Thinking of Our Filipino Friends

One of my first RN jobs was working nights at a children's hospital in Los Angeles.  I was the only non-Filipino nurse on the night shift.  I frequently tell people I was raised by Filipino nurses.  They taught me so much and fed me so well!  I was new to Los Angeles from small-town Nebraska so my knowledge of other cultures was limited and they put up with a lot while they educated me.

There are so many nurses from the Philippines working in the United States.  Recently, a classmate of mine from the Philippines told me that it is also not uncommon for Filipino physicians to come to the US and take the RN boards because being a nurse here is so much better than being a doctor there. 

We feel horrible when we see the devastation that disasters bring to ANY area.  However, among nurses there are so many of our friends and colleagues from the Philippines that it is extra hard to watch what is happening in their country. 

The American Nurses Association has a foundation that provides disaster relief and they are accepting donations to assist in the Philippines.  If you are so inclined, you can find them here.  Money isn't everything.  We can also send our prayers and our positive thoughts and, as always, a kind word to our Filipino nurse friends.