Helping each other so we can help others

Name: Felicia Wong

Occupation: Long Term Care Nurse, Arbutus Care Centre

Union: BCNU

Felicia Wong believes it was her fate to become a nurse. Her traditionally-oriented family had many expectations for their daughter to study hard and behave well. Her family sacrificed to send her to an excellent school where the competition was fierce. “My father was so proud to tell people that I was studying science at such a prestigious school,” recalls Felicia. Nursing was on the short list of professions she did not want, since at that time nursing still had cultural stigmas attached to it. But then, a friend of hers who had begun to study nursing told Felicia how fascinating the curriculum was and how rewarding it was to help others. With an open mind, she applied and was accepted.

Felicia earned her nursing diploma in 1984 in Hong Kong. After graduation, Felicia applied to work in Canada, but once her work visa was approved, the job she applied for was cut. Undaunted, Felicia continued to seek employment and eventually secured a position at Arbutus Care Centre.

Having originally specialized in acute care, she told herself she would stay briefly in the long term care setting and then move back into her original field. “Now I can’t believe I have been there so long! When I first started, I told myself I would stay no longer than a year. Then it became ‘Ok, maximum 3 years’.” Felicia had not pictured herself and as a long term care nurse because she was trained in an acute care hospital.

The differences of working in long term care instead of an operating room were startling at first. “It’s a very different work environment. In the OR, I never had to talk to the patients. We deal with instruments and procedures. When I started in long term care, I was suddenly responsible for 160 patients.” Other contrasts point to the current erosion of our healthcare system, such as the lack of resources in long term care facilities, versus well-resourced operating rooms.

Felicia became involved in the BCNU when human resource issues arose at her workplace. As her confidence grew with support and training from her union, so did her resolve to stand up to bullying and unfairness. Having seen the advantages of being part of a union, Felicia took an increasing role as a steward, and soon found that she had the skills and tools to make effective changes that improved conditions for everyone in her workplace. “I’m really thankful for the resources BCNU has to support us. The results that we achieve benefit everyone.”