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WGU Graduate Speaker, Jenny Vivian Bascos, Summer 2014

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Title: 
WGU Graduate Speaker, Jenny Vivian Bascos, Summer 2014
Creator: 
Western Governors University
Date: 
2014.07.12
Description: 
<p>Jenny Bascos earned her master's degree in nursing online from Western Governors University and is committed to using her skills and knowledge to continue making a difference in healthcare at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, where she works. Her commencement address at the nonprofit university's 27th semiannual commencement ceremony in Salt Lake City on July 12, 2014, contrasted the innovation in healthcare today with the meager settings in her home country of the Philippines, where she began her career.</p> <p>Jenny Vivian Bascos earned her Master of Science, Nursing - Leadership and Management degree.</p> <p>Transcription of video:</p> <p>Congratulations to my fellow graduates. Even as a young child in the Philippines, I've always been a dreamer and an achiever. I would say out loud what I wanted, and I'd do it. I told myself after graduating from high school, "I am going to the United States," and I did. I had my bachelor's degree in nursing, and it paved my way to success, provided endless opportunities to serve people from different walks of life, and experience nursing in many different perspectives.</p> <p>Today, having completed my Master's Degree in Nursing with Leadership and Management Specialty through Western Governors University, I recall my humble beginnings as a nurse in the third world. Before coming to America, I served as primary nurse at the rural hospital, where equipment and supplies were so scarce. Sutures and needles had to be sterilized for reuse. Gloves were expensive and had to be washed and sterilized for the next patients until they became worn out or torn desperately and had to be thrown away.</p> <p>I also experience serving in a public health field, where I joined several government medical missions. Our team of doctors, nurses, dentists, and pharmacies went to far flanks, underserved areas that can only be reached by boat or by foot to provide free consultations with medicine, simple surgical procedures, and tooth extraction services. A great number of people would patiently wait in line for hours, waiting for the needed help and care. The sigh of relief when they got what they came for, their gratefulness, their smiles and tears of joy just fueled my passion for service.</p> <p>This is completely different than the world of healthcare where I currently work. My heart bleeds as I consider the huge gaps in how we provide health services in different worlds. In the United States, I started out as an RN in a long-term care facility and am now employed as an assistant clinical manager in medical surgical nursing unit at a well-known medical center, part of an integrated healthcare system in Riverside, California. I have come to realize how fortunate we are in this country. I know I cannot change the conditions in my home country, but I know that I can still change something. We always have a choice. I can still make a positive impact in the world I live in now.</p> <p>My nursing experience back home, along with the additional knowledge and skills I have acquired by obtaining my master's degree in nursing, will continue to remind me of my humble beginnings while fueling my passion to excel and lead the improvement of healthcare for those I am now honored to serve. It may be small steps. However, I know I am making a difference.</p> <p>My MSN capstone project on quietness at night in the hospital led me to serving on a committee dedicated to addressing the challenge of noise reduction so patients can get a good night's sleep. I also serve on several other committees, including the Thrive Campaign, which empowers my colleagues to make healthier choices, from taking the stairs at work and other initiatives that inspire staff to stay fit and healthy.</p> <p>Having completed my MSN degree in a short span of 11 months proved to me that everything is possible when I set the goal. Working fulltime, while at the same time being a fulltime wife and mom, along with my fulltime participation in my quest for my master's degree wasn't easy. My mentor, Mary Alice, once told me as I was starting this journey, "It's difficult but doable." She was very honest and supportive from the beginning. Now, I certainly know and fully appreciate what she meant. MSN courses in an online environment require a lot of discipline, determination, and commitment. Time management is of major importance. These were the skills I have learned out of necessity to meet my goal.</p> <p>WGU has designed the MSN degree to be valuable in its entirety. Not only did it bring professional growth and self-worth but the ethics and values that are learned are far more important and lasting. Being able to add the acronym MSN next to my name does not only bring a sense of pride but most especially a reminder that I have to use the acquired knowledge, competency, and confidence to always perform at a high degree of leadership and lead by example.</p> <p>My vision is that of my organization, provide extraordinary care, every patient, every time. My job is to fuel the same passion in the nurses that I lead, to engage them in excellence. My MSN degree also serves as an inspiration to the staff who are aspiring to go back to school and earn a higher degree.</p> <p>More important than my work is my desire to be an inspiration to my young and vibrant boys, Ryan and Ivan, who are with me today, along with my very loving and supporting husband, Reynold. Work-life balance, to me, is extremely important as my family is my priority. They are my inspiration, and they provide strength when I'm extremely challenged at work.</p> <p>I remember one day, as my 11-year-old boy was looking at the trophies and medals he had earned, as well as his dad's and his brother's, and said to me, "Mom, you're the only one in this house who doesn't have any medals nor trophies." His dad replied, as he heard my son talking, "Mom has lots of diplomas and certificates, and did you know that your mom has achieved the highest level of education among us by completing her master's degree in nursing?" And that was the beginning of yet another rich conversation.</p> <p>Today, I am showing my kids what it's like to walk across this stage wearing a cap and gown, along with the many other graduates who have worked so hard to achieve this success. Young kids are our future. So to lead them early on is a sublime virtue. Now, I don't hear my son saying anything about the medals nor trophies. This time, I will hear my boys, who are 11 and 6, say, "Mom, get your doctorate degree." Hmm, talk about inspiring, influencing, and leading by example. I think they get it.</p> <p>I thank WGU and all my mentors for being very supportive. They are very knowledgeable and just amazing people. The books and other study materials would have not been enough to reach the finish line, but the guidance and support of the mentors made this possible. The mentors made this experience a more fulfilling task. It is true. Their only goal is to make you graduate. Thank you very much.</p> <p>[Applause]</p>
Publisher: 
Western Governors University
Rights: 
© 2017 Western Governors University – WGU. All Rights Reserved.
Original Format: 
Commencement Video
Digital Format: 
MP4 (Moving Picture Experts Group)