Visitation Tubbali Arirao is originally from Pamplona, Cagayan Valley in the Philippines. She moved to the United States in 1971 to pursue the American Dream and a career in nursing. She studied in New York and as a result of her laser-focused hard work and perseverance became a registered nurse.
After working as a registered nurse, Visitation “Vickie” Arirao joined the United States Air Force in 1989 as part of their Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist program. She completed the Air Force’s Commissioned Officer training course and was commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force. Following training, Vickie was stationed at Clark Air Force Base on Luzon Island in the Philippines from 1989 to 1991. She completed a tour of duty as a nurse anesthetist during the Persian Gulf War where she performed specialized and critical nursing duties for surgical patients before, during, and after surgery.
After her deployment, Vickie finished her active duty service at Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, California before transitioning to the United States Air Force Reserve as a Nurse Corps Captain at McGuire Air Force Base in Burlington County, New Jersey from 1993 to 1997.
Following her military career, Vickie pursued her Masters in Nursing and Doctoral in Management and Organizational Leadership. Subsequently, she worked as the Director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program at SUNY Downstate and the Harlem School of Anesthesia. Currently, she is a per diem certified nurse anesthetist at the Physician Associate Group of New York.
Besides being a front line health care worker throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Vickie is an active member of the community in Bergen County. She is the President-elect for the Philippine Nurses Association of New Jersey Bergen Passaic Subchapter. She is also involved in numerous activities in Bergenfield and Bergen County such as health fairs, fundraising for fellow veterans, volunteering as a nurse at Covid-19 antibody testing sites, and assisting at food pantries.
She currently lives in Dumont with her husband Jules and their dog Blaze.
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Bergen County Division of Veteran Services
The Division of Veterans Services was established in 1977 to provide resident veterans and their dependents with information and assistance in obtaining earned entitlements from federal, state, and local governments, as well as any that are available from the private sector.
Through a quarterly newsletter and direct client contact, the division provides Bergen’s veterans organizations and their auxiliaries and individual residents with up-to-date benefit information.
