If you’ve found your way here, I’m really glad you’re here. Welcome to Shifts and Scrubs.
I started this blog during the quiet moments. The moments that come after a long shift, when my feet ache, my mind feels heavy, and I finally have the space to sit with my thoughts. Sometimes it was late at night. Sometimes it was on my day off. Often, it was when homesickness crept in unexpectedly, even on days when everything seemed fine.
I’m a Filipino nurse working in the NHS, and Life, Shifts and Scrubs is my way of making sense of everything that comes with that life.
Why I Chose to Work in the UK
Like many Filipinos, working abroad was always part of the dream — not because leaving home is easy, but because staying sometimes limits how far you can grow. For me, the UK represented an opportunity to develop professionally as a nurse within a structured healthcare system, one that values continuous learning, patient safety, and evidence-based practice.
The NHS offered exposure to different standards of care, clear clinical governance, and opportunities to grow in confidence and competence. It also offered better recognition for the skills, responsibility, and emotional labour that nursing demands — something many Filipino nurses quietly carry without complaint.
But beyond career growth, my decision to work in the UK was deeply personal. I wanted to build a better future for my family back home. I wanted to be able to support them in ways that would not have been possible if I had stayed. That choice came with sacrifice — missed milestones, celebrations celebrated through video calls, and moments when the distance felt heavier than expected.
Living and working in the UK taught me that gratitude and loneliness can exist at the same time. I am thankful for the opportunities I’ve been given, and yet there are days when I deeply miss home. Both feelings are valid. Both are part of this journey.
Why This Blog Exists
This blog exists because so many parts of nursing life — especially the experiences of Filipino nurses working abroad— remain unspoken.
There is the pressure of adjusting to a new healthcare system while trying to prove that you belong.
The effort it takes to communicate in a second language, especially when emotions are high and time is limited.
The quiet pride of wearing scrubs in a country far from home.
The loneliness that can sit beside gratitude.
The faith, resilience, and sacrifices that Filipino nurses carry with them wherever they go.
I wanted to create a space where I could be honest — not just about the clinical side of nursing, but about the human side of it. The long shifts that blur into one another. The self-doubt that surfaces in quiet moments. The small wins that no one else sees. The patients who stay with you long after the shift ends. The reality of building a life in a foreign country while still holding tightly to home.
This space is especially for Filipino nurses and internationally educated nurses who may feel unseen or unheard. Many of us arrive full of hope, carrying not just our qualifications, but the expectations of our families and the weight of starting over. We learn new systems, new accents, and new cultures — often while trying to convince ourselves that we are capable, competent, and deserving of our place.
I know how isolating that can feel.
But Life, Shifts and Scrubs isn’t only for nurses. It’s also for students who are still dreaming, for loved ones of healthcare workers, and for anyone curious about what nursing life truly looks like beyond the uniform. The reality isn’t always inspiring or polished — but it is real.
