Recent reports indicate that Red bull energy drink products in Hongkong has been identified to be laced with traces of cocaine in some of the samples coming from Austria and United Kingdom. Retailers were immediately advised to pull out Red Bull energy drink off the market.

Energy drinks do proliferate in most convenient stores and drugstores here in the Philippines. To some it has become a habit to take one before work , for students  they have to take it before examinations and to keep them awake  through the night as they are reviewing. Along the streets you will see vendors selling Extra Joss in sachets and a bottle of mineral water to motorist caught in the traffic. I have seen security guards mixing the said energy drink during their break time.

Cobra, Extra Joss and I –ON energy drink s have the following main ingredients such as caffeine, taurine, ginseng and royal jelly.

Effects of these ingredients are the following:

Caffeine : One will experience less drowsiness, less fatigue, more rapid and clearer flow of thought.

Taurine : Is a kind of amino acid  ( protein) and helps regulate water and mineral salts in the body.

The B complex vitamins are in smaller amounts however, we can get these from the food we eat every day. These are also water-soluble vitamins so that anything we eat in excess, it goes to out of the body in the urine. You may notice that your urine turns more yellowish every time one takes these energy drinks.

Ginseng : increase energy and endurance, reduce fatique and effects of stress and prevent infections. increase mental and physical capacity

Royal jelly : can ameliorate the physical fatigue after exercise

Ginseng and royal jelly have myriad other benefits aside from what I have mentioned.

If one eats the proper diet every day, rice, vegetables, meat and fish. One can get these ingredients. A cup of coffee in the morning provides about 80 mg of caffeine.

Imagine yourself, drinking 1 cup of coffee (80 mg caffeine) in the morning, a bottle of cola ( 50 mg caffeine) for lunch, an ice cold tea ( 50 mg caffeine) and a bottle of Cobra (134 mg caffeine) in the early afternoon to ward off sleepiness and a night cap at Starbucks coffee ( 85 mg caffeine). That a lot of caffeine in your body, a total of about 400 mg of caffeine in your body. Warning , as the dose of caffeine is increased, it can produced nervousness, restlessness, insomnia, tremors and palpitations, oftentimes mental block if you are a  student.

Be careful of taking these energy drinks. It can do more harm than good when taken in excess and taking them becomes a habit.

The Philippines’ National Hero

“I was born in Calamba on 19 June, 1861, between eleven and midnight, a few days before full moon. It was Wednesday and my coming out in the vale years would cost my mother her life had she not vowed to the Virgin of Antipolo to take me to her sanctuary by way of pilgrimage”. From Jose Rizal’s writings Memoirs of a Student in Manila.

At 16 years old, he graduated from Ateneo Municipal with the degree of Bachelor of Arts

At 26 years old, his book Noli Me Tangere was published in Berlin.

At 30 years old, El Filibusterismo  was published in Ghent , Belgium.

At 35 years of age he was executed at Bagumbayan, Luneta.

Prayer for protection against INFLUENZA A H1N1 VIRUS 

Let us turn to our Father Almighty for his protection and guidance of our family and community.

God, Our loving Father we come to you in our need to ask your protection against the INFLUENZA A H1NI virus that has claimed the lives of people in some parts of the world and has afflicted a number here in our country.

We ask you to continue to guide the hands and minds of the people who are studying the nature and cause of this disease and who are working hard to prevent its spread to more areas in the world. Grant all those in the medical profession who must treat and care for those who contract the disease, the grace and determination to minister to the sick with competence and compassion. Grant those in the health agencies of the government a sense of responsibility to act with only the good and the well-being of the people in mind.  May their expert advice on proper health practices be heeded and followed.

We pray for those who are still suffering from the disease in our country and in other parts of the world, may they all be restored to health soon.  We earnestly pray that the virus may be finally contained and its harmful spread be prevented.

Grant us the grace always to be filled with hope that you watch over us with love and providence and that your will for us is always good.

We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ your son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.
San Lorenzo Ruiz, pray for us.
San Roque, pray for us.

Note:  Oratio Imperata  (revised June 5, 2009) was issued by the Archdiocese of Manila  to be prayed at each Mass, kneeling down,  after Holy Communion, at every Mass.   

June 12, 2009 marks the 111^th Philippine Independence Day 

On June 12, 1898, Gen Emilio Aguinaldo formally declared the independence of the Philippines in a ceremony held at his house in Kawit Cavite.

Other two significant events highlighted this event, the first official display of the Philippine flag and the playing of the Philippine National Anthem.

During the 70’s  of the Marcos era, celebrations were centered at the Luneta or Rizal park. There was a flag raising ceremony by the First Family, all dressed in Filipiniana costumes and wreath lying at Rizal monument. A parade depicting Philippine history including civic military march were the activities in the afternoon until late evening.

I miss to see that kind of parade where the participants were all in different Filipino costumes, how I wish my children would be able to see such parade. It gives me a sense of being Filipino; it reminds me of the grandeur of our culture and history.

AS of JUNE 4, 2009

For two weeks now, there have been 29 confirmed cases of the H1N1 Influenza A in the Philippines. Mostly the persons afflicted with H1N1 virus had a history of traveling abroad. Cases have been increasing in number and the countries involved are increasing. It’s fortunate that no deaths has occurred and cases in the Philippines has the milder symptoms of the H1N1 influenza.

Source : DOH H1N1 Updates 2009

On the forefront of informing, the public is Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III, he said “With further characterization of the virus in our local cases, if we see that A (H1N1) poses no severe threat and is self-limited in most cases. We may be seeing a shift in our control strategy to outpatient and home management of patients showing only mild symptoms.  This is already being done in countries like Mexico and the US which already have sustained community transmission.”

Department of Health issued several Technical Guidelines to the public for the prevention and control of H1N1 virus:

Guideline No. 12 - Response Level Guide for Schools to Control Novel Influenza A (H1N1)

Guideline No. 9 - Safety Precautions to Avoid Influenza A (H1N1) Infection on the Job for Health Care Workers 

Guideline No. 6 - For Hotels and other Similar Establishments in Response to the Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Threat

The newly published Commission of Higher Education (CHED) CMO No. 14 Series of 2009  (April 28, 2009) is concern with Policies And Standards For Bachelor Of Science In Nursing (BSN) Program, it emphasizes the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) curriculum is a competency-based and community-oriented curriculum in the Philippines.

The nurse must be competent in the following Key Areas of Responsibility for which a nurse should demonstrate competence in Safe and quality nursing care, Management of resources and environment, Health education, Legal responsibility, Ethico-moral responsibility, Personal and professional development, Quality improvement, Research, Record Management, Communication, Collaboration and teamwork.

This CHED CMO No. 14 has again some difference with CMO No. 5 s. 2008 in terms of third and fourth year subjects. With CHED CMO No. 14, students shall choose at least two Electives [Elective 1 and 2] to complete the BS Nursing Program.

Elective 1 is taken in the 3^rd Year 2nd Semester. Choices for Elective I are Parent-Child Nursing, Spiritual Care Nursing, and Hospice Palliative Care.

Elective 2 is taken in the 4th Year, 1st Semester. Choices for Elective II are Acute/Critical Care Nursing, Quality Health Care and Nursing, and Care of the Chronically ill and the Older Person. In addition, an Intensive Nursing Practicum subject during the 4^th year corresponds to 8 units of clinical work.

CHED CMO No. 14 still mandates a 4-year curriculum for nursing.

Effectivity of CHED CMO No. 14 states that Higher Education Institutions [HEIS] that opted to implement CMO no. 30 s. 2001 shall allow their students to the finish BSN curriculum under CMO no. 30 s. 2001. Those HEIS that opted to implement CMO no. 5 s. 2008 during the SY 2008-2009 shall allow their students to graduate under CMO no. 14 s. 2009. CHED CMO No. 14 shall take effect starting school year 2009-2010, fifteen (15) days after its publication in the official gazette or in a newspaper of national circulation.

1. Fundamentals of Nursing (8th edition) By Barbara Kozier et al.

I consider it as the bible of nursing fundamentals. It is very appropriate for beginning students of nursing because of simple words used and detailed explanations of nursing skills. It has useful tables and case studies for easy learning. From first year to 4th year Kozier’s textbook is used.

2. Maternal and Child Health Nursing: Care of the Childbearing and Childrearing Family: 5th Edition, Adele Pillitteri

This is a book about pregnancy from fertilization to growth and development of the child. It is reader friendly at the same time, nursing care is within the framework of nursing process as presented for maternal and child conditions. For easy understanding, there are illustrations and diagrams presented. Case studies do abound to make one practice doing nursing care plans.

3. Nursing Practice in the Community. 4th ed., Maglaya. AS. etal., Nangka, Marikina City. Argonauta Corp.
4. Community Health Nursing Service in the Philippines (DOH), Reyala, JP et al. National League of Government Nurses. 2007.

The BSN nursing curriculum aside from being competency based, is very much concern with practice of nursing in the community, These two books will guide the student nurse in doing Community Organizing Participatory Action Research (COPAR) and it will introduce public health nursing as practiced in the Philippines. It is being used from second year to 4th year.

5. Brunner and Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing, 11th Edition (2 Volumes in 1)

This is also “must have book” since it will introduce you to medical and surgical nursing which I think is still the bulk of nursing questions in exams local or foreign. It’s framework is the nursing process. This will really help in harnessing your skill in assessment and doing nursing diagnosis, because this explains the etiology and pathophysiology of diseases.

Plus 2 books you should have

1. Nurse’s Pocket Guide : Diagnosis, Prioritized Interventions, and Rationale by: DOENGES MOORHOUSE MURR

This reference book will guide your way in making the nursing care plan for your clients in related learning experience (RLE) duties in the various health settings you will be assigned. This is a big help in mastering the nursing process.

2. Any review book series such as Saunders, Lippincott or Mosby

This will serve as a guide you can bring along during your RLE rotations. It’s for quick reference and to push you to start in reviewing for the board exams .It is usually presented in outline form, brief concise and there are review questions at the end of chapters. This format will help you be acquainted with multiple typed questions. You should have this even if you are in second year.

1. Arellano University Pasay College of Nursing Batch 2008 had two graduates who garnered 5th and 14^th place in the November 2008 Nursing Board Exams.
2.  Arellano University Pasay College of Nursing has one of the lowest tuition fees among the universities here in Pasay and Manila. First year is within the range of 15 -16 K. 2^nd year at  26-27. 10 % discount is given to those who pays the full tuition fee.
3.  Arellano University Pasay College of Nursing is offering all subjects this first semester from NCM 100, 101, 102,104, and NCM 105, including minor subjects. Class size range from 30 to 40 students per section. All rooms are air-conditioned. If you are a transferee or “second courser”, this will be beneficial for you.
4.  Arellano University Pasay College of Nursing affiliated hospitals  for the Related Learning Experience are Medical City, Mary Johnson Hospital, Fort Bonifacio Hospital, National Orthopedic Hospital, Pres. Diosdado Macapagal Medical Center, Quirino Labor Hospital,  and various lying in and health centers.
5.  Arellano University Pasay College of Nursing boasts of Doctors and Masters degree - prepared faculty members . Nursing competencies are updated through faculty seminars and completion of post-graduate degree. Clinical practice of each faculty is at least 3 years to 10 years here and abroad.

 Arellano University Pasay College of Nursing is located along Taft Avenue, just a few meters away from the station of LRT Line 1 on Gil J. Puyat Avenue. Beside  AU Pasay are terminal of buses plying the routes to key towns in Laguna and Batangas. Arellano University Pasay College of Nursing is generally accessible to public transportation of Manila, Makati, Paranaque, Las Pinas, Taguig, Montalban and suburban Cavite.

Classes start on June 15, 2009.

Contact Number 833-47-28. The current dean of Arellano University Pasay College of Nursing is Ms.Arlene Blaise T. Cortez, RN,MAN. EdD.

Keeping in touch has never been easier on mobile and web

Many of my friends who are members of different social network sites have invited me many times to join them. Now, I am inviting them to join me at mysandbox.com, my first social network to join ever.

Sandbox is a network community that has lots of component like social network aspect, blogging platform, and photo / video uploads and an online content store where one can download games and music.Mobile blogging (moblogging) through your cell phone is an added feature.

There is a promo ongoing for free coffee and glazed donuts from Krispy Kreme when you sign up. Join and be prepared for free Krispy Kreme coffee and glazed donuts!

Lets blog and share stories at mysandbox.com

Over the last 4 years  (2005-2008) 190,903  Filipinos became registered nurses here in the Philippines. For these Filipino nurses they are in need of clinical training, to hone their skills, however employment seem so evasive in most medical centers and hospitals both public and private. For employment abroad, one of the qualifications would be to have hospital experience in a specified bed capacity hospital.  For many, attending seminars and trainings would suffice for now but these nurse trainings have registration fees .Several Philippine nursing organizations and institutions accredited by the PNA conduct seminars and training to increase the level of competencies of these nurses. These are

• Philippine Nurses Association (PNA), TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF SEMINARS January - June 2009
• Renal Nurses Association of the Philippines (RENAP)
• Operating Room Nurses Association of the Philippines (ORNAP )
• Critical Care Nursing Organization of the Philippines Inc. (CCNAPI)

The PNA sponsored seminars cost may range from 300 to 600 Php and conducted from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM at PNA Auditorium, Philippine Nurses Association, Inc.,1663 F.T. Benitez Street, Malate, Manila.

Visit the website of the different Philippine nursing organizations for the latest listings of trainings and seminars.