Induction Speech 8/19/2023

It is such a privilege for me to be up here to salute all of you, our esteemed guests, valued members, families, and friends.  Thank you for being here to celebrate with us.

Carol Robles has been inspiring us to be the LIGHT these last two years and will be a very tough act to follow.  But that tall challenge, I also consider a great privilege. I am humbled to lead this already high-performing organization and pray that I can move our association to even greater heights. I assure you that my fellow officers and I will never take for granted this opportunity to Make a DIFFERENCE. 

For some who ask the question, why have a Philippine Nurses Association when our general goals are similar to other associations?  We all want to advance nursing, health, and health care. What makes us unique?  We have our association because we, Filipino nurses, have a collective desire to share our unparalleled passion and dedication to serve.  Because only we understand our unique cultural challenges, when navigating through this extremely difficult and demanding profession.  And because we must band together to find our place and get the recognition, visibility, and support earned by our valuable contribution. 

Since the early 1900s, Filipino nurses have been filling the needs, especially during healthcare crises. And to this day, the Philippines continues to be the leader when it comes to helping fill the demand for professional nurses across the globe.  Out of the top 5 countries of origin for foreign-born nurses, Philippines leads at 33%.  It’s been recognized that without Filipino nurses, many health care systems, including here in the U.S., would suffer greatly.

We are known for our love to serve others. We care so much that we often overlook our own needs. Even in the last three years, all of you responded without hesitation and put patients first. Regardless of the risks and the impact on your own safety and well-being, all of you continued to show up every single day.  From the very beginning, and even up to now, ours has been a story of love and sacrifice…. of cultural and professional dedication.  And we don’t just provide regular care. In our culture, we care for everyone like they are our family.

Supporting Filipino nurses who never stops to give makes our organization meaningful.  Just in the recent year, Filipino nurses are finally starting to be justly appreciated on global and local levels for exemplifying selflessness, kindness, and grace under pressure.  We need to make sure that we grow more visible and continue to be seen.

Our own PNAMDC association has achieved numerous accomplishments in the last 51 years.  I stand on the shoulders of giants and honor all our present and past officers for propelling the association to what it is today: credible and respected.

I take pride in saying that we, as members of the 2023 – 2025 board, are steadfast in our commitment to sustain the gains and build even more on our successes. Together, we vow to Make a DIFFERENCE.

• We will Deliver, Inspire, and Facilitate opportunities.
• We will create an environment that makes our members F
• We intend to Evolve and lead daringly, to Reach and attain higher goals, and to Empower and Nurture our current and future nursing workforce.
• We will Collaborate with others to maximize our impact, and most of all, continue to Elevate the image and contributions of nurses worldwide.

Some of our goals in the next two years will be to:

1. Continue to focus on uplifting the Filipino Community by improving their health and well-being through education, outreach, and advocacy. We will advocate for better practice and learning environments (my passion!). And we especially want to support two very vulnerable groups: new nurses who are starting their profession during such a difficult time. And those who are new to the country. Many of us can relate to how difficult it is to assimilate in a new environment and a different culture. As more of our “kababayans” (fellowmen) arrive in the US, I want to make sure they feel they have an “ate” or “kuya” (big sister or brother) they can reach out to.
2. We will sustain Recruitment and Retention of members by having an association that makes them feel they belong.
3. We want to heed the call for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in our profession by welcoming nurses of different ethnicities to our culture and be open to theirs. The association has begun this work and now it’s our goal to make our growing diverse membership feel included.
4. We want to continue our community outreach and pay our blessings forward. Speaking of Making a Difference and paying our blessings forward, we call on you to help us with our next big initiative, our medical mission in January 2024. We had to put our medical missions on hold during the pandemic. We’re happy to announce that we’ll be resuming that work and a group of us will be going home to the Philippines to provide much needed care to the residents of Camiguin province.
5. We also plan to collaborate with other organizations so we can collectively advance the nursing profession and improve the health and well-being of patients.
6. And of course, our most important goal – is YOU, our valued members. As our association continues to serve, I pledge that we, your PNAMDC family, will be equally committed to support YOU.

In closing, the distinguished British author and educator Sir Ken Robinson once said, “The role of a leader is not to have all the ideas; it’s to create a culture where everyone can have ideas and feel that they are valued.”  I welcome your ideas and invite all of you to join us in elevating PNAMDC. Let this be OUR journey.

I dare us to evolve together. Let us all be bold.  And lead daringly.  And, most important, do it together!

Together, we will spread the pride of being a Filipino nurse.  Let us march into the future, with purpose, with commitment.  And with joy.

Thank you.