THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 23, 1996 TAG: 9602220136
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JO-ANN CLEGG, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
FOR THE PAST 18 years members of the Philippine Nurses Association of Hampton Roads have been serving the area in the manner one would expect from a group of competent, caring professionals.
According to Venus Tomaneng, now in her second year as president of the organization, they're committed to providing free health screenings and education to the community and to serving as a place where Philippine nurses can network and share educational opportunities.
Tomaneng, the associate director of nursing at Lake Taylor Hospital, has been involved with the group for more than 10 years.
Among the projects to which members have donated free nursing services are the Chesapeake Care Clinic, Operation Smile and a program organized by Philippine medical professionals to provide screenings and care for those without medical resources on the Eastern Shore and Tangier Island.
Once a year the group honors its own by recognizing an outstanding member and by awarding a scholarship to a Filipino-American studying to enter the profession.
This year's winners were Norma Bariso, a registered nurse and co-owner of the Virginia Beach-based Best and Dependable Home Health Care Agency, and Maggie Constante, a Princess Anne High School graduate currently studying nursing at Norfolk State University.
Bariso, like many association members, received her training in the Philippines. A 1963 graduate of the Luzon College School of Nursing, she came to this country with her husband, Gene, a retired Navy master chief petty officer who is now an executive sales director for Surety Life.
``I've been in nursing for 33 years,'' Bariso said, ``except that I got a reprieve when I had my children.'' Her son, Ray, is with a major communications corporation in New Jersey. Her daughter, Melanie, is a student at TCC who is considering going into the sports medicine field.
Prior to starting her own business Bariso worked in the Intensive Care Unit at Chesapeake General for 11 years. Realizing the need for home health care staff, she and her partners opened Best and Dependable in 1988.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Bariso was also recognized for her contributions to professional organizations. She is a past president of the local nursing association and has been on the executive board of the national organization, the Philippine Nurses Association of America, for the past four years.
She is also active in a number of state and local home health care groups, including the Virginia Association for Home Care and the Hampton Roads Home Care Association.
For Constante, the decision to go into the nursing field has been a gradual one. For most of the time since she graduated from high school in 1987 she has worked full time as a waitress while attending college.
``I considered a lot of majors,'' she said, ``premed, predentistry and fine arts.'' In the end, it was nursing that won out.
She learned firsthand what the profession was all about from her mother, Victoria, who is now on the staff at Lake Taylor.
``My mom never pressured me. I just used to watch her and want to know all of the things that she had to know,'' said Maggie Constante. Like the Barisos, it was military duty that brought her family to Hampton Roads. Her father, Gabriel, is also a retired Navy man.
Now that she has decided to get her nursing degree, Constante is still not sure exactly what kind of nursing she'll be doing. She expects that she'll eventually be getting a master's degree, followed, perhaps, by certification as a nurse practitioner.
She's well aware that the studies are hard and the tangible rewards are somewhat limited. ``It's not a good paying job,'' Constante admitted with a smile.
Still, she and Bariso agree that pursuing a nursing career is well worth the effort. ``The (school) work is hard and you get frustrated sometimes, but I love what I'm learning,'' Constante said.
``Helping people, that's the best part of it,'' said Bariso. ``It's wonderful when you see your patient get better.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by JO-ANN CLEGG
This year's winners were Norma Bariso, left, a registered nurse and
co-owner of the Virginia Beach-based Best and Dependable Home Health
Care Agency, and Maggie Constante, a Princess Anne High School
graduate currently studying nursing at Norfolk State University.
by CNB