Isabela State University and the College of Nursing – Echague tied-up with National Center for Mental Health (NCMH), Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC), and San Lazaro Hospital (SLH) for the RLE of the Nursing Students.

As a defense against the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the majority of educational systems around the world have switched to remote learning methods. Students have expressed that this phenomenon is quite problematic, particularly in the context of developing nations. This essay attempts to depict the challenges faced by university students in the Philippines who are attempting to learn remotely in the wake of the COVID-19 controversy.

Clinical practice in all nursing schools is being tested by the COVID-19 pandemic. Students still need to get practice in a hospital setting despite being infection-aware.

On July 9, 2022, San Lazaro Hospital opted to re-open its doors for Nursing Schools to accept nursing students for their RLE. Pres. Ricmar P. Aquino. PhD of Isabela State University and Prof. Edmelyn B. Cacayan, RN, MSN the Dean are present during the Ceremonial Signing of Memorandum of Agreement. Also present during the MOA signing are Dr. Edmundo B. Lopez, MD, MPH, MHA, the Medical Center Chief II of San Lazaro Hospital.

It was on August of 2023 that these specialty facilities finally open its doors for the students of different nursing schools for their RLE after many years of not accepting students’ during the pandemic time.

The National Center for Mental Health is dedicated to delivering preventive, curative and rehabilitative mental health care services. It is categorized as Special Research Training Center and Hospital under Department of Health on January 30, 1987.  Opted to It has an authorized bed capacity of 4,200 inpatients and served an average of 56,000 outpatients per year.

The San Lazaro Hospital is a tertiary health facility in Manila, Philippines. It is a referral facility for communicable diseases and is one of the retained special tertiary hospitals of the Department of Health and is funded by subsidy from the Philippine national government. It has a bed-capacity of 500.

The Philippine Orthopedic Center is a 700-bed tertiary special hospital under the Department of Health of the Philippines, specializing in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders and serves as a center for trauma and orthopedics.

Level III nursing students of Isabela State University – Echague Campus in their first week of the month-long Manila Summer Affiliation at the San Lazaro Hospital, National Center for Mental Health, and Philippine Orthopedic Center.

Throughout the three (3) weeks of RLE, the students were exposed to different aspects of nursing practices in various healthcare settings, helping them to broaden their knowledge and skills in patient care and medical services.

In addition to their exposure to diverse healthcare settings, the nursing students also had the opportunity to interact with experienced healthcare professionals, observe medical procedures, actively participate in patient care, and experience nurse-patient interaction under proper supervision. This hands-on experience further deepened their theoretical knowledge of real-life situations, allowing them to better understand the nursing profession.