A few months ago, I unluckily sprained my ankle while standing on a corner when suddenly a person was running and accidentally hit me down to the ground. It was quite unexpected, though. I was in Compostela, Cebu – very far from the nearest clinic and just a few (probably 200 meters) away from the local “sari-sari store.” Good thing they were selling ice there so I had no choice but to nurse myself at that point in time. 
The orange bandage was ripped cloth tied together.
Being a frequent traveler, having a great background in Nursing and well, being a Registered Nurse with an awesome “professional license to practice” comes in really handy anywhere and everywhere. How?
#1 – Emergency Preparedness
This is scary (for me) because I don’t really like emergency situations, all the more when we’re dealing with life and death situations. Nothing serious has happened yet and hopefully nothing will – because usually, I panic. That’s just it. Having knowledge about what to do in a given situation is already innate in nurses and of course, it could be of great help when we’re on the road. One powerful thing is always being focused on what to do first – and that’s all that matters, anyway.
#2 – Medicine Kit
If you’ll check my backpack, there’s one pocket where I stuff my “in case of emergency” mini bag. There’s a little kit there with an array of medications, bandages, patches, sprays, lightweight stethoscope (that looks like a toy), and dismantled sphygmomanometer – whatever necessary. I don’t know, it’s better to be prepared than never, right? And whenever I run out, I just buy from the local pharmacy to re-stock. 
#3 – Community Involvement
I remember when I was in Negros. I got to interview a young girl with a congenital heart defect and seconds later she just passed out. A few minutes later she was ok again – unexplainable yet very scary when put on the spot knowing that you’re a nurse and all that. I was also able to check the vitals of some natives, give health teachings to the people living there, and do all those things I learned back in college. It was awesome!
Dragging the injured foot uphill. lol!
#4 – General Skills Application
Of course, I never regretted having a degree in Nursing. It helped a lot especially in my therapeutic communication skills with different types of people along the road. Generally, assessment worked wonders! Try applying that before engaging in a conversation with a stranger – that’s where Psychology class came in handy as well. It’s really fun seeing myself doing “nursing” things well, not really in a hospital setting but actually in my real life! 
If we bump into each other someday and you need some medications for your recurring headache, just ask and I’ll hand you a few. 
Well, getting sick on the road is not necessarily a problem. Though, being sick at home is pretty much different. lol! This “education” is simply useful. Just saying… haha!
At age 22, I ditched my future as a nurse and decided to be a full time web designer to 
