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March 4-8, 2008
Nursing Graduates of
University of Santo Tomas Seeing new Horizons
By: Mina Edonio
The continuous need to
uplift and improve health care education will always
be the thrust among esteemed institutions of nursing
education because of the changing nature of health
care delivery. And what better way to initiate this
vision than to start among those who are yet to
carve their niche in this particular career, to be
specific, those tertiary students of ours.
One fine week of
March, HCCA sponsored another program called
“Horizons 2008” known to many University of Santo
Tomas students as “Nursing Skills Fair.” Launched in
2006, it has become one of HCCA’s several programs
aimed to develop the technical, interpersonal, and
nurse-patient skills of the participants as these
are the things expected from nursing practitioners
in a global healthcare environment. HCCA also
fosters these programs as way of giving back to the
Philippine nursing community – assisting with the
country’s effort to produce competent healthcare
professionals, by immersing them with the
international nursing practice standards, and
introducing to them actual experience which they can
constructively use in their community practice.
The week-long event accommodated almost five hundred
(500) participants, who had a chance to practice
abilities in major clinical skills namely Focused
Assessment, Airway Management, Tube Management, and
Wound and Ostomy Management. Hands-on opportunity to
experience vital nursing skills in the US, such as
assessing simulated clinical situations, and
identifying patient’s needs and problems, was also
given to the students. Minus the Ferris Wheel and
the Grand Carousel, the venue was decorated with
colorful balloons, and served the best finger-foods
like corndog and popcorn, plus an ice cream for
dessert.
Together with Bayani Consulting Network and
University of Santo Tomas, we made sure that when
participants leave, they take with them their
theoretical knowledge translated into practical
situations, and with their previous impression of
the skills fair as something rigid and boring shaken
off.
Click picture to enlarge
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