As Benjamin Franklin once said “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may

remember, involve me and I learn.”

I must emphatically admit, learning is not confined in the four corners of the
classroom, so let me tell you what transpired in our 2-day Lakbay Aral for our course
Principles and Concepts of Nursing Administration held on March 18-19, 2019.

We were an enthusiastic group of nurses who were deployed in diverse field of

nursing careers. Different we may be, we shared one mental model, we shared a vision
and a goal to improve ourselves academically and grow professionally. We left Isabela
March 17, 2019 and went to Baguio City to visit the first hospital we are going to
observe and study.

We set foot at Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center last March 18, 2019
after lunch, for the reason that Monday is a very busy day for them; they usually
conduct meetings of all sorts during Mondays, we were accommodated after those
meetings and we were very thankful for the opportunity amidst their tight schedule.

Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center is one of the Department of Health
retained hospitals in the region, it was a five hundred bed capacity hospital but caters
up to seven hundred. It was a referral hospital in Cordillera Region and other provinces.
They give quality service in different specialties.

We were warmly welcomed by the chosen supervisors assigned in different

departments. During the session, we were able to ask questions primarily about
leadership, management and how they handle staff. We also asked them to share what
they think is the best practice of their hospital and of their respective units, likewise the
best practices of their nursing supervisors and nursing staff. We were not surprised that
they also mention the lack of manpower especially nurses in their hospital.

Moreover, because the supervisors are of advanced age compared to our group,
we also asked them how they manage the behavior of millennials. We were very
satisfied with their answers; we also agreed on the things that they shared during the
session. Of course, questions regarding misbehavior, laziness and tardiness of staff
were also asked. Our professor Ma’am Duarte, also asked questions to them in the
managerial level since our professor too, is the Chief Nurse of her respective hospital.

They did not forget to share how they too, started in the rank and file but with
continuous education, career development, determination and commitment on the job;
they were able to reach where they are at the moment and maybe more. They also
gave gratitude to our group for choosing their institution to visit and conduct
observation. But we thanked them more for sparing us their precious time.

The session lasted for an hour; all of us were all ears and ready to ingest
everything that we can learn from them. After the parting words form our panel
supervisors, we were accompanied by one of the head nurses of their institution, Sir
Jay. He showed us the different departments and also told us the new plans for their
hospital after the construction and expansion.

During the tour we noted the things we perceive are good for our own hospitals
and institutions, having in mind that maybe, with the initiation of a simple change, we
can contribute in making our own respective hospitals or institutions better.

We ended up the first hospital visit thankful for the day and very much looking
forward for the second day of Lakbay Aral at Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and
Medical Center.

Second day came, March 19, 2019; we started travelling from Baguio to Ilocos
Norte early in the morning. We were able to reach Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital
and Medical Center around one o’clock in the afternoon.

Likewise in the first hospital, we were warmly welcomed by their Chief Nurse and
the Nursing Education Officer.

While the session was shorter than what we spent on the first day, it was
nevertheless filled with answers to the questions we asked regarding leadership and
administration. We also raised almost the same questions we asked on the panel
supervisors on the first day to establish the differences in style and leadership technique
and we were in awe that their leadership styles are almost the same.

They shared how they give appreciation and how they motivate their staff, they
also shared the things they say if one staff wants to resign and leave, but as they say,
they can only do as much since they are well aware of the nursing situation in the
country.

The orientation and question and answer session ended and we were divided
into groups to make the observation and tour to the different departments faster.

Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center is one of the Department
of Health retained hospitals in the Region. And the hospital as expected is huge but not
big enough to cater the bulk of patients coming in and being admitted every day.
Likewise on any other hospitals, manpower especially nurses are understaff.

During the tour, they tackled and explained the best practices in their hospital
and mention the things they are proud about. At the moment, they are most proud about
their NETS or Newborn Emergency Transport System wherein they are the only one to
have in the region. The NETS provide a complete vital support system for the newborn
as it needs to be travelled from one place to another. The machine detects the oxygen
saturation of the newborn patient and adjusts oxygen supply to the machine
automatically. I also heard one nurse claimed that it costs a million and maybe more. It
was a very amazing transport system and it is a leap to the medical innovation.
 As the Lakbay Aral ended, we were sure that our learning and our thirst to learn
does not stop there. We were thankful for the things we have learned as we were
exposed to the different nursing leaders, and different hospitals outside our own. This
journey will forever be one of the best educational trip we ever had for the things that we
gain and learn in the trip will linger, as long as we are striving to be better, if not the best
nurses we can be.