Rusette Tesani, RN, envisioned a career path of becoming a nurse and leaving her home in the Philippines to move to the United States. What she didn’t envision was the number of twists and turns along that path.
After earning her nursing degree in 2007, Tesani started working in an OR. After a few months she switched to the ICU, and ultimately requested another move to the emergency department, where she was attracted to the stimulating, fast-paced work.
In 2010, she signed on with an agency that placed her in trauma and emergency departments in Oman and Saudi Arabia—more unexpected stops along her path—and she welcomed the adventure.
As a “commission nurse” in the Middle East, she was responsible for setting up emergency department policies and procedures in new hospitals, as well as training new nurses.
“It was good for me. It was quite a journey,” Tesani said.
She returned to an ED in the Philippines for one more stop before the end of her 10-year-wait for a U.S. work visa. Through another agency, she was offered a choice to work at hospitals in New York, North Carolina, California and North Dakota.
“Working in the Middle East, I got used to work, work, work. Just work,” she said. “I kind of became isolated.”
She had come to prefer a slower, quieter life outside the hospital, so she accepted a position at the 25-bed Jacobson Memorial Hospital in Elgin, a rural community about 275 miles from Fargo.
Once there, she was surprised to learn she would not only be a charge nurse but would also be working the night shift as the only nurse—a big change from the busy team environment of the tertiary hospitals she was used to.
“It was a totally different challenge. It helped me evolve more, instead of relying on other people,” Tesani said.
Her hospital required her to be TNCC-verified, which led her to ENA. Tesani promptly sought out other members from the North Dakota ENA State Council.
Before she knew it, Tesani was selected to be a delegate at the 2023 ENA General Assembly in San Diego, became her state’s membership chair, attended ENA Leadership Conference 2024, and by 2025, was part of the annual Day on the Hill.
“I want to be active in this association. I love emergency nursing,” Tesani said. “ Whenever we’re in meetings, I always feel inspired, I always feel happy.”
In her years at Jacobson Hospital, where she is now assistant director of nursing, she has drawn on her commission nurse experience to implement policies and protocols, as well as add more nurse education and a skills lab. She helped with the integration of upgraded equipment and with adding an in-house staff appreciation award program. An advocate for ending stigma around mental illness, she works with a cohort program to connect people with services in her community.
When Tesani needs to unwind from the demands of the job, she spends time with the dog she and her partner recently adopted. She also loves to cook, and her colleagues are often treated with homemade Filipino delicacies.
Tesani admitted she wasn’t sure she would be accepted in rural North Dakota, but she said she felt completely welcomed when she arrived.
Other than the “six-month winter” climate, she said, “it’s actually very close to the culture in the Philippines.” She is part of a community that emphasizes family, faith, and friendly neighbors, and it’s the right fit for her.
“I always follow my heart,” Tesani said. “I love what I do.”