Cherubim and Seraphim are beings that portray personas of knowledge and love for God respectively. If we depict these characteristics by the association in people, I would say they are angels guised as teachers and nurses. While we often overlook their worth in our daily dealings in life, especially when we rely on them for our children’s education and the general well-being of our family’s health, I am inclined to facilitate “trumpeting” their values since we have repeatedly taken them for granted most of the time.
Henceforth, we will be featuring nurses and teachers as they share their own unique experiences in each of their professional activities. Let’s start off with Nurse Julie Ann Tendero Torremoro:
Born in Tigbauan Iloilo Philippines on July 21, 1962, Julie was raised by Atty Julian Tendero and followed her mother Soledad Tendero’s profession as a nurse, as did her sisters Sophia and Susan. Brothers Vic is a UP professor and businessman and Antonio, is a seaman.
When Julie was very young, she went with her mother to the health center and volunteered to check the blood pressure of patients or list their names to cue for doctors to see, among other tasks, she can manage; and right there, she knew what she was “going to be when she grew up”. Julie graduated Bachelor of Science in Nursing at St. Paul College Iloilo in 1983 and initially fulfilled her role as a staff nurse at St. Paul Hospital in the same city.
After passing the NCLEX, she worked at Brownsville Medical Center in Texas. She then took various nursing positions and embodied the role of a nurse from the emergency room to transplant, medical-surgical, telemetry, open heart, observation, and orthopedic and equipped herself to gain proficiency. Forty years later to this day, her dedication to her work as a nurse, conveying patience and understanding towards the sick, children and adults alike, Julie has become an epitome of a healthcare professional. “Being empathetic and caring towards your patients and being compassionate about the care you are delivering is key. “Julie says.
On a lighter note, when asked what her funniest experience as a nurse was, she narrated that when caring for a man from Kentucky she asked, “How’s your breakfast this morning?” He answered, “It’s very good, except for the Kentucky Jelly – I can’t seem to get used to the taste; “. Wondering, she asked to see the jelly and the man pointed at the bedside table. It’s a foil packet labeled “KY Jelly.”