Unions are equalizers in Canada
Name: Dennis Villanueva
Occupation: Registered Nurse
Works at Kitimat General Hospital
Union: BCNU
Making something good come out of something bad seems to be Dennis Villanueva’s approach to life. Now as a Steward for the BC Nurses Union, he is able to help others do the same. “The more educated you become about union issues the better,” says Villanueva. “You learn that you have more rights than you might have realized, and that is a kind of power.”
Arriving in Canada after graduating as a registered nurse in the Phillipines in 2005, Villanueva and his spouse (who is also a nurse) moved up north to Kitimat where they were both able to find full-time employment at the hospital. “Nursing is universal,” explains Villanueva “so wherever you go, you see the same kinds of patients and conditions.”
“I think of how I would want to be treated if I were the patient in the bed,” continues Villanueva. “Its like karma – if you do good things you will get good things in return.”
Working in a northern setting, Villanueva is able to practice nursing in various departments including Medical, Surgical, Maternity and Emergency. “In a rural hospital you are an all-around nurse. We all pitch in and do the work that has to be done. We never put the patient’s safety second,” he says with pride.
Villanueva also helps patients who feel overwhelmed by their problems. “When you come to Canada from a country where people don’t have much and you hear people complain about this and that, sometimes you just have to laugh with them. They don’t always realize how good life is here in comparison. When you open up their minds you can help them to put their situation into perspective.”
As for his union activism, Villanueva explains that “in the Phillipines, union activism has a somewhat negative profile as a movement of the far left of the political spectrum. You might even be called a communist for being involved. They don’t tend to view a union as an equalizer but here in Canada we do.” Working with his union, he is able to help new nurses adjust and thrive at the start of their careers. “Definitely getting involved in a union is a great idea for new Canadians and new nurses.”
Adjusting to the cold northern Canadian winters however, has taken a bit of getting used to “for a tropical guy used to seeing palm trees.” Thanks to the support of a small but enthusiastic Phillipino community in the area, Villanueva and his family have embraced their new life and appreciate what their adopted town has to offer while still being able to celebrate their culture and traditions.
Villanueva says that his own positive outlook comes from experience. “I’ve seen so many traumatic things in life, so I’m not easily shocked by what I see. When you see patients getting well and you see them smile even if they are in pain, that takes away any frustrations and you feel good about it. Its not just a calling, its a vocation as well.”