Eric was nominated by one of his patients who values his patience and commitment to his patients. His patient specifically recognized Eric for his concern for her pain, staying with her when she was alone and helping her find alternative methods for managing her pain besides through medication. She wrote, “I knew once he was here I was going to be okay.”
When Eric was growing up in the Philippines he was a fan of the Reader's Digest. His favorite feature was "Laughter is the Best Medicine. Years later, after he became a registered nurse and immigrated to the United States, Eric incorporated the therapeutic benefits of smiling and humor into his interactions with patients. "If you can smile and laugh with the patients, it makes them feel good and releases the endorphins," he says.
Eric decided to go to nursing school, with financial assistance from his aunt, with the idea it would be a good career with a good livelihood. It wasn't long before he realized how much he loved the work. "It's the joy of caring, that's what I like about being a nurse. When you go into a patient's room with a positive attitude, the patients respond. I never go into a patient's room feeling bad. They're already feeling bad, they need me to feel good. You know that expression, 'a smile begets a smile?'"
Eric says what's important to patients, besides a nurse's clinical skills, are a positive attitude, excellent hands-on care, and prompt service, "especially with pain management. And you need to give regular updates to the patients so they know you are following up on what they need.”