Thank you to all who bought my book "Nursing Vignettes". It has been an incredible ride for me. I am humbled and delighted with the support from my hospital which sponsored a book signing for me. It felt surreal to have humongous posters of my book displayed in the hospital lobby, although I was quick to point out that the picture is about twenty years old.
"Nursing Vignettes: A Filipino Nurse in America" is a coming-of-age book that chronicles my journey as a Filipino nurse in America. It is a realization of my childhood dream to be published as an author. Thankfully, I was able to use my nursing experiences here in New York to drive home the point that nurses make a difference in their patients' lives.
These short vignettes celebrate the tremendous impact of nurses on the patients they take care of. Having been an educator for a long time, I wanted to change the perception of the general public about nurses- that we are not mere handmaidens to the physicians and that we are autonomous and able to use critical thinking and skills to save patients' lives.
"The bright lights of New York City beckoned. Across 8509 miles and 20 hours of turbulent plane ride. As a 22-year-old, the world was my oyster. It was the promise of a fantastic adventure that had sustained me through five years of nursing school. I was more than ready for my many firsts."
"I heard singing from the dying patient's room. The male voice tried to hum a familiar melody, but the words were garbled as if the singer could not get the words out."
"All the patients around us looked bewildered at the sight of nurses with tears in our eyes as we grinned and high-fived Pedro. I said a silent prayer of thanks."
“'Woof!'. I am hallucinating. That couldn’t be a dog who just went through the revolving door of the ER and is now just outside my triage booth. No way!"
For every Filipino nurse who survived and thrived in this faraway land, countless memories should be shared with others who would probably derive inspiration as they begin their own adventure. The untold stories would probably be familiar to several readers. I would like to imagine that nursing students can learn valuable lessons from the clinical vignettes that I have highlighted in the book.
I hope this book serves as an inspiration to all, Filipinos or not, nurses or not, that with hard work and determination, they can also realize their dreams here in distant lands.
Photos courtesy of M. Fister-Centorcelli- https://www.facebook.com/PhotographyByMargaretCentorcelli?ref=stream
I have used Margaret's photographs for this blog only. Wouldn't it be wonderful if our future projects would include her beautiful pictures?
"Nursing Vignettes: A Filipino Nurse in America"- available at Amazon.com
Thanks.
ReplyDelete