Ralph Lauren T. Figueroa is the Section Head, Critical Care Units and Specialty Centers, Western Visayas Medical Center, Iloilo City, Philippines. In 2025 Ralph completed an FNF Global Scholarship and here he talks about his experience and the impact it has had on himself, his patients and wider community.
My Path to Purpose: Stories of Nursing, Leadership, and Lifelong Learning
“I’m Ralph Lauren T. Figueroa, and my story in nursing began long before I ever stepped into a critical care unit. What started as a simple desire to care for others has grown into a deeply fulfilling career rooted in service, leadership, and continuous learning.
Today, I serve as the Section Head of the Critical Care Units and Specialty Centers at Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC), Philippines, where I oversee dynamic teams dedicated to delivering high-quality, compassionate care. My work spans from managing complex clinical environments to nurturing the next generation of nursing professionals through training, mentorship, and research. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working across multiple critical care settings, and each experience has shaped the nurse and leader I am today. From hands-on bedside care to steering organizational improvement initiatives, I’ve learned that excellence in healthcare is built on teamwork, integrity, and the willingness to constantly evolve.
The Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF) Scholarship offered a meaningful opportunity to learn how to lead improvement work with clarity, empathy, and shared purpose. The programme brought together nursing leaders who understood the realities of front-line care. Through reflective learning, structured coaching, and peer connections, leadership began to feel less like an individual burden and more like a collective journey, growing together with others who share a commitment to patient wellbeing.
The Quality Improvement (QI) project I completed as part of the scholarship, WE CARE for CAP (Working for Efficient Collaborative Approaches and Recovery Enhancement for Community-Acquired Pneumonia), was developed at WVMC in Iloilo City, Philippines. A focused care bundle, strengthened by the development of a clinical pathway, became the anchor of our daily routine. It promoted timely clinical assessments, the careful and appropriate use of antibiotics, and communication with patients and families that was both clear and compassionate. Discharge planning also began on the very first day, ensuring everyone stayed aligned with the patient’s overall care journey. Alongside these, we introduced practical system improvements that supported the workflow. The rationalized operating hours for the Billing Section helped streamline patient processing, while the development of a Bed Tracker System improved visibility and coordination across units. Together, these changes created a more organized, responsive, and patient-centered environment. Through this collaborative effort, the average hospital stay decreased from eight days to five days, helping patients recover faster and improving hospital efficiency.
Beyond the project, the scholarship opened doors for continued growth. It encouraged active participation in wider quality improvement discussions and inspired colleagues to begin their own initiatives. Collaboration between nurses, physicians, and administrators grew stronger, creating a more connected and supportive healthcare culture.
The most impactful aspect of the FNF experience was the encouragement toward reflective leadership. Coaching sessions provided time to think clearly, face challenges with honesty, and make purposeful decisions. Peer sessions offered encouragement and reminded each participant that leadership can be calm, steady, and rooted in compassion. The scholarship nurtured confidence to advocate for collaboration and reaffirmed the idea that nurses can lead meaningful, lasting change.
The work continues with commitment and purpose. The next steps include maintaining the progress achieved, adapting the care bundle for patients with complex needs, and sharing the learning with other hospitals in the region. The goal is consistent, to create care environments where patients feel supported, families feel guided, and staff work with confidence and clarity.
As I look back on my time with the Florence Nightingale Foundation’s Global Leadership Programme, I keep returning to one simple realization: this experience changed me in ways I didn’t expect. It pushed me to think differently, to speak with more clarity, and to lead with a deeper sense of purpose. It reminded me why I chose this profession in the first place and why I continue to fight for better care, better systems, and better opportunities for the people we serve.
What surprised me most wasn’t the lectures or the materials. It was the people. Nurses from all walks of life, each bringing their own stories, struggles, and victories. There is something incredibly powerful about being in a room where everyone wants to grow, where everyone wants to make things better, where everyone believes that nursing can shape the future. You don’t just learn from the programme; you learn from each other.
If you’re reading this and you’ve ever felt that pull to do more, to step up, to stretch yourself beyond what you thought you were capable of, I hope you listen to it. These opportunities don’t just build leaders; they uncover them.
So go to FNF events. Send in that application. Put your name forward even if your voice shakes a little. You’ll never know what doors will open until you take that first step.
And who knows? The next story shared, the next idea that sparks a breakthrough, the next leader who inspires others, it might be you.”
If you would like to apply for one of our Leadership Programmes, find out more here.