UPCN Alumna at UCLA

Tales of successful Filipino nurses mostly abound in clinical nursing practice. But this edition featured a successful nurse destined for something else and in fact, on a higher level.

Dr. Lorraine Evangelista, RN Ph.D has carved a name for herself in the West Coast. And for many Filipino nurses in that part of the United States, they have a colleague in one of California's prestigious universities who is on the cutting-edge research of patients with heart disease.

1. Before coming to UCLA, tell us briefly about your professional journey as a nurse.

I actually graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Nursing in 1980 and immediately came to California that same year. I worked as a nursing assistant while I prepared for the RN board exams then later worked as a psych mental health nurse under my interim RN license. I used to love psych mental health nursing so much – in fact I wanted to be a psych nurse so much that I chose to do my specialty training my senior year in my BSN program at PGH Psychiatric Institute (this was almost like being a full-time nurse trainee for 6 months). However, after a few months in this field, the reality that nursing care was becoming more advanced and highly technical encouraged me to go into critical care nursing. So for 8 years I worked as a staff nurse and later a charge nurse in the ICU/CCU setting. In 1991, I went back to school for my Master’s degree in Nursing at UCLA and earned a certificate to be a Clinical Nurse Specialist. This work paved the way for me to get involved in clinical trials and research and I enjoyed it so much that I went back for my PhD in 1997 and graduated with a doctorate in nursing in 2 and half years (which is a record at the UCLA School of Nursing) since the average time it takes to complete a the PhD program is 4-5 years. My dissertation focused on the compliance and quality of life of heart failure patients.

2. What are your activities at UCLA College of Nursing? Research? Teaching? Community Service?

As a UCLA faculty member I continue to build on my research program – which is to focus on the nutritional aspects surrounding heart failure patients – with emphasis on those that are overweight and obese.

3. What are the opportunities for potential Filipino nurses in the area of nursing education in the US? What are your motivations as a nurse educator?

With the nursing shortage there is definitely so much opportunities for Filipino nurses here in the U.S. I actually have a lot of Filipino nurses who come back for the advanced practice programs (MSN) here at UCLA and I really help them reach their goals. I like to teach and support students (especially Filipino students) because I know that they will be the backbone of nursing in the future. I want to help motivate them to be the best that they can be because it helps the community learn to appreciate nurses in general.

4. Any alumni involvement back home.

I went home 2 years ago to speak to the student nurses at U.P. and inspire them. However, other than this, I haven’t really done much. I do plan to start extending my research to Filipinos and Pacific Islanders in the near future (I am currently submitting grant proposals to National Institute of Health for extramural funds)… once I receive the money I can be more versatile and can actually actively pursue some type of collaboration with nurse researchers back home and encourage them to work on a multi-site project… I think I have a lot to share in terms of mentorship and research experience and I have a lot to learn from them in terms of reconnecting with my culture and tradition.

From her self-evaluation, she wrote nicely about her motivations. And summing it up:

"In my first six years at the university, I have distinguished myself from my peers by my intellectual curiosity, my time management skills, and my high level of productivity. I believe that I have contributed to a greater understanding of the biobehavioral aspects in nursing care of cardiovascular patients. I am working on gaining external support for my research. My future plans include further NIH grant submissions to support my research in the areas of developing and testing interventions that target overweight and obese heart failure patients. My mentors have described me as a translational scientist who is committed to improving the lives of patients with heart disease and I must admit that this commitment is what motivates me as a researcher and leader. I look forward to a highly successful academic career. "

This Bicolano Nurse Making Waves in the US

GFNR debuts its online publication with a stellar recognition of a Filipino nurse who made it big in education arena in the United States and will continue to reap new opportunities for himself and for his country. Ten years down the road, this Bicolano guy will surely be the man to watch.

Prof. Jessie Casida, RN Ph.D received his BSN degree from Bicol University in Legazpi City in 1988, thereafter, worked at the Philippine Heart Center for a year.

1. Tell us about your career as a nurse educator from Seton to WSU.

Prior to my teaching appointment at Seton Hall University (SHU) in 2004, I was an adjunct clinical faculty at New York University from 1997 to 1999. (I received my MS in critical care nursing degree from Columbia University in 1996). My teaching career at SHU was wonderful! That teaching position had given me the opportunity to enhance my knowledge and skills surrounding teaching and learning, which I believe, made me a better teacher. Moreover, I was given the opportunity to maintain a part-time clinical practice and at the same time further my education. I completed my PhD degree while I was teaching with SHU. At SHU, my teaching responsibilities had included classroom, on-line and clinical instructions on the management of adult clients experiencing acute/critical conditions, in both graduate and undergraduate levels. I served as a course coordinator for undergraduate acute adult nursing, health assessment, and synthesis practicum. Also, I was involved with student advisement, and was a member in various college committees. I had a significant contribution in the development of the new Patient Simulation Laboratory at the College of Nursing. Following the completion of my PhD, I decided to take on another career challege, which is obtaining a faculty position in a doctoral/research-extensive university such as Wayne State University (WSU). I was hired by WSU this past June, and I am ranked as an assistant professor, tenure-track, in the department of adult health nursing. I will be teaching "Transition: Professional Nursing Practice" in the fall of 2007, primarily accelerated BSN students (second-degree students). I am excited, and looking forward to the many challenges ahead of me - being a teacher and a scholar. My 5-year goal is to obtain an RO1 funding from the National Institue of Nursing Research at NIH.

2. Aside from teaching, you are also into research. What are your research projects? What are the latest trend in your research specialty?

I've been involved in research for the past several years, as a developer as well as implementor of research projects. For example, I've developed and implemented unit-based studies on ventilator weaning protocols involving postoperative cardiac surgery patients; and CTICU nursing orientation process, which was the impetus for conducting a national survey on this topic. Furthermore, I was a coordinator/sub-investigator on several cutting-edge research involving heart failure, heart transplant, mechanical hearts and cardiac surgical procedure/equipment studies funded by the NIH, pharmaceutical and biomedical companies. While I was directly involved in the management of patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) and in the process of completing my PhD, I explored, described and published the experiences of spouses as caregivers of these patients at home while waiting for heart transplant. I'm proud to say that I was the first nurse to describe such a stressfull, challenging roles and life-transforming events of these spouses. I will take this topic to the next level where I want to involve more reseearch participants, and perhaps add/refine research questions. I am also interested on the contribution of nurses in organizational effectiveness. In this context, I explored the relationship of the nurse managers' leadership styles and nursing unit organizational culture (OC) in acute care hospitals, which was derived from the conceptual framework of leadership and OC as two important explanatory constructs of organizational effectiveness. I will be presenting this research at the Nursing Management Congress in Chicago on September 16-19 this year. Currently, I am collaborating with a senior nurse-scientist at WSU to develop a research project on exploring physiologic variables that may affect the functional status of patients with LVADs. And, at the same time, I am writing a method paper, which discusses an OC measurement instrument and its implication to nurses who are involved in research and performance improvement initiatives. That having said, I am still in the process of defining my program of research, which lends itself to my previous clinical experience. It tentatively pertains to "The interplay of technology (LVAD), care systems and patient outcomes." I know I have a long, long way to go.

3. Any involvement with the local nursing communities:

Well, I just moved here in Michigan last month, and I haven't had the opportunity to reach out the local PNA folks. I was a member of PNA NY and NJ, NY and NJ American Associations of Critical Care Nurses (AACN), Organization of Nurse Executives in NJ, and Sigma Theta Tau Gamma Nu Chapter. However, I have maintained memberships in several nursing and multidisciplinary organizations over the past several years. For example, I've been an AACN member since 1991, the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists since 1996, Society of Critical Care Medicine, and recently the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses.

GFNR Editorial Policy

Global Filipino Nurses Review (GFNR) has strict policies in place to ensure adherence to these principles. We are committed to accurate and balanced reporting. Errors of fact are always promptly corrected and clearly published.

We are committed to reporting the facts and in all situations avoid the use of emotive terms. The only exception is when we are quoting someone directly or in indirect speech. We aim to report objectively actions, identity and background and pay particular attention to all our coverage.

We do not take sides and attempt to reflect in our stories, pictures and video the views of all sides. We are not in the business of glorifying one side or another or of disseminating propaganda. GFNR contributors do not offer their own opinions or views.

Feedback

We do welcome views on how we could improve our news coverage and all correspondence is read by an GFNR Editorial team. In fact we often spot and correct errors faster with the help of sharp-eyed readers.