Laarni C. Florencio MSN RN CNL
Program Director, Continuing Education Center for Professional Nursing Practice
New York Presbyterian Hospital
FEU-IN Batch 1990
In February 2020, I traveled back to my home country at the relative rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. China’s incidences for CORONA virus infection were on the rise and was getting global attention. At the time of my travel, population interventions of social distancing were not fully enforced and the wearing masks in public places were left to one’s discretion. Despite the increasing concern for what now is a global health issue, my arrival in the Philippines was uneventful and was met with so much warmth, hospitality, and generosity. This homecoming was to celebrate and kick start the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife celebrations in the Philippines.
The World Health Organization declared 2020 to be the year to celebrate nurses and midwives all over the world. In this light, the Far Eastern University Institute of Nursing Alumni Foundation in collaboration with the Far Eastern University’s Alumni Relations Office and Institute of Nursing (IN) organized the First International Nursing Conference. To commemorate this grand celebration, the organizers thought it best to align this momentous event with the annual university foundation celebration. The conference brought together alumni experts from various parts of the world with fellow FEU IN graduates, faculty members, nursing students, and other nursing professionals. It was a gathering in support of continuing education and promoting professional development. Returning alumni from overseas shared their expertise in innovative nursing practices that have led to advancements in the nursing profession. I was privileged to be one of the invited guest speakers.
The preparations for the conference were very organized and the organizers were pleasant, accessible, and easy to work with. The Felicidad Eligado lecture series led up to the main event which was the International Conference. The two-day lecture series began on Feb 3, 2020, and catered to nursing academicians (faculty and nursing students) and nursing clinicians (nurses at the frontlines). Both days were well attended and overwhelmingly well received. I had the opportunity to deliver my talk on the first day of the lecture series with fellow alumna, Rizalina Bonuel, PhD, RN, CCRN-E, ACNS-BC, APRN-BC. We interacted with faculty and nursing students from all levels delivering content on Nursing Informatics and Innovations in Nursing Education. The second day of the lecture series took place in a hospital setting led by fellow alumni, Jose Planillo, MSN, MBA, HCM, CCRN, CAPA who discussed Innovations in Surgery. My former classmate, Hilda Uy Forcadela, MSN, CRNA, a Nurse Anesthetist, discussed essential trending practices in Medical Adherence and Pain Management.
The main event commenced at the historic Far Eastern University Auditorium on Feb 5, 2020. The speaker line up was quite impressive. The venue held a little over 1,000 attendees and was full to capacity. It felt good to be back home. The FEU Alumni Relations team did a magnificent job with the welcome.
With the increasing worldwide attention to the Corona virus at the time, the conference’s theme “Transformative Nursing: Towards a World Class and Responsive Healthcare” was so relevant. Our keynote speaker, Mr. Martin Taylor from the World Health Organization, focused his discussion on the importance of nursing and our role in the implementation of a responsive healthcare delivery system to meet the needs of everyone. Speakers Dr. Rizalina Bonuel spoke about innovative nursing practices in varied clinical settings, Dr. Julieta Gabiola’s lecture was on nursing innovation and current technology surrounding population health, Dr. Joemer C. Maravilla discussed the expanding role of nurses in translational research and evidence-based practice, and Nurse Practitioner, Belen Loreto Grand spoke about advances in stress management, holistic approaches, and life coaching. I had the privilege to deliver my lecture on Nursing Education and the 4th Industrial Revolution.
In spite of the circumstances brought by the CORONA virus, the event was seamless and smooth. I was truly fortunate to be part of something epic and memorable as this.