By Alvin John Gustilo (BSN 2012)
Dr. Laurie N. Gottlieb of McGill University was the speaker of the webinar on Strengths-Based Nursing and Healthcare.
CPU College of Nursing (CPUCN), the First Nursing School in the Philippines together with the Central Philippine University, Capiz Emmanuel Hospital, and Iloilo Mission Hospital Nurses’ Alumni Association (CCINAA) facilitated the webinar on Strengths-Based Nursing and Healthcare (SBNH) with the theme: Caring, Compassion and Resiliency amidst the Pandemic, the CCINAA Strengths-Based Way.
Laurie N. Gottlieb, PhD, RN and a professor at Ingram School of Nursing, McGill University, Canada was the proponent of the Strengths-Based Nursing theory and also the resource speaker of the said event. This initiative on Continuing Professional Development was conducted in line with the celebration of the National Nurse’s Week celebration of the Philippines which is usually celebrated in the third or last week of October of each year. This is in line with the mantra of the Dean of the College- Atty. Salex E. Alibogha of, “Rise and Shine”- repositioning the College of Nursing during the pandemic.
The webinar was held on October 20, 2021 via Zoom web conference. It started with an opening prayer lead by Prof. Rona L. Idemne. Prof. Annalie D Gilongos, CCINAA president gave the opening remarks. Prof. Lena O. Giron introduced the speaker. Dr. Sarla F. Duller presented the CCINAA and CPUCN SBNH initiatives. After which, Prof. Herme A. Borlado facilitated the interactive forum. Ms. Elyssa D. Baldon, student council governor shared her insights with SBNH. Atty. Salex E. Alibogha, Dean of the CPUCN gave the closing remarks and Prof. Weni Marie V. Braza led the closing prayer.
The webinar was interactive wherein students from the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program and Master of Arts in Nursing (MAN) program of the University gave their presentations on Strengths-Based Nursing and Healthcare. Dr. Gottlieb also shared valuable concepts and ideas with how Strengths-Based Nursing and Healthcare works and its application to the nursing profession in general. Also, during the open forum, there was a lively discussion with different questions raised by the participants and the speaker clearly answered their queries. A certificate of appreciation was given to the resource speaker as well as the presenters of the webinar after their interactive deliberations. The webinar ended with 452 active participants.
The College of Nursing has been adopting “Strengths- Based Nursing and Health Care” in coping with the challenges of the pandemic. More collaboration with Canadian Nurse’s Association has been explored. It can be previously recalled that the team was among the 12 countries who was also invited to share his insights on the CPUCN lived experiences on strengths – based nursing as framework for nursing education and practice last August, 2021 during the International Conference of the Canadian Nurses’ Association.
Behind this initiative are three active alumni from Canada and USA – Mrs. Maggie B. Calcetas- Class 1962, Mrs. Easter T. Arora- Class 1963 and Prof. Geoffrey C. Leysa- Class 1991.