Virginia Chiu –Serving her community through her union
Name: Virginia Chiu
Occupation: Acute Care Nurse, UBC Hospital
Union: BCNU
Moving to Canada has been a wonderful experience for Virginia Chiu.
It’s given her the opportunity to expand her horizons and promote public healthcare in the Chinese-Canadian community. It’s also helped her learn that union members can serve their community by volunteering in their labour union.
“When I left Hong Kong in 1975, I heard Vancouver was the most beautiful city in the world,” says Chiu. “It’s only natural when I decided to move to Canada that I would eventually make Vancouver my home.”
Chiu’s training in Hong Kong as a Registered Nurse helped her quickly find employment in Canada. In Canada, Chiu’s nursing practice has been in medical and geriatric units, but she prefers general duty nursing because the tasks are more varied and exciting.
Because Chiu is naturally outgoing, caring for people made nursing an excellent career choice. Her first nursing job in Canada was an eighteen-month assignment in Vancouver. She then moved to the northern BC town of Stewart where she met her husband.
Chiu also worked in Kitimat before permanently returning to the Lower Mainland for assignments at Mt. St. Joseph’s Hospital, Richmond Hospital and her current role at UBC Hospital. At UBC, Chiu cares for post-surgery or other acutely ill patents and prepares them for discharge or transition to other medical services.
Early in her career Chiu needed assistance from her union, and the BC Nurses’ Union helped her resolve workplace issues. That made her curious about her union. She learned it’s a very grass-roots organization that’s dedicated to helping nurses improve their careers and deliver excellent patient care.
“When I was in Hong Kong I didn’t have a good perception of unions,” says Chiu. “There’s a lack of understanding and people think unions are associated with the Communists or are trouble makers. But my experience with BCNU has been very positive.
“In Hong Kong we thought union leaders bossed everyone around and told people what to do. That’s not the way it works at BCNU, where the members elect our leaders and set priorities for the union.”
One of the things Chiu enjoys about being a BCNU activist is helping the Chinese-Canadian community. She especially likes the BCNU-sponsored blood pressure and glucose community clinics. “I like promoting good health in the Chinese community at these clinics,” says Chiu. “Good health and long life go together.”
As BCNU Lobby Coordinator for the Central Vancouver region she promotes a well-funded public healthcare system as an essential part of Canadian society.
“Quality public healthcare is something I really care about,” says Chiu. “If my community’s going to stay healthy we need well-funded public healthcare with good access to medical services.”
When Chiu isn’t busy nursing or volunteering she likes to sew, swim and spend time with her husband Albert and children Darius and Bernice.
“I like keeping busy,” says Chiu. “When I’m not nursing or with BCNU I spend time with friends brainstorming ideas to improve our community. Canada’s been good to me, and I want to make sure I give something back. Being active at BCNU helps me do that.”