Joseph Yap, BSN, RN, SRNA
My name is Joe Yap and I am a junior SRNA from Georgetown University. I was born in Davao City, Philippines and moved here to the US in 2003 where I have lived ever since. We were able to move to Maryland from the Philippines because my mother was able to obtain a job as you guessed it, a registered nurse. That was the impetus for me to seek nursing as my future career.
I did not know I wanted to be a CRNA until my junior year of high school when I volunteered at my mother’s hospital. I was volunteering in the pre-op area when my mother introduced me to her friend who was part of her batch of nurses to come to the Philippines. He was a CRNA. When I shadowed him for multiple days, I knew from then on that this was my ultimate goal in life.
Looking back, I would not be in the position I am in now if it were not for the connections between Filipinos and the strong sense of community we share with one another. I want to continue that as a CRNA. I want to give the same opportunity I was given back in high school to prospective Filipinos who want to enter this highly gratifying but challenging field. I believe I can achieve that through my future long time participation with FANAS.
I am currently mentoring a few Filipino ICU nurses to guide them through applying to school because I believe we need more Pinoy representation in this field. I believe in diversifying the nurse anesthesia profession and I resonate with others who share the same sentiment. As a student, I am highly involved with advocacy and policy by serving as the current Student Representative for the AANA CRNA-PAC committee and participating in various events and political fundraisers through my state organization, MANA. I want to learn as much as I can as a student about advocacy and policy so that as a CRNA I will be in a more well-educated and knowledgeable position to not only advocate for the profession itself but to promote diversity and support current and future Filipino CRNAs.