patients.

Now that we have a definition, can Nursing Informatics be recognized in our work area? If a computer is used in any way to access and share patient information (as dictated by HIPAA) and to coordinate all aspects of nursing care of our patient, then Nursing Informatics is being practiced.

The goal of Nursing Informatics is to optimize the use of information to support nurses in the delivery of care in an acute or community setting to individual patients, families and the community.

In our current world of high technology, it is not feasible to rely on paper documentation. Data in paper documents is difficult to collect and process. If data is ever collected, it requires an extremely tedious and long time to process. With Nursing Informatics, once information is entered in the system, this information can be manipulated in several different ways to produce significant reports. Reports are essential in the analysis and improvement of care we provide to our patients.

The information entered in the electronic systems not only impacts the nursing profession but also other aspects of the health care system. The hospitals or the institutions can use the data to review and analyze patient and employee satisfaction, budget, expenses, and profit. The different electronic systems communicate with each other to deliver optimum patient care by the coordination of different disciplines. Nursing, Pharmacy, Medicine and other health related professions can “talk” to each other electronically on the care of patients.

The most important objective of Nursing Informatics is Patient Safety. As nurses, we have always been considered the patients’ advocates. Based on the Gallup Survey, we have been consistently rated by the public as the most trusted health care professional. We ranked #1 for Honesty and Ethics. Nurses have been ranked higher than any other profession in four of the five years that the profession has been included in the poll. Nurses came in second to firefighters in 2001 — in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Nursing Informatics is one tool the nurses can utilize to uphold this public trust by making sure that not only quality care but safe care is provided to the patients. This is accomplished by prompting the users (nurses, physicians, pharmacists, medical technologists, etc.) to follow a clinical pathway designed to provide safe patient care. It also provides warnings to the users when an unusual task/order is made thus making the users to stop, think and ask questions before proceeding.

Nursing Informatics had been in existence since the 80’s and its presence and importance is being felt more today than ever. In so saying, Nursing Informatics will be here to stay to facilitate the workload of nurses. But in the middle of this is still the PATIENT. Let us not lose sight that computer technology will never replace the nurses’ Tender Loving Care (TLC) coupled with the nurses’ judgment.

2006: A fruitful year for the PNANC

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:48:00 +0000

by Jesse Stephen Pasion

(Our President's Report for 2006)

It has been an exhilarating and fruitful year for the officers and chairpersons of the PNANC. There had been a plethora of events that transformed the past year into another banner year for our organization.

The past year marked the 2nd successful year that we have sponsored both the annual bowling tournament in May and the basketball tournament in September. These tournaments were headed by Maria and Carl Albano and Amy and Ray Tizon. They have unselfishly devoted a great amount of time assuring that both tournaments are well-organized.

In June of 2006, we have professionally presented our bid to host the 2008 PNA America Annual Convention; however, we were unsuccessful. All is not lost in this bid, as we have serendipitously given impetus for a resolution addressing a more definitive and organized selection approach and protocol. This protocol should be adopted by the organization to serve future participant chapters of the selection process. Furthermore, we have revived a call to have a more united support from each of the member chapters in the eastern region. We thank Monette Mabolo for keeping us company during the annual convention.

A historical milestone has been achieved, as the PNANC awarded its first Louie Pascual Leadership Scholar in the person of William J. Baring, a senior of Arellano University School of Nursing, Louie’s alma mater. This well deserving young man has expressed his gratitude as we paid for his tuition fees covering one and a half semester. Also, we credit the PNANC awards and scholarship committee for its tireless efforts in bringing this into fruition. Dr. Hendrix, the committee chair, has authored out a set of criteria that ensures categorical qualifications of future recipients.

September 9, 2007 saw the PNANC sponsoring its 3rd Biennial Conference held at UNC’s Ida Friday Center. The conference was appropriately entitled ‘Addressing Nursing Challenges: A Booster to Nursing Practice’. This successful conference hosted a convergence of nursing and medical experts from three famed universities: Duke, Emory and Cornell. Based on the overwhelming favorable evaluation, the PNANC is encouraged and will endeavor to maintain its position as one of the best and most affordable provider of professional conferences in the state of North Carolina.

Towards the end of September 2007, several officers and chairpersons represented our chapter in the Eastern Regional PNAA Conference held at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. This well-planned event served as our paradigm for future hosting of conferences in our area. This was also a time for PNANC key personnel for a well-deserved rest and recreation time.

Our search for a deserving school for the PNANC’s Gabriel’s Gift of Books award ended with the selection of St. Mary’s University School of Nursing, Bayombong , Nueva Vizcaya. St. Mary’s University’s Dean Mondala, personally confirms receipt of books and relayed a heartwarming gratitude in behalf of the student body and the faculty of the school.

The PNANC was also successful to have two of our nurses selected to the Great 100 Nurses for 2007. These nurses were Fe Praiswater of the VA Medical Center and Tess Lacara of REX Hospital in Raleigh. We will continue to identify, support and recommend Filipino nurses for recognition in both the Institute of Nursing Excellence and Great 100 nurses on a biennial basis.

To cap our year on a high note, the yuletide season was blessed with the approbation of 501 © 3 federal stature. The PNANC is now a non-profit organization that enjoys both state and federal tax deductions for all its contributors. Finally, we successfully elected incoming officers of the PNANC which assures us of excellent leadership for years to come.

Quo Vadis, Philippine Nurses?

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:42:00 +0000

By: Reginaldo Fidel Flores Horwitz

(Editorial Published in 2006)

The globalization of nursing has opened up floodgates of opportunities for Philippine educated nurses so much so that Filipino nurses serve in all continents of the world. With nursing shortages unabated in developed nations, the lucrative market for Filipino nurses has never been better. Decades of mostly excellent and assiduous service in all corners of the world has earned for us global respect. With all the plaudits that have been accorded us, however, the grim realities of a system that supports the exportation of Filipino nurses at all costs has never been closely scrutinized as much as it has been in the last year. The fiasco surrounding the June 2006 Philippine nurse licensure examination was merely a symptom of a much bigger malady that has plagued professional regulation in the Philippines. Moreover, the Philippine government's policy and strategy supportive of nurse migration has resulted in the explosive growth of nursing programs across the archipelago to the detriment of the profession. The quality of nursing education has deteriorated as the quantity of aspiring nurses overwhelmed an already beleaguered healthcare system. The world watched as the Philippines handled the licensure scandal as it has broad global implications. To their credit, the Philippine government dealt with it decisively yet the call for reforms should continue if we are to regain our standing before the world. If two recent developments affecting Philippine nurses’ global practice were our judge, the battle to overhaul the system is far from over. However, there is a reason to hope and persevere. Here's why- for the thousands of Filipino nurses who aspire to practice in the United States as registered nurses, victory was so much sweeter when many years of constant lobbying and campaigning finally came to fruition. The NCSBN officially announced in February 2007 that Manila, the capital city of the Philippines has been chosen as the latest site for international NCLEX administration.

The PNANC has the PNA America, the Philippine government and private sectors to thank for their concerted efforts. It also commends the NCSBN for working with the stakeholders to bring the NCLEX to the Philippine capital and closer to the Philippine nurses. On a more sober note, the CGFNS has ruled that these groups of nurses wanting to practice in America should retake the Philippine nurse licensure exams to ensure that the American public is protected.

We have come a long way. We need to celebrate the victories we have been blessed with. Take time to count them. Those with little or no appreciation of them could easily feel dissatisfied and critical. Let's forge ahead with the battles we choose to pick but let it never be said that we can't rejoice when our prayers are answered in our midst. May we have more faith, hope and love to keep us going and to share to others this year. Happy Easter!