I became a licensed nurse in the Philippines in 2007 and passed NCLEX in 2008, but I didn’t have the opportunity to land a job in the medical field due to personal reasons and instead landed a different job, whichwas totally different from nursing. I had started building a career in the world of customer service and started to have a family of my own in theprocess, until I realized that I felt empty and that I was no longer happy with what I was doing. I realized that all through those years, the nursing professionhaunted me and subconsciously made me incomplete as an individual. I had no sense of direction until I came across Health Carousel in 2018 on one of thesocial media platforms. I sent them a message, and someone gave me a call, and I was referred to one of their IDAs in the Philippines. I remember the application process being tedious; I was required to work bedside as one of the basic requirements to be accepted into the program and to keep me abreast of the nursing profession. Back then, my full-time job was my bread and butter, and I just couldn’t give up my work; otherwise, my family would starve to death. I got overwhelmed in the process and was shattered to review IELTS when I got home from work, and in the long run, my case got abandoned. It was devastating on my part that I couldn’t even start a single step to fulfill my dream of becoming a nurse due to some obvious personal reasons, and I was very ashamed at the time that Health Carousel had to cast aside my application.

It was a blessing in disguise when the COVID pandemic happened because it gave me the opportunity to quit my previous job and get back on track. I was in euphoria when Health Carousel still considered my application when I told them that I had started working as a nurse and would continue to fulfill my American dream. I am so thankful to the advisors and to Health Carousel, who handled my case, because they never gave up on me despite what I’ve been through. I would like to express my gratitude to Sir Vaughn for being so responsive and professional in responding to my queries. He has been an instrument in fulfilling my dreams and aspirations of becoming a nurse in America. To all nurses out there who wish and want to become nurses in the USA, just keep holding on to that dream, be patient because it’s a long process, and be resolute and compassionate enough to practice nursing in your home country because this will hone your skills and make you embrace and love the nursing profession even more. I would like to end this story by stating an adage from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “It is not about the destination but about the journey’’. So, there you go. Trust, enjoy, and learn the process of reaching your goal rather than relying purely on the result. All the best!

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