Questions · Filipino nurses
Questions for Filipino nurses, for the break room and after the shift
Filipino nurses have worked in hospitals from New Jersey to London to Riyadh for generations, often on night shift, often far from family. These questions are not about patients or charts. They are for the people on the break with you, and for after you clock out.
- 16 questions
- EN + TL on every card
- Free in the app
Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.
How do you usually unwind after a long day?
Paano ka usually nagpapahinga pagkatapos ng mahabang araw?
Everyone has a different way of landing after a full day. It can be quiet, active, social, or very simple.
Iba-iba tayo ng paraan mag-settle after a long day. Puwedeng tahimik, active, may kasama, o simple lang.
The questions
16 questions for nurses, from break room to the drive home
Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.
On the 3 a.m. break
5 questions
Light and silly, for a fifteen-minute break when your brain is fried.
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While waiting for food, a ride, or someone late, how do you pass the time?
Habang naghihintay ng pagkain, sasakyan, o late na tao, paano mo pinapalipas yung oras?
Back of the card
Waiting brings out our tiny survival styles. Some people scroll, some observe, and some start making stories in their head.
Lumilitaw yung tiny survival style natin kapag naghihintay. May nag-scroll, may nag-oobserve, may gumagawa na ng kwento sa isip.
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Would you rather know the exact weather or the exact traffic before leaving home?
Bago umalis, alin ang gusto mong siguradong alam: lagay ng panahon o lagay ng traffic?
Back of the card
Imagine you check before a day out. What would you pack differently?
Isipin na nag-check ka bago ang lakad. Ano ang iibahin mo sa mga dadalhin mo?
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Give one household chore the power to finish itself. Which chore disappears?
Kung may isang gawaing-bahay na kusang matatapos, alin ang pipiliin mo?
Back of the card
The chore is already done. Finish: "Now I can..."
Tapos na ang gawaing iyon. Ituloy: "Ngayon, puwede na akong..."
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Pick a tiny superpower that would make things easier.
Pick one tiny superpower na magpapadali ng ginagawa mo.
Back of the card
Tiny superpowers are best when they solve tiny annoyances. Not every power needs a cape; some just need shorter lines.
Best ang tiny superpowers kapag tiny annoyances ang sinosolve. Hindi lahat kailangan ng cape; minsan shorter lines lang.
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If you could pause time, when would you use it?
Kung kaya mong i-pause ang oras, kailan mo ito gagamitin?
Back of the card
During the pause, would you rush to do something or enjoy the quiet?
Habang naka-pause, may mamadaliin ka bang gawin o mae-enjoy mo ang katahimikan?
After the shift
6 questions
For unwinding, resting and admitting how tired you are.
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How do you usually unwind after a long day?
Paano ka usually nagpapahinga pagkatapos ng mahabang araw?
Back of the card
Everyone has a different way of landing after a full day. It can be quiet, active, social, or very simple.
Iba-iba tayo ng paraan mag-settle after a long day. Puwedeng tahimik, active, may kasama, o simple lang.
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What helps you settle down after a full day?
Ano ang nakakatulong sa'yo mag-settle after a full day?
Back of the card
The way you come down from a full day matters. Small rituals can help your mind know it is safe to rest.
Mahalaga rin kung paano ka bumababa from a full day. Kahit maliit na ritual, puwedeng signal na safe nang magpahinga.
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Which kind of rest would help you most this week?
Anong klaseng pahinga ang pinaka-makakatulong sa'yo this week?
Back of the card
Rest is not always sleep. Sometimes it is quiet, help, laughter, less noise, or permission to stop proving.
Hindi laging tulog ang pahinga. Minsan quiet, tulong, tawanan, less noise, o permiso na tumigil muna sa pagpapatunay.
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Name one thing that can wait until tomorrow.
Magbanggit ng isang bagay na puwedeng maghintay hanggang bukas.
Back of the card
Not everything needs today's strength. Letting one thing wait can be a practical kind of kindness.
Hindi lahat kailangan ng lakas mo today. Minsan praktikal na kindness yung hayaan munang maghintay ang isang bagay.
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After a busy or tiring season, how can people tell that you’ve actually rested?
After ng busy o nakakapagod na season, paano malalaman ng mga tao na nakapagpahinga ka talaga?
Back of the card
Real rest often shows up quietly: more patience, more jokes, clearer thoughts, or simply a softer face.
Madalas tahimik lang makita ang tunay na pahinga: mas mahaba ang pasensya, mas may jokes, mas malinaw mag-isip, o mas maaliwalas lang.
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Describe what you usually do when you feel emotionally or mentally full.
I-describe kung ano usually mong ginagawa kapag emotionally or mentally puno ka na.
Back of the card
Your first response to being full can teach you a lot. It may be asking for gentleness, space, or help.
May tinuturo yung unang response mo kapag puno ka na. Baka kailangan mo ng lambing, space, o tulong.
Why you’re here
5 questions
For the nurses’ group or a long drive with a coworker who gets it.
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After finishing something hard, how do you usually celebrate or recover?
Kapag natapos mo ang mahirap na bagay, paano ka usually nagse-celebrate o nagre-recover?
Back of the card
Finishing something hard deserves a landing. Some people mark it loudly; some just need a quiet exhale.
Kapag may natapos kang mahirap, kailangan din ng landing. May nagse-celebrate nang malakas; may tahimik na hinga lang.
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During a busy week, what signs tell you that you are still doing okay?
Kapag busy ang week, anong signs ang nagsasabi sa'yo na okay ka pa naman?
Back of the card
Your signs may be small: sleep, patience, appetite, humor, or the ability to answer messages without dread.
Puwedeng maliit lang yung signs: tulog, pasensya, gana kumain, humor, o kaya mong sumagot ng messages nang hindi mabigat.
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What might you need to say no to, pause, or limit so your week feels lighter?
Ano yung kailangan mong hihindian, i-pause, o limitahan para mas gumaan ang week mo?
Back of the card
A boundary is not always a wall. Sometimes it is a small line that helps you stay present and honest.
Hindi laging pader ang boundary. Minsan maliit na line lang siya para mas present at honest ka.
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Where are you spending energy that you wish you could save?
Saan napupunta ang energy mo na sana naiipon mo na lang?
Back of the card
Energy is limited, even when love or responsibility is real. Noticing the drain is the first step toward caring for it.
Limited ang energy, kahit totoo ang love o responsibility. Kapag napansin mo kung saan ka nauubos, mas maalagaan mo siya.
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Who taught you a work or school habit you still use, and what was it?
Sino yung nagturo sa'yo ng work o school habit na gamit mo pa rin, at ano yun?
Back of the card
Some habits come from people who modeled them first. Their way of doing things can quietly become part of yours.
May habits na galing sa taong nauna lang magpakita. Tahimik mong nadadala yung style nila hanggang maging part na rin ng style mo.
How to use them
Before you ask
Filipino nurses have been part of US hospitals since the exchange visitor programs of the 1950s and 1960s, and today they work across the US, Canada, the UK, the Middle East and beyond. Many are OFWs supporting family back home; many are second-generation nurses whose titas were nurses too. What they share is long shifts, short breaks and not much time to talk about anything but work.
These questions are for that small window. On a night-shift break, use the silly ones: there is no energy for depth at 3 a.m. After the shift, the questions about rest and pressure give a coworker room to say they’re running on empty, which nurses rarely admit. Save the last group for a nurses’ association meeting or a long carpool, where talking about why you do this work feels natural.
Every card is in English and Filipino. In a unit where half the nurses switch to Tagalog the moment the manager leaves, that’s useful.
Good for
Tips
- Keep it away from patients. These are questions about you, not the job.
- Don’t push the rest questions on someone who just lost a patient. Ask how they are first.
- Bring merienda to the break. A question goes down better with pandesal.
- Check on the newest nurse from the Philippines. The first winter abroad is hard.
Decks for this
Filipino nurses
Frequently asked questions
What can nurses talk about on break?
Light, quick questions that aren’t about work: the household chore you’d make disappear, the tiny superpower you’d want, how you pass time while waiting. Short breaks need short, fun questions.
Why are there so many Filipino nurses abroad?
Since the mid-20th century, the Philippines has trained nurses to an English-language, US-style curriculum, and hospitals abroad have actively recruited them, including through US exchange visitor programs in the 1950s and 1960s. Nursing became a common path to work abroad and support family.
How can nurses check in on each other after a hard shift?
Ask small, specific questions: how they usually unwind, what can wait until tomorrow, what kind of rest would help this week. Then listen; most nurses don’t want advice after a shift.
Bring a better question to the table.
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