One day focused on hiring nurses as St. Luke’s marks Nurses Week

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St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) in Bonifacio Global City dedicated the first day of its 2022 Nurses Week celebration to hiring nurse applicants

Nurses Week runs from June 6 to 9.

Successful applicants from the provinces will get six months’ free accommodation at a condotel. All successful applicants get a P10,000 signing bonus, groceries, and a pair of shoes by Japanese sports brand ASICS.

“These are things that will make them feel welcome,” Ma. Martina Geraldine Q. Dimalibot, SLMC’s chief nursing officer, told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of the event. “The free accommodation …we came up with because it was something that made applicants think twice [about accepting the job offer].”

Started in 2010, Nurses Week is celebrated every year in SLMC’s Bonifacio Global City and Quezon City locations to recognize the dedication and hard work of its nurses.

“Our nurses always play a critical role in patient care,” Dr. Arturo S. De La Peña, president and CEO of SLMC, said in a press statement. “Celebrating Nurses Week is one way for us to express our gratitude and give back to our nurses who tirelessly give their time and effort to the hospital and the patients they take care of.”

Each of the hospital’s about 2,000-strong nursing staff will receive P5,000 shopping vouchers from ASICS, a gift of steak and wine, and a limited edition “I am a St. Luke’s Nurse” AquaFlask tumbler during the celebration.

They will also recieve free hair treatments and body massages during the celebration.

Apart from Nurses Week, the hospital also gives its nursing staff year-round perks — including pay for work exceeding 12 hours in addition to overtime pay, Ms. Dimalibot said.

At the height of COVID-19, SLMC’s management likewise provided free transportation, free meals, free vitamins, and complete protective equipment for all its associates.

“We also have the ongoing Cope lines, which is [a channel] nurses can turn to when they feel down,” Ms. Dimalibot told BusinessWorld. “They can call, and someone will help them process their feelings.”

It’s caring for the caregivers, she added.

“They stuck with us and never turned their backs from our patients…,” said Ms. Dimalibot, herself a fellow nurse. “Everyone understands that nurses are the backbone of the hospital.”

SLMC is the first hospital in the Philippines to receive the Pathway to Excellence designation from the American Nurses and Credentialing Center (ANCC). The designation is awarded to hospitals that meet ANCC’s six key practice standards in shared decision-making, leadership, safety, quality, well-being, and professional development. — Patricia Mirasol