Article Author: Penny Garcia
This May, we are celebrating Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Two significant
historical events occurred in May for Asian Pacific Americans. In May 1843, the first Japanese
immigrated to the United States and in May 1869, the transcontinental railroad was completed with
many of the workers being Chinese immigrants. These events opened the pathway for Asian Pacific
Americans to earn success and prosperity in the United States. Their contributions to building up this
exceptional country should be acknowledged and celebrated for all time.
One of the many contributions of Asian Pacific Americans is their roots and footprints in the nursing
field. According to nursejournal.org, Asian Pacific Americans make up 8.5% of healthcare workers
and the American Association of Colleges and Nurses indicates that 8% of those are RNs. Filipinos
have a long history of nursing that goes back to 1898. Nursing schools were built in the Philippines
to teach western medicine and many Filipinas were sent to the U.S. to aid in Post-World War II.
Nursing became a way for many Filipinos to earn money in the U.S. to send back to their families in
the Philippines.
The history of famous nurses includes many Asian Pacific Americans who paved the way for
generations to come. Anastacia Giron-Tupas was one of those Filipino nurses in World War II who
helped build the foundation for nursing education, developing the first curriculum for a Bachelor of
Science in Nursing. Rose Lim Luey was a Chinese nurse who was a founding member of Asian
Health Services. In 1951, she was one of the first Chinese Americans to graduate from the Samuel
Merritt Hospital School of Nursing. Throughout her career, Luey’s bilingual skills enabled her to help
Chinese Americans as well as Vietnamese immigrants. Then there was Kazue Togasaki, the first
Japanese American to become a doctor in the U.S. She was sent to an Internment camp during
World War II where she offered medical services and delivered babies.
Asian Pacific Americans have been the target of discrimination all throughout history and most
recently these racist attacks have been in the headlines. COVID has played a part in this hatred and
fear but the true source of any type of discrimination is the lack of respect for those that we cannot
relate to or understand. By teaching the generations to come about the history and achievements of
all ethnicities, we can instill a perception of respect and admiration for those who would otherwise be
perceived as strangers. This is an important step in ending racism.
Nursing is not an easy career and takes someone who has both a heart for helping people and a
strong work ethic. Since these are honorable qualities within the Asian Pacific American culture, it is
no wonder why they make the most dedicated and compassionate nurses.