I completed my 2-year Practical Nursing course at the St. Augustine School of Nursing, Tacloban Branch on March 2008. In this two years of study I gained valuable knowledge in my field of endeavour.

A month after I graduated, I worked fulltime in Biliran Provincial Hospital, initially as a Volunteer Nursing Assistant then as a paid member of staff.

During my first two months, I was assigned in different wards. I was responsible for taking and monitoring the vital signs of the patients and performing nursing procedures appropriate to the patients. The following month, I was reassigned to the Emergency Room, a very challenging environment where my confidence was truly tested and where I gained more valuable experiences like IV and Catheter Insertions.

In the course of my journey, I realized that I found the ideal career and this made me determine to further my education and qualifications. I decided to apply for a Student Visa in UK and was fortunate enough to have been granted one.

Now, I am currently working as a Health Care Assistant in a hospital in Surrey, United Kingdom. The hospital is part of the National Health Service, the biggest medical organization in the United Kingdom.

The number of applicants for the job was huge, such as Nurses, Caregivers and Midwives from different countries trying to get the position. My education and qualifications based on my credentials from St. Augustine School of Nursing and my hospital experience in the Philippines particularly in Biliran Provincial Hospital as Nursing Assistant were both very important and they were recognized as equivalent to other Medical Courses. In addition, my Hospital Training and RLE Certificates during school showed that I already had the necessary experience.

Before I started the job, I was required to undergo several training courses such as Manual Handling, Health and Safety, Anaphylaxis, Patients Rights, Infection Control, Basic Life Support, First Aid and Revisiting Skills. These trainings were similar to our trainings in the PNRC and from what we have learned in our RLE.

I become immediately familiar with my job as a Health Care Assistant because I had very similar responsibilities during my hospital internships, such as taking and monitoring the vital signs, bed side care, oral care, bed bathing, measuring input and output, feeding and dressing while at the same time maintaining the patient’s dignity, individuality and confidentiality. All of these, I had already learned in my return demos way back in SASN.

I am now studying Health and Social Care in London and I am just about to take the licensure examination for a certificate in Phlebotomy to broaden my qualifications. Recently, I have been invited for an interview at one of the local community surgeries for the position of nursing administrator.

I feel that I have grown into a mature and a responsible person. I owe this success to God, to my parents, to my colleagues, and to my Alma Mater, the St. Augustine School of Nursing. Being a Practical Nursing graduate has been the very best start to my career.

I hope my story will inspire current students and graduates of St. Augustine School of Nursing to study hard and reach for their dreams.

To my fellow St. Augustinians I AM MORE HANDSOME NOW!!!!

GOD BLESS & MORE POWER!

ROBERT CHRISTIAN D. RETANAL
Practical Nursing-Batch 2008
St. Augustine School of Nursing
Tacloban Branch