From the Philippines to the USA: @NurseDaddies Glenn Dazo's Nursing Journey
Podcast Episode
ER nurse Glenn Ponce de Leon-Dazo (@wanderlusting_epicure) may be known for warming hearts and making people laugh as one half of the dynamic duo known as @nursedaddies on both Instagram and TikTok, but Dazo also has a very serious side.
The hardworking and hilarious nurse immigrated to the United States from the Philippines and has faced his share of challenges on the road to becoming a nurse and now, a beloved public figure. "It’s not a bed of roses, it’s a lot of hard work," he notes.
Still, the traits that nearly 130,000 TikTok followers and 145,000 Instagram followers have come to know and love are the same that make Dazo who he is in his real life: humorous, adventurous, and capable of rocking a fabulous skincare routine. Get to know Dazo, his story, and what he hopes the future will hold for him in this exclusive interview with Nurse.org.
New Nurse, New Country
Originally from the Philippines, Dazo tells Nurse.org that he first began working as a nurse in the U.S. in the early 2000s, where he says one of his biggest challenges was adjusting to the "newer" technology and equipment available for patient care. He began work in Illinois, which he says required nurses who were trained outside of the U.S. to spend a semester of clinical nursing practicing before working independently, a step he says he was "lucky" to have to help him adjust.
Dazo explains that many Filipino nurses move abroad to work for better economic opportunities, higher salaries, and improved living conditions compared to those available in the Philippines. Personally, however, he was primarily drawn to furthering his education by studying medicine in the U.S.
According to the NIH Record, Filipinos comprise only 1% of the U.S. population, yet makeup 4% of the nursing workforce, which the publication says reinforces Filipino nurses as "an integral part of the American healthcare system."
Despite the vital role Filipino nurses play in the American healthcare system as a whole and within nursing (including a tragic statistic of making up 24% of all the nurses who died from COVID-19), stereotypes can heavily impact and have negative repercussions on how they are viewed.
As a Filipino nurse, Dazo is familiar with the stereotypes faced by the Filipino healthcare worker population.
"Filipino nurses in the US are often stereotyped as universally submissive and passive which overlooks our diverse, personalities and professional assertiveness," notes Dazo. "Additionally, we are perceived to be primarily motivated by the economic gain that nursing provides, neglecting the fact that Filipinos in general have a deep-rooted cultural value of being hard workers, family-oriented people, and wonderful caregivers. These misconceptions fail to recognize the multifaceted roles and contributions of us in the American healthcare system." - Glenn Dazo
Daddies Gone Viral
Now a 30-year nurse veteran, Dazo has spent his career in the ER, where he works alongside "Daddy Colton," fellow nurse Colton Lord (@coltonlord17). It was Lord who inadvertently started the Nurse Daddies movement, with what Dazo describes as "one single offering" — Lord offered to get Dazo's breakfast from the cafeteria as Dazo was still finishing up passing meds and the mouthy interaction between the two quickly went viral, with Lord jokingly complaining about what it was like to work with "Fillipino Daddies."
The video that started it all
@nursedaddies Breaking News NURSES! 🚨🚨 We have solved the bed shortage issues! No more patients in hallways. They will now just be outside! Be sure to bring an extra coat to work! #nurselife #nurses #nursehumor #nursedaddies #nursesoftiktok #nursetok #ernurse #nurseproblems #healthcare #hospitallife #healthcareworkers #nurse #icunurse ♬ original sound - Nurse Daddies
Dazo tells Nurse.org that Lord posted that first video on what was then his personal TiKTok account on a Friday afternoon, where it went "crazy" over the weekend. By the time they were back at work on Monday, Lord's following had risen exponentially, and with each new post, their popularity rose. (In fact, the very next video of Dazo shipping himself Hermes straight to the hospital has 1.4 views on TikTok alone.)
"When that video went viral, he decided to post more videos of me, unbeknownst to me, which he finds silly and laughable," says Dazo. As the videos became more and more popular (some fan favorites include "the sugar daddy" video, the matching daddies, and my personal favorite, charge nurse Daddy Dazo), the two decided to create an account solely for Nurse Daddies.
"Our hope was to provide light entertainment and laughter in the setting of an immensely stressful ER environment," Dazo adds.
Today, the account has grown and Dazo tells Nurse.org that they have even started getting recognized in public. His newfound fame hasn't affected him too much, but he says it is fun to experience new things and see the world in different ways.
"It didn’t change anything drastically but instead made me realize how vast the reach of social media is and made me cognizant of the fact that I should be more mindful of the things around me," he explains, adding that his newfound recognition has cemented his desire to "remain true to myself and show them that I am real just as how they see me in person and on the videos."
Work-Life Balance
What started as a lighthearted video has become essentially a part-time job for the Nurse Daddies, as they juggle content creation and their shifts as nurses. Lord now works part-time in the ER and incorporates more content and outside pursuits in his life, as Dazo continues to work full-time as a nurse and coordinates with his fellow Nurse Daddy to create content.
"Challenging is an understatement," Dazo notes of making it all work. "It has now come to a point where our days off need to be synced so we can bundle up content as Colton works only part-time in the ED. I made sure to set aside time for content creation. We try to do live sessions even when I am away traveling, especially if we are in different time zones."
Dazo adds that "communication is key" and he continues to prioritize his work as a nurse to support endeavors "as we are still in the infancy of our 'content creator life.'"
Despite the juggle of it all, Dazo cherishes the difference their corner of the Internet has made on the people who watch their videos.
"We receive messages from all over the world of how they find us entertaining in their moments of despair and dejection," he shares. "While others find comfort and joy in laughing at our silly antics, some find solace and make us their little pocket of sunshine on their gloomy days. Others have been inspired to pursue a different route of nursing (what Colton does outside of the ER). Some sent us messages that by watching our videos, we gave them company and uplifted their spirits while their loved ones were getting chemo treatments." - Glenn Dazo
Of course, like any good Nurse Daddy, Dazo takes time to recharge his batteries during his busy days as a nurse and content creator. He tells Nurse.org that his current routine involves focusing "all his energy at work" on the days he's scheduled to work. His pre-shift routine includes a "good 15-20 step" skincare routine" and if possible, he tries to work his shifts back-to-back-to-back, which means no long dinners out or post-shift drinks.
"On my days off, I usually laze in bed for a bit then when I am up, run errands, doctor visits (everybody seems to know my H&P by now), lunches with my friend who’s not a health care worker, and maybe do a little bit of window shopping around my neighborhood," he explains.
He also makes traveling a priority: "I LOVE to travel, dine at new places, and cook for friends (not in my studio though)," he adds. "I play tennis but not as much as I used to. People watching while traveling, getting lost in small neighborhoods when I am away."
Advice from a Nurse Daddy
With a successful 30-year nursing career under his belt and a solid platform as a content creator established, what's next for this Nurse Daddy? Dazo says he hopes to "trial retire" in 5 years when he turns 55, but he is open to other possibilities too.
"I LOVE the ED, but if content creation affords me a better chance of living, then I might just retire completely," he adds.
For any nurses looking to follow in his footsteps—especially any nurses currently outside of the country who are looking to transition into working in the U.S.--- Dazo encourages them that "patience, perseverance, and kindness go a long way," adding:
"Always have yourself ready for any challenges. Come up with realistic goals. But at the end of the day, when you put your heart and dedication into anything you do, you’ll reap the rewards more than you expect it to be. Always have your heart and mind in the right place." - Glenn Dazo
Regardless of where his future will lead him, Dazo says that looking back on his past as a nurse coming from a foreign country to make a living in the US, he approaches life "from a place of gratefulness."
"I try to cultivate a mindset where I consciously focus on appreciating the positive aspects of my given life," Dazo notes. "I am mindful of the blessings and opportunities that I have been afforded, regardless of the circumstances."
@nursedaddies POV: the Filipino charge nurse who has been working on the same unit forever and basically tells the doctors what they should order 🫢 #nurselife #nurses #nursehumor #nursedaddies #nurseproblems #nursesofinstagram #nurse #nursestudent #chargenurse #filipinonurses #filipina #filipino #nursesoftiktok ♬ original sound - Nurse Daddies
And of course, Dazo will continue to stay on his toes, because you just never know when a Nurse Daddy will be around the corner to surprise him.
