Pinoy R.N. Launches Q&A Website

Ever since its conception, Pinoy R.N. has provided up-to-date nursing news and information as well as various nursing tools and how-to guides for Filipino nurses and student nurses. In the six years that this blog has been running, we have continually explored new ways to improve this site and its services.

In line with our goal to connect with our colleagues in the nursing profession, Pinoy R.N. is pleased to announced the launch of a new service called Ask Pinoy R.N. (www.pinoyrn.net).

It is an extension of Pinoy R.N. which will serve as an information hub where nurses and student nurses converge. Ask Pinoy R.N. is a question and answer (Q&A) website created to facilitate transfer of knowledge among members of the Filipino nursing community.

Ask Pinoy R.N. employs a community-driven approach to sharing information. The idea behind this website is anchored on the concept of 'bayanihan' -- the Filipino's natural tendency to help his fellowman for a common goal.

Users are encouraged to both submit questions to be answered and answer questions asked by other users. Simply put, you can ask questions on any nursing topic and get answers from fellow nurses and student nurses.

To  get started, all you need is an e-mail address. Registration is free so you can immediately start sharing nursing-related information. We have prepared an FAQ for your convenience.

We hope you support Ask Pinoy R.N. by posting questions or by replying to queries that you know the answer to. It would also delight us immensely if you can help us promote this project through Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sites. After all, we are one in aspiring for a vibrant, informed, and empowered Filipino nursing community.

Cheers!

POEA Warns Nurses Against Job Offers in Belgium

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has issued a statement advising Filipino Nurses to be wary of recruiters offering job placements in Belgium following similar warnings from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Philippine Embassy in Brussels.

While it acknowledged an existing nursing shortage in Belgium, the POEA clarified that Filipino Nurses are not qualified to work there citing a directive issued by the European Commission in 2005.

Pinoy R.N. obtained a copy of the POEA Advisory. It is posted below for reference.

POEA Advisory 15_2011 - www.PinoyRN.co.nr

Nursing Resources at the iTunes U

Let's face it, studying can be a drag sometimes.  There are days when we feel we can't read another page of those textbooks and compilations or can't listen to that not-so-lively lecturer who has a very monotonous voice for another minute.

People we complain to about how tedious nursing review can be might tell us to just drop everything and have a break or take some time off from those nursing theories and concepts. It's a pretty sensible advice if time is in our hands.

But sadly, time isn't always in our hands.  There's that nursing test one has to ace in order to be promoted to senior year, the case study one has to research on, or that disease process that needed mastering because it might come up during the time-pressured foreign nursing exam.

Fortunately, we now live in modern times and thanks to technology, there are other ways to learn nursing concepts and principles aside from the traditional textbook and classroom approach.  Technology and the internet has reinvented the ways we learn new things so we don't have to stay strapped to our desks for days on end or be limited to the classroom setting.

For instance, there's this thing called iTunes U, a service in the ubiquitous iTunes Store designed to create, manage, and distribute educational audio and video content at no cost to the person uploading or downloading it. With this free service, Filipino nursing students and registered nurses can access lectures by nursing professors from the United States.

One valuable nursing resource at iTunes U is the series of lectures by Professor Chris Henshaw of the Seattle Pacific University Health and Sciences Department on Basic Nursing Theories .  She covered basic nursing concepts and nursing assessment.  We, at Pinoy R.N.,  particularly enjoyed her lectures on CVA and Diabetes.

Another nursing resource is the Basic Nursing Skills lectures by the Birmingham City University Faculty of Health.  If you need to reinforce previous learnings on how to administer intramuscular and subcutaneous injections, you'll love these set of lectures.

iTunes U has been around since May 2007 and right now, there are hundreds of thousands of educational files available for download.  There are over 200 nursing lectures in the iTunes University and a good number of them are produced by internationally-recognized nursing academic institutions.

iTunes University transfers a wealth of nursing knowledge to nurses and student nurses across the globe.  So, when studying or learning nursing material, remember that you don't have to be strapped to your desk or glued to your textbooks.  With the vast nursing resources available at iTunes U, you can study for your nursing exams or read on your coursework anytime and anywhere.

To get started on iTunes U, download and install iTunes on your computer. After which, create an iTunes Store account. iTunes U and other resources are accessible through the Apple iTunes Store.