After the pandemic reshaped everything, health care looked like a field that would always matter. I thought, what if this could be my next step? Maybe in Europe or the Americas, where healthcare professionals are in demand. So when FI (Success Wisdom) rolled out a promotion for admission to their Nursing Assistant program, I took the opportunity to learn.

I paid for my uniform, ID card, registration fee, and joined a class of fellow OFWs in white scrubs, all curious and nervous.

We practiced on anatomy models, laughed nervously through our first lessons, and began to see ourselves differently, not just as workers abroad, but as students again.

Lessons are demanding, and they require a sharp memory to remember medical terminology. Not to mention the abbreviations, medical theory, practices, and technology.

Midway through the program, the institute got into issues with KHDA, and that’s when things shifted. We suddenly found ourselves online, with Zoom discussions, Google Meet exams, and later on, visited the campus without wearing a uniform to perform return demonstrations at the institute after work hours. It wasn’t easy, knowing that the instructor demo was done online and we had to do it actual. The photo below is with my classmates after a demo class, tired but surviving.

Stress and survival, sharing a meal after long nights of practice.

Tuition issues and doubts about the institution’s accreditation process prevented me from attending the graduation ceremony. However, I am watching it on live broadcast, and a classmate sent me a video snap of the ceremony, my name flashed on the projector as the Top 2 of our class. All the sleepless nights and practicing paid off.

Our class decided to take our BLS Training at Al Resalah Consultancies and Training in Dubai, near Abu Hail Station. It cost around 350 AED, and we earned what mattered most, accredited certifications in Basic Life Support (BLS) and Adult First Aid with CPR/AED under the American Safety & Health Institute.

The practical drills became our anchor. We learned how to splint a broken arm with improvised cloth, how to press steady compressions on a chest during CPR, and how to work as a team with oxygen masks and AED equipment.

Learning to improvise care with whatever’s available.

Drills that tested both skill and teamwork.

Preparing for emergencies at every age.

It wasn’t just a study. It was survival, in more ways than one. We were juggling work shifts, paying bills, and allocating time to learn something completely new.

And that training? It was solid. Clear, practical, and internationally valid until September 2025. It gave us something no paper from any school could replace: the ability to step in and save a life.

As of this writing, I have never used my skills in a hospital or home care setting. But I walked away with something more useful: skills, confidence, and a reminder that OFWs can carve out new paths even in imperfect circumstances.

To my fellow OFWs: don’t wait for the “right” time to invest in yourself. Whether you’re after a career shift or just knowledge to strengthen your own well-being, take the shot.

Because education, no matter how messy or unconventional, is never wasted.