RIYADH, 18 October — The bad thing about this world is that diseases keep cropping up.

But the good thing is that there are always nurses and other health professionals to take care of those taken ill.

Because of this gargantuan responsibility, nurses were told during a symposium last Friday to keep themselves abreast of the latest developments and technologies.

Organized by the Filipino Nurses Society in Saudi Arabia (Filnasa), the symposium dealt with the theme "Challenges of the professional Filipino Nurse as they face the 21st century."

Deidrey Kearney, head nurse of the MSICU of King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, talked about Globalization in Nursing as a Profession.

Alina N. Articulo, head nurse of MSICU (East) of (KFSH&RC), dealth on Improving the Image of Professional Nursing -- the Strategies.

The other topics and resource persons were:

• The Challenge in Leading People, by Irene C. Roman, nursing instructor of the Education Training Affairs, Security Forces Hospital (SFH);

• Research — a Challenge of the Filipino Nurse in the 21st Century, by Oliva P. Arcala, head nurse of the NICU of SFH.

• Ethics and Culture Contemporary Challenges, by Ma. Luisa Medina, and Ferdie Urrutia and Edsel Manucot;

• Take Responsibility for your Professional Satisfaction, by Elisa Serrano, acting head nurse at King Khaled University Hospital.

• Professional Self-Assessment, by Nora Escalante, head nurse of infection control of the Dallah Hospital;

• Develop Short Term Objectives, by Edna Torricampo, head nurse - OB-Gyne, SFH

• Reprogram Your Self-Image to Your Desired Professional-Image, by Jose Edsel Manucot.

The day-long symposium was held at the Recreation Center auditorium of the Dallah Hospital. The event was in celebration of the first year anniversary of Filnasa, the foreign chapter of the prestigious Philippine Nurses Association (PNA)

Synchronized to also celebrate the Filipino Nurses month of October, the free symposium was generously supported by Dallah Hospital executive manager Tawfiq I. Al-Mugni and nursing director K. Lan Bae Freiha.