January 20: Farewell to the Philippines

Graduates of Mary Johnston College of Nursing &
Gina receiving her certificate

 By: Tori Anderson

Our morning began with a seminar at Mary Johnston Hospital presented by Ma'am Gina. The focus was on Geriatric Health Literacy: Sensitivity to Cultural Diversity. The objectives discussed were about how to care for aging patients and raise awareness amongst nurses relating to the elderly. Ma'am Gina had us thinking about the meaning of culture, as well as personal values and the values and beliefs of others. We must appreciate the influence of culture in healthcare and show interest about issues relating to this population. Individualized care is significant when providing long-term care to older adults.

We learned about physiological aspects of aging and changes in the body we as nurses should be aware of. The seminar consisted of a large group of people including hospital staff (nurses), nursing students from Mary Johnston College of Nursing and CSS, and MJ alumni who were engaged in the topic.









There are some pictures below of the group.
The Filipino students who are in their senior year
are pictured with us as it is a requirement for graduation for them to attend seminars. We as students can use this information presented to us in order to make appropriate culturally sensitive care plans in our future as nurses.

Saturday evening was time to say farewell. We all believed the trip flew by because we were always active and busy with new adventures! We had a going away party and enjoyed dinner (pizza and ice cream!) and played games with the Filipino students and faculty. During one game, they would say a phrase that related to a body part then we would see who could buzz in the quickest and state our answer. For example, "something that can stick to wood" and the answer was "a nail." Another was "a young person in school" and the answer was "pupil." We also danced later on and listened to great music! All of the Filipino students love to dance so it was a lot of fun! We really enjoyed our last night together. 

This is a picture of the doll we received as a gift from Mary Johnston College of Nursing. We are thankful for this memorable keepsake. The Mary Johnston students will also receive one when they graduate in June. There is a group picture of us with our dolls while making a symbol with our fingers in the shape of a heart. This is something the students taught us and is common for them to do; it originates from Korea. We each had a chance to say our goodbyes and thank everyone for their hospitality, kindness, and patience (as we all learned some of their language: Tagalog). We could have stayed up longer dancing and spending time with our new friends, but we had to call it a night because we were leaving at 4:00am to make it to the airport. Overall, our time here in the Philippines has been a once in a lifetime opportunity. We learned a tremendous amount of information about nursing, health assessments, and cultural awareness. We grew as individuals who are about to enter the nursing world in a few short months.