The Search is on...
Everyone was excited before the orientation. However, when the Dean discussed the guidelines of the immersion program, most of us became speechless. I held tight on to my seat...as if I am grasping some air. Much more when he talked about the dissertation... oxygen depleted on that moment. Thanks to the bottle of water which I bought infront of the school; it quenched my thirst and made me feel a bit relax. Doc Ruji gave an inspirational message on how we can get through with our dissertation, starting from defending our title up to the final defense. That message made me rise from the deep pit of “what to do next”. I was enlightened by a short reminder given by the good Dean, “Don’t reinvent the wheel!” That’s already enough for me to have that much needed lift.
After the orientation on that same week, I was eager to submit my application as an immersion student to the company I prefer, Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center. It is one of the best hospitals at the heart of Ilocos Norte. It’s my first choice because all my research papers during the past semesters had something to do with health care with the integration of wireless technology. I am hoping that my actual immersion in the hospital would help me in my future research area.
Together with my classmate, we submitted our application at the Chief of the Hospital Office. They told us to come back after 2-3 days. We were endorsed by the Chief of the Hospital to the Training Committee. We discussed some details regarding the immersion proper, however the Department Head of the training committee can’t decide on that moment. She told us that she will send an email to the Dean for some queries and clarifications on April 8. We followed up after 3 days, however she doesn’t have an answer yet. We came back before the Holy week, unfortunately she told us that there was no reply yet from the Dean. Maybe Doc Ruji took his vacation for the Lenten; that's what we think. We asked Mam Lyn if she could convey the message to Doc Ruji. We texted her several times but she told us that she already forwarded our messages to our Dean. We told ourselves that we will just wait for the first meeting on April 22, so that we will bring the matter ourselves to the Dean. We told him that there is an email sent by the Training Committee of the hospital to which we submit our application. After the class, the Dean gave us time and he replied to the email.
Monday, April 24, we went back to the company to follow up. The secretary told us that the Department Head is not around because she is preparing to go to Manila for 5 days. However, she also told us that there is already a recommendation forwarded to the Chief of the Hospital Office. The secretary showed us the way to the CoH office. The Chief is having a meeting that moment, so the letter was handed to us by her staff. We were so excited to open the letter. At last, after a long wait, here it is. “We regret to inform you that we do not have the means yet to impart to you the competencies output required by your immersion program.” Oouch!!! We were not ready for that answer… but we need to move on.
