Ruth Alonzo

I originally started my nursing career in the Philippines at University of Santo Tomas, one of the legit and famous universities back home. I began as a regular staff nurse in a med-surg unit for about 8 months, and then luckily I was offered to be an infection control nurse, which I really liked. My specialty and the love of my passion is psychiatry, which I did for 1 to 2 years. After passing the CGFNS, I came over to America in 1987 to Trey Michael Medical Center in Newark on a working visa. I worked in a very tough mixed unit - oncology, renal, and telemetry - but I was able to manage because my preceptor and everyone was so supportive and very nice. I looked at what was really my passion, and while oncology was so attached to the patient and depressing, I went to telemetry, specifically post-angioplasty unit, pre- and post-angioplasty, and post-open heart. That's where my passion is, up to now actually. I went on to manage a 24-bed telemetry unit for 4 years, then wanted to expand my horizon so I tried case management for one year and also home care as a PRN for 4 years. I also worked as a supervisor in a nursing home, and progressed from nurse manager to administrative supervisor, which is where I retired. Actually semi-retired, because I early retired at 62 as a baby boomer. I retired 3 years ago and I'll be [AGE] by July. Now I'm working in an all-girls high school as a school nurse and I love it. I've completely changed my outlook in life and my health - being a supervisor in the nursing home, I saw old people on medication after medication, and I told my doctor I don't want to end up like that, I want less. My doctor said he hopes all his patients are like me. I lost so much weight, revised everything, go to the gym, and that's why I feel like I'm [AGE]. I share this with my students and my co-workers here, the teachers, and I love them.