INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

Pseudonym/Participant Code (PC): ERADF-10

Date and Time: February 15, 2024 8:13 PM
Interview Number (IN): 24
Interview Duration:
Setting: The participant was interviewed through Zoom during the agreed date and time. The internet
connection worked well. The audio was also clearly recorded.
Ref PC Transcript (Verbatim) Summary Theme Question
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What is your perception regarding the role of Filipino nurses in
the 21st century?

Okay so as we transitioning to the 21 st century I believe that

nurses play a pivotal role in contributing to the advancement
not just in the healthcare field but also in the lives of every
individual that we come across with. So what I mean with this is
that it’s not only through giving nursing care that becomes
significant in the lives of individuals but we develop the
meaning of a true relationship like, the relationship between our
client and we as well being the advocate for them. And we
know that this is, we really, we are the main providers of care.
As providers of care, we know that we play significant roles in
their lives not just regarding their health but also their personal
life as well. So we can credit this to all encounters we
experience with our patients from the start talking about their
lives, about their experiences so the relationship is not just
focused on the nurse-patient relationship but sometimes it
becomes personal to the point that our patient gain their trust
us to the point na magiging significant na talaga yung presence
natin in their lives.

Aren’t the things you have mentioned mam are the traditional
roles of nurses?

Yes it all boils down to the traditional roles but we cannot

proceed with the 21st century without looking back to the
traditional roles so dun kasi tayo nanggagaling. What we do as
nurses now, we credit to how we were before like for instance
those experiences before we have asked to adjust to whatever
changes we encounter in healthcare those innovations na lang
for example. Ahm siguro we cannot appreciate those
innovations without experiencing kung paano tayo before. So
when we were students nalang for example, wala pang mga
available na face mask date so we ano we learn how to
improvise. So we made use of mga simpleng folders and turn it
into a cone so yun yung mga ginagawang face mask dati ng
mga patients namin. Look at how ahm what we have become
now so yun nalang paggamit ng face mask, a lot of changes
now, a lot of innovations. There are a lot of things that assist
nurses now in providing care. So I guess yung role naten, yung
resilience natin as nurses from kumbaga from nothing to
something so iba yung, we can compare the way we were
before to dwhere we are now as nurses. So yun yung sinabi ko,
you cannot appreciate yung changes ngayon na naexperience
natin without experiencing kung ano tayo before traditionally.

Do you think being resourceful of Filipino nurses because of the

lack of resources in the workplace has impact to their role?

Yes I think so kase if we are not resourceful you can never

adapt to what is available or what is not. So hindi at all times
ahm generous yung ano or sometimes readily available yung
mga gamit nateng mga nurses para makapag-render ng care.
Although there are times na maraming available yung mga
supplies for example, look at what the government is prioritizing
kase ngayon, we can compare it before na date there are
scarcity of resources but now nakikita naman naten na mas
abundant na pero there are also instances na nagkukulang den
so being resourceful I guess will help a nurse that ano to the
changing needs of healthcare system.

What is the impact of innovation to the role of a Filipino nurse?

Innovation does not only make the work of a nurse easier but it
can also promote better outcomes to the patient. So I guess
with the presence of these innovations impacts the way 21 st
century nurse are.

How do you think the role of Filipino nurses differs from other
countries?

We hear from others nurses who are working abroad comparing

how foreign nurses render care to their patients. More often
than not, we hear them saying Filipino nurses do better than
them. So most probably because of the culture that they
possess. So it is inherent in us Filipinos na ahm maasikaso
talaga, maalaga and perhaps wherever a Filipino nurse maybe
ano maybe assigned I guess dala-dala niya yun and comparing
Filipino nurse from foreign nurses, we are at par when it comes
to the way we render care. We may be inferior when it comes
to the technology we use here compared to the technology they
use abroad but when it comes to the provision of care, Filipino
nurses are never left behind and I guess yun yung ano
trademark naten as Filipinos.

What is the effect of being technologically challenged to the role

of Filipino nurses?

Actually natututunan naman yan eh so its only on the matter of

ano being exposed to the particular equipment. So nurses are
resilient kayang-kaya niyang matutunan yan. Only that here in
the Philippines, hindi lahat may infusion pump, hindi lahat may
healthcare facilities na may technological equipment na
ginagaamit ng ibang country so I think is ipagamit mu yan sa
Pilipina she can learn how to use that only if that’s available in
the Philippines. Tignan mo if they are in abroad kaya naman
nilang i-operate yan. Pero the provision of care ah yes we may
be lacking these equipment here in the country but this does
not make lesser of a nurse I mean we can still perform our job
with excellence whether we have those high-end equipment or
not.

Do you see any problem with the curriculum? Is there a need to

revisit it?

Actually, every semester, we do curriculum enhancement. WE

see to it our curriculum responds to the changing needs of our
nursing students so we update actually. So just like during the
pandemic of course we make sure that our syllabus is aligned
with how teaching and learning is delivered to our students.
Pero when we are at the new normal then nag-revise ulit kami
and taken into consideration yung mga changes that are
needed para maibigay yung teaching sa mga students. So it’s a
culture sa institution namen to do curriculum revisions every
semester. Pero ano hindi naman yun so ano tinitignan lang
naming kung anong kailangan na idagdag or kung may
kailangang alisin. To be updated din kung ano yung trends na
rin in nursing at least maisabay naming dun sap ag-craft or
pag-revise ng mga syllabus naming. For example, yung pinak-
latest na anon a enhancement that we did was the sustainable
development goals in our syllabus, sa mga professional nursing
subjects. Ginawa naming na sa syllabus naming na may naka-
focus na SDGSs ano yun appropriate SDGs sa mga topics that
are being taught to our students. Whether ah nursing
pharmacology, anatomy, nage-SDG na kami so yun yung ano
ginagawa naming sa academe.

What changes would you like to see in the nursing profession in

the future?

Ah in the future, I want to see nurses who are able to ano

confidently explore highly diverse na healthcare system. So
hindi lang naka-confine sa ward kung saan sya assigned but
gusto ko makita yung nurse who utilizes research also in
support of to the practice na ginagawa nya. Di na lang naka-
based sa culture sa kung ano yung nakasanayan na gawen but
gusto ko makita yung nurse who is also doing research to
improve in provision or rendering of care. Parte talaga yung
research because talagang lahat ng ginagawa naten is may
evidence and we can only have that if we do research.

How do you think these changes will affect the role of Filipino
nurses in the future?

It will greatly affect the role of Filipino nurses because by that

time if all nurses are well-versed in research and do their
nursing practice based on evidence then there is no way a
nurse may commit mistake, there’s no way that a nurse may be
receiving subpoena for example. So makikita natin talaga na we
can have competent nurse if all that she does is supported by
evidence.

Can you describe any challenges you have faced that are
unique to being a Filipino nurse in the 21st century?

Siguro ano ahm this is during the time ah of pandemic. Being in

the academe is not easy giving lectures lang na sa harap ng
screen so it’s not easy teaching the skills when in fact not
teaching them personally so I guess that’s the greatest
challenge that I experienced as an academician and I am
thankful that is over. So I guess these leads us to ano 21 st
century nurse na ah resilient pala, resilient pala ang isang nurse
because despite of the pandemic nakapag-render pa rin ng
teaching-learning experience sa mga students naten. Although
it may be less effective compared to the face-to-face but
somehow it did not stop the students from learning and as well
us academicians from learning also.

What motivates you to continue with your role despite

challenges?

My motivation is the verse na “whatever you do, do it with the

Lord” so if I do my job well then I’m pleasing my Lord and I’m
pleasing my God so yun yung motivation ko. So you cannot
excel without crediting everything to the Lord, kung anong
meron ka you should share that to others.

How does your role as a nurse affect your personal life and vice
versa?

My role as a nurse personally if my loved ones are sick of

course I am more confident because I know how to handle
them. Pero sometimes syempre we are pushed to the limit
depende sa case. Like for example sa case ng husband ko…I
thought I could manage, or I could handle because I am a
nurse pero iba pa rin kapag family member na or love one na
ang involved lalo pa if the case is risky. He was diagnosed
before with…So as a nurse siguro dito rin nate-test yung
resilience naten on how we handle things pag family mo na
yung involved. So personally it helped na nagging nurse ako to
have dealt with those situations. Kase pag hindi siguro ako
nurse at sumabak ako sa gaung sitwasyun mas mahirap kasi na
hindi ko alam ang gagawen at wala akong idea kung ano ang
nangyayare so it pays to be a nurse pag may family members
who needs the care of a nurse. So yung vice versa naman yung
my personal life to my work as a nurse, to my role as a nurse
so personally ah di ba it’s not new naman to you na I am more
on the spiritual kaya nga yun yung dissertation ko nakafocus pa
rin sa spiritual so yung high regard ko for ano spirituality sa
mga helps me na mafulfill talaga yung role ko as a nurse not
just dealing with the physiologic side ng patients ko but also
taking into account din sa spiritual side nya which is often
neglected. This makes me employ the holistic nursing care na
they do not expect na irender naten. Hindi lang tayo naka-focus
on the physiologic side and sometimes it matters talaga na wag
ka lang mag-focus on giving medications, assisting your
patients, minsan kailangan din natin i-build yung emotional and
spiritual side nil ana nagpapalakas din sa mga patients naten.

How do you train your students about spiritual nursing?

Actually yun yung problema kase ginawa na lang elective ang

spiritual nursing as a subject and in our academe hindi naming
pinili yun as one of our electives kaya hindi na nao-offer ang
spiritual nursing as a subject so yun talaga yung problema. So
ang ginawa ko before was gumawa ako ng module where sa
lahat ng professional nursing subject ay may certain spiritual
nursing care na activity. So I shared the module to my
colleagues na ano, actually hind isa lahat, yung mga close
friends ko lang so nagrerevise kami, yung sinabi ko na when we
do the curriculum enhancement, ini-insert nila yun and syempre
the best thing pa rin to teach spirituality to our students is
through modelling pa rin. So kung nakikita kayu as their clinical
instructor for sure that will help them din to it themselves yung
ano pagre-render ng spiritual care.

What are the hindering factors or variables affecting the role of

Filipino nurses?

Hindering factors siguro number one is the lack of support from

the government so it’s not new to us na Filipino nurses are not
being paid properly di ba so tignan mo yung compensation
yung nilalaban nga nating salary grade 15 eh hindi pa maibigay.
Okay siguro isa yun sa pinaka kase although we say na it’s not
about the money pero kailangan pa rin naten ng money to
survive eh so for us to have a better quality of life kailangan pa
rin naten so sana yun yung makita ng government para maayos
yung healthcare system naten dito sa Pilipinas. Tignan ang
welfare ng mga Filipino nurses.

Do you think there is a need to revisit our Nursing Law?

Yes I guess there is a need to revisit because, this may be true

ah siguro sa mga government hospitals but in private hospitals,
I don’t think they are being compensated the same. So siguro
the government might want to establish a mechanism by which
ahm baka pwede din nilang i-subsidize yung salary for nurses
who are working in private hospitals. So hindi naman lahat ata
ng government hospitals na nami-meet yung ano eh salary
grade 15, meron pa rin yung iba na ano na mababa pa rin ang
sweldo.

What are the facilitating factors affecting the role of Filipino

nurses?
Ok I guess yung pinaka-important na ano facilitating factor
affecting our role is our culture. So it’s already inherent in us
yung sinabi ko kanina maasikaso tayo talaga, not just our
families but sa lahat ng tao na we come to mingle with most
importantly our patients naten. So I guess this inherent trait
naten will make us far and this will define us Filipino nurses.

What do you think is the effect to the role of nurses in joining

to the different nursing organizations?

Actually I am a member of the PNA, a lifetime member of the

PNA so diba kapag nasa academe ka we are all required to be a
member of the Philippine Nurses Association. So I wanted to be
a member not just because it’s only a requirement so it’s not for
compliance. Iba pa rin kung alam mo na ano may sasandalan
ka professionally. Isa na rin dun yung ano di ba the official
journal of Philippine Nurses Association is the Philippine Journal
of Nursing and it helped me a lot because dito ko nai-publish
yung dissertation ko and I thank Dr. Palaganas for her help
because sya yung tumulong sakin para mai-publish sya and it’s
for free unlike in other journals ang mahal. We have this one
publication, apat kami and it amounted to 33 thousand ang
mahal compared to the Philippine Journal of Nursing which is
scopus indexed din and recognized worldwide so malaking
tulong to sa nurse-researchers for them to be able to showcase
other results of the research study. In this way, nashi-share
naten yung voice naten and then nurses are given the platfrom
to ano to have their voices heard. So kase di ba sabi nila date
wala tayong voice as nurses, ngayon with our willingness na ren
to publish our craft so nakikita na ren ng iba. So we are no
longer silent pagdating sa nagagawa naten so naipaparating na
rin naten sa iba na may ginagawa tayo na mga nurses and we
are not really confined in the classroom, we are not only
confined in the ward pero I know na alam na ren ng ibang
profession na we are doing something worthwhile. So hindi na
lang yung sinasabi nil ana taga-alaga ng pasyente so hindi na
lang ganun ang tingin nila sa atin as nurses and ONA is a big
help for all nurses. Maapreciate lang nila kung ano yung mga
benefits nila as members sa organization na ito.