Letting Go of TMC

After I got my license in 2009, I immediately applied for a staff nurse position in various hospitals. One of my top choices was TMC. I got two main reasons for really wanting to be part of their team: it is near my house and a tertiary hospital. Although I also applied at SLMC, I preferred working at TMC.

I went to their HR Department back when I was still graduating. My mom was due for a check-up with her physician there and we decided to cruise around the hospital. My mom was definitely excited for me. As we were walking down the halls of the hospital, I started to feel excited for myself. We arrived at the HRD and we asked around. The first step in applying there was to pass the nursing board exam. Since I have not yet done so, we were not further entertained. After that my mom and I went home. So basically, I had the idea on what to do when I pass the boards.

When I finally did pass the boards and got my licence at PRC, I immediately applied at TMC. I was with my boyfriend and my friend when we applied there. We went to the HRD and we were asked to input our data in a computer and we were asked to wait for a call. ‘Waiting for a call’—I call this the doomed application. Most of the hospitals who tell the applicants that they have to wait for a call do not receive it. Some of them really call but the possibility of it is really slim to none. Most of the hospitals already screen people without even reading their resumes. Some will just take into consideration the applicant’s board rating and the school where they studied. Yes, I know life is really not fair. The sad thing about applying there is all you have to input was your full name, name of school, contact numbers and board exam rating and after that you will leave the vicinity full of hope-- you will never know if they even considered your application. By November on that same year, I was hired as a staff nurse in a hospital located along Aurora Boulevard. That was the first time I was somewhat able to say goodbye to the hope of becoming one of TMC’s staff.

The oddest thing happened to me in November, 2010. I received a text message from an unknown number asking me to go to TMC the next day and take their qualifying exams. I was really happy. Until I came to realize that on the same day of the exams, I was the only coverage of my ward in the morning shift. This means I am not qualified to go on leave of absence (LOA). And the possibility of asking my co-staff for an exchange of duty was zero. That was it then; I almost gave up. Then I had the idea of texting the sender to reconsider moving my date for the qualifying exams. I waited painstakingly for a reply. Alas, I got nothing. “That was it then,” I said to myself. After waiting for more than a year, this was the result. It was too much for me to handle. My initial body reaction was become sad.

Saddened by the idea of missing my exams, I still went to my morning duty the next day. I was asking god through prayer if this was really His plan for me. Was I really destined to miss that exam? Was I really meant to be working in my present hospital? The funny thing about praying is the person who prays never knows when the answers will come up. Fortunately for me, I got an immediate answer. That day, I was able to assist in three deliveries: two Caesarean Sections and one NSD. The most amazing thing happened to me was that all the babies were huge—fetal macrosomia. The first one came out and weighed 12 lbs, second weighed 10 lbs, and the third one weighed more than 9 lbs. Although my duty that day was a tiring one, god made me see the beauty of my work in His own way. The babies are gifts from god and I have the rare opportunity to see god’s gift at its purest form—child birth. After that day, I finally let go of TMC. My personal conclusion was that maybe the opportunity in my current job is a better fit for me than there. And god has an ultimate plan for me which I will be able to unravel at the right time. So to all the nurses who are still applying for a job and losing hope to even find one, always remember this: God has an ultimate plan for each and every one of us. We just have to wait for the right time.