Graduation, then...

What to expect after graduation?

Graduation, as they say, is not yet the end, of everything, the dreams, and aspirations in life, rather it establishes yourself, a better you, a stronger, giving us enough courage to endure and to survive, as well as continuous determination to achieve and to succeed.

Wow! That is something deep and serious. Right? So what’s the whole point?

Excitement in elementary graduation is far different from college graduation. If you think of money and gifts before, now you think of your career, future and life. You have to stand and begin walking to face challenges and work out the diligence within us. Because if you won’t keep on dancing with these basics of survival then you will get sick and experience major heart problems. That is being so sedentary of you lazy freak!

For us nursing students, passing the board exam is our foremost goal after all these ceremonies on completion. Graduation is nonsense without passing the Nursing Licensure Examination. After this, is entering the fishy job employment, job market and hopefully a job-well-done moments. How I wish!

Many graduates, nurses, registered, and licensed are just stuck – in the hospitals as volunteers and in their homes as future wives or husbands. Some pursued another field of endeavor, probably their first love and first choice before taking the nursing course. This is why I am calling for emotional entrance test in the BSN program. Fail those who are not really into the profession and those who have exceptional talents for the art or other profession. Maybe, I should have a research on this.

And that would explain why skilled and experienced nurses emigrate for better opportunities. As a move, the government discourages new graduates and new registered nurses to work abroad because of brain drain. If this is so, why is it then that they paralleled the wage of utility workers to contracted nurses? Well, they are talking Greek here.

Why would nurses study for four years, allot time for thesis, spend for nursing reviews and even pay for a volunteer slot in a hospital only to receive same amount disbursed to a non-diploma requiring job? If they want sound partnership, they should work on this because it is true that nurses, not only them but all the Filipino people not exercising power in the country, those not in position, the masses, would want greener pasture.

The photo shows a graduation scene from my Alma Mater, Lanao Elementary School. As a tradition, which started a year before ours, the graduates release white balloons – white signifies purity in intention and virtuousness in their heart, as flying balloon represents their unending hope and soaring dreams.

Our clinical graduation!

I apologize I cannot update you with photos during our clinical graduation-pinning and ring ceremony. They have hired a studio to take charge with the event and cameras are not allowed in our seats so as not to distract the program, the solemn ceremony as they claim.

Well, I just want to show you what we received aside from a boring certificate of completion. I took these photos after the graduation.

1. Pin. Another pin. This is already the third pin they accorded to us. One nameplate for our hospital duties. One pin during the capping-pinning ceremony last year. And this, which is almost the same with the latest one. It’s just that it has an attached logo of the profession.

2. Bust. First look - it's like a young Ferdinand Marcos. That famous bust of him. Well, this is a nurses' bust. For us males, this is not an obvious image of a nurse compared to females who wear caps. This one wears a scrub suit. Another symbol, being a part of the health profession.