Why not be an "infitmera"?
I've been thinking about this for some time now. Being a Chamorro "infitmera" is rare. In my nursing class at UOG, how many Chamorro students were enrolled? Three...including me. The rest of the students were of other ethnic backgrounds, mainly Filipino.
Majority of the nurses working at GMH are Filipino. In my unit, there's about 5 or 6 Chamorro nurses. That's a lot compared to other units, but still, Chamorro nurses on the whole are rare. And I ask myself, why?
I visited this website: http://pinoynurse.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=0
to see if I can learn anything on why Filipinos become nurses, because it seems nursing is a career that's easily chosen by them. And, the article mentioned that nursing is a profession that's highly respected, and Filipino children are encouraged to be nurses for many reasons, such as employment opportunities in the US, financial security, etc.
Now, why don't the Chamorro feel the same way? Why is nursing not valued in the Chamorro culture? Is it that bad of a profession? Is it gross and unbecoming? I know in the Chamorro culture, we are taught to respect and care for our elders. I chose to be a nurse because I wanted to know how to care for my family, especially my grandparents, when they get sick. Do other Chamorros feel the same way I do?
What do we need to do, in order to recruit Chamorro students into nursing? Is it lack of information about the nursing profession? Is there a negative image of nursing amongst the younger generation?
I already know that salary and benefits for nurses on Guam are poor, especially those working at Guam's only civilian hospital, GMH. But still, nurses like me stay at GMH for something more than just money. I know I stay because I want to help my people, and I want to contribute to them as a nurse. But I realize nurses leave GMH for better opportunities in the US. Perhaps we need to make the nursing profession a lucrative one for the younger generations. Although, the profession itself is rewarding.
Majority of the nurses working at GMH are Filipino. In my unit, there's about 5 or 6 Chamorro nurses. That's a lot compared to other units, but still, Chamorro nurses on the whole are rare. And I ask myself, why?
I visited this website: http://pinoynurse.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=0
to see if I can learn anything on why Filipinos become nurses, because it seems nursing is a career that's easily chosen by them. And, the article mentioned that nursing is a profession that's highly respected, and Filipino children are encouraged to be nurses for many reasons, such as employment opportunities in the US, financial security, etc.
Now, why don't the Chamorro feel the same way? Why is nursing not valued in the Chamorro culture? Is it that bad of a profession? Is it gross and unbecoming? I know in the Chamorro culture, we are taught to respect and care for our elders. I chose to be a nurse because I wanted to know how to care for my family, especially my grandparents, when they get sick. Do other Chamorros feel the same way I do?
What do we need to do, in order to recruit Chamorro students into nursing? Is it lack of information about the nursing profession? Is there a negative image of nursing amongst the younger generation?
I already know that salary and benefits for nurses on Guam are poor, especially those working at Guam's only civilian hospital, GMH. But still, nurses like me stay at GMH for something more than just money. I know I stay because I want to help my people, and I want to contribute to them as a nurse. But I realize nurses leave GMH for better opportunities in the US. Perhaps we need to make the nursing profession a lucrative one for the younger generations. Although, the profession itself is rewarding.
Hmm... that's really interesting. I'm chamorro and I go to Nursing school in the states. I didn't know that there were so few chamorro nurses. sheesh. But maybe in the future that'll change. My sister is also going into the nursing profession, so you never know...
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Unknown |
3/02/2010 09:47:00 AM