While Asian Pacific Islanders are recruited from abroad to fill the increasing need for skilled health professionals in the United States, schools such as the Bay Area College of Nursing are also responding to the demand by educating homegrown Asian American nurses.
The school, formerly Palo Alto Center for Healthcare Education Inc., offers vocational nursing, anatomy and physiology; acute certified nursing assistant; and nursing assistant course programs in Palo Alto and Daly City.
The nursing profession, the largest health care profession in the United States, is experiencing a severe shortage, which is predicted to continue well into the future, said Rachelle Cagampan Mendoza, founder and president of the Bay Area College of Nursing.
“As our population ages and as our health care system becomes increasingly complex, the demand for nursing care becomes more evident,” said Mendoza, a 14-year nursing professional with practical experience in a hospital, home health and primary care environment.
The college’s students include all races and ethnicities, but Filipinos and Asian Americans of Filipino descent make up 90 percent of the student body. Caregivers and nursing assistants from as young as 17 years to as old as 70 years of age are enrolling in the school’s course programs.
“[Our] students can expect commitment from the institution and the faculty in helping them achieve their goal of becoming a competent licensed nurse. We will teach them how to leave an impact on other people’s lives, through the application of their nursing knowledge in a caring and compassionate manner,” she explained.
But the school also goes beyond churning out skilled manpower for the sake of supplying the demand. Mendoza pointed out that the college seeks to maintain the positive traits inherent from Asian culture, while maximizing the use of modern education and resources.
A sense of family and belonging are part of why the school is unique, said faculty member Mary Ann Revilla Bloyer, a certified nurse midwife at Kaiser Permanente in Hayward.
“Working with this particular group of professional educators is like working with family,” said Bloyer. “Because of its two locations, the majority of inquiring potential nursing students are Asians. Most of the faculty are of Filipino descent, and so the students feel like they are ‘at home’ when interacting with the staff or instructors. This hospitality is extended to anyone interested in entering the vocational nursing program.” (source) |
