A Student's Plea

"Ma'am please ipasa nyo na po ako... Inaatake na po ang lola nung nalaman nya na di ako aakyat sa entablado. Hindi ko na po alam ang gagawin ko... Hindi na po ako mag-aaral ulit dahil bumagsak ako." (Ma'am please let me pass the subject. My lola is having a cardiac arrest when she found out that I cannot go to the stage and graduate. I do not know what to do anymore. I will not study anymore because I failed.)

-- This is only one of the usual text message I receive every end of the semester. Heartbreaking... I feel like I want to cry...Sympathize...

Accept the fact that they are graduating students and somehow deserve to end their sufferings from school.

But then I realize, If I pass this student, I should pass everybody else... even though they lack knowledge,skills and attitude... even though they don't even know how to simply spell the word "Received" in the chart(when they usually spell it as "recieved")... and even though they simply have just the heart but their neurons can't just ingest each and every concept that we teach. Truly heartbreaking. I pity their parents, who would break bones just to let them graduate. Borrow money from Mr. Visa and Mastercard, get a loan from all the banks and microfinancing companies, sell the car, the house, the farmland...

Realizing all these, the love of nursing, my profession trickles me. If I will pass all of these students who I think lacks the appropriate standard to become a nurse, what will happen to my profession. With the status of nursing profession nowadays and I would let this happen, I would further aggravate the poor health care system that we have.

I remember, when I talked to the nurse who took care of my mom before she died and asked her of the postmortem care she was about to do, she just said that her eyes was closed. Nothing else.. nothing more... And so I cried. Realized, I am a nurse. I could have done more. Spiritual care. Cleaned her. Positioned her well. Even when I asked them what they have done when she had an arrest, they just said that they have done everything that they can possibly do. Specifically what? Just CPR... no defibrillations... no intubations... no medications... just because nurses were the only ones left in the ER, no doctors. And the nurses left in the ER probably just know CPR nothing more...

The grading system is a good tool to evaluate a student objectively. Logically, 74 is not 75 right? So 74 is considered failed. Deliberate the grades? If we deliberate the grades because of effort or attitude, this defeats the purpose of the grading system. We might as well not give grades anymore and let the students just finish the course. Then this would be the start of the downfall of the nursing education.

It is very difficult to be an educator. It is not different with show business. We need to let our students laugh during lecture so that they would easily understand and sometimes let them cry to let them realize the importance of their education.

I joined the academe because I want to do more with this profession. I want to share my knowledge so that my students would be better than me... I want them to be successful just like me and be proud that they graduated nursing because they deserve it. Not because of a bribe and not because of a plea.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR FUTURE NURSES! and to those who did not make it this March... we will all see each other in the roster of nurses... Take time, take it easy. Hurrying things would not make you brilliant.
Just like a diamond, it takes careful steps to see it shine. God bless :)