Tragedies of a Pinoy Nurse

I'm still ambivalent on the thought of going back to nursing school to finish my degree. I can't help but feel disappointed to the fate that most of Filipino nursing graduates have to suffer. Last November, another batch of nursing graduates took the NLE and according to Lito Soriano, executive director of the Federated Association of Manpower Exporters and former president of the Philippine Association of Service Exporters Inc. (PASEI), those who pass will most likely join the 200,000 nursing graduates who are either unemployed, working as volunteer nurses, or call center agents. I got this information from NurseLab, which is a nursing-friendly website by the way. I have been acquainted to certain factors that have been contributing to this nursing phenomenon. It includes policy changes in countries hiring Filipino nurses, oversupply of nurses and the deteriorating quality of nursing graduates. I'm quite certain that I'm not included to those who are affected by the last one because I'm confident that my school is consistently providing quality nursing education. However, the first two factors are things out of our control. As starting nurses, we all aim for greener pasture not only for ourselves but for our families as well. But during these trying times where opportunities are becoming limited as time goes by, we have no choice but to search for alternatives to survive. At this point in time, I'm afraid to admit that if I will go back to school and still pursue Nursing, I will be like a vagabond wandering in the middle of nowhere. Before, my only dream was to finish this course and top the board exam. But accomplishing that kind of feat now will not guarantee anyone of a decent job in the hospital. I know a lot of topnochers who are still jobless like everyone else. I remember one of my co-workers in the call center who asked what course I am taking in college and then suddenly made a wild but accurate guess: Nursing. It was embarrassing for someone like me who took the course mainly because of my passion and not for the "dollars" principle that the rest is aiming for. Nurses are being typecasted as 'unemployed individuals who have ravenous appetite for dollars' That's the sad part of becoming a Pinoy nurse. Even though the government is continuously strengthening local programs, including the NARS (Nurses Assigned in Rural Service) program that allow new nurses to be trained in rural centers and hospitals for six months and serve the poorest municipalities, they are still futile in providing regular jobs for thousands of unemployed nurses. I reall feel sorry especially for all the parents who have spent thousands of pesos just to provide quality nursing education for their sons and daughters. Nonetheless, I'm still hoping that the government will find other ways to alleviate the drastic effects of this issue to the economy and to the self-esteem of Filipino nursing graduates. For now, I will weigh the pros and cons of all the options and praying to God that I will take the reasonable one eventually.