Work history:

Back in 2003 there were many jobs for LPNs and I was interviewed and hired in the last few days of my preceptorship at Lion’s Gate Hospital. I gained valuable acute care experience at LGH however rehab nursing in Vancouver has been my specialty for the past 8 years.  I’ve also been privileged to be able to work as a clinical and classroom instructor in Practical Nursing.  Although being an educator can be quite challenging, I look at educating students as a way of giving back the gift of education and inspiration that VCC gave to me.

How and why did you create The LPN Café?

In 2006 I attended a VCC Course in Kelowna for Leadership in Nursing and I was reading a nursing magazine with an LPN friend. I was thinking about how wonderful it would be if LPNs had something like that but which was aimed at an exclusive LPN audience. My friend asked me “Why don’t you create a website for LPNs then?” Great idea I thought. The trouble was that I was a nurse and not a website designer so after an enormous number of hours were spent building content and organizing pages, The LPN Café website was launched in early 2007. I wanted to showcase LPNs from across the province who work in various areas of nursing and also to highlight the many unique job opportunities for LPNs so I began profiling LPNs and searching out employers with interesting jobs available. LPNs have been very supportive with The LPN Café which is great because there is no staff or marketing budget, just myself to run and finance the website. It makes me very proud to watch the website grow in popularity each year and to meet LPNs who are fans of The LPN Café.

What moments are you most proud of in your nursing career?

There are many proud moments that I have had during my nursing career.  One that stands out the most occurred when I was working as a LPN at Dr. Bernstein’s Diet and Health Clinics. The LPNs and Medical Receptionists working at the clinics were really a fantastic hard working bunch but unfortunately I felt that conditions in the workplace were less than ideal. I believed that we would really benefit from becoming members of the BC Nurses Union so with the support of my coworkers and BCNU organizers, we rallied together, celebrated a 98% yes vote, and certified with BCNU. It was an opportunity for me to experience what it’s like to be a member of BCNU and work closely with the BCNU staff. I felt incredibly supported by BCNU throughout the entire process and when BCNU represented us at the bargaining table I was able to see how they truly understand nursing issues. The experience for me was a beautiful example of how LPNs can come together initiate significant positive changes for their profession. 

What do you see as the future for LPNs in BC?

I am a firm believer that apathy and inaction has the most detrimental impact on the profession of Practical Nursing in BC. We are a group of intelligent professional nurses who when given the facts, can make educated decisions about what direction they would like their profession to go in. Each LPN is entitled to make an educated decision about union issues, professional advocacy issues, and workplace issues without fear or intimidation and I believe each LPN should not tolerate such behavior from others. I would very much like to see LPNs become more involved in their profession, whether it be in their union, the Association (LPNABC), with their College, or within workplace groups such as Nursing Practice Councils. It would be fantastic to see LPNs initiate more community celebrations during Nursing Week or year round or to read letters from LPNs in community newspapers. As most already know, I am passionate about Nursing and I think LPNs in BC should be represented at the bargaining table by nurses because nurses understand nursing issues best. Hopefully enough LPNs will gather the facts for themselves and reach the same conclusion. With so many issues facing LPNs now and in the future we need to be a unified voice with strength in numbers and that means that each LPN needs to do something that seems forgotten these days…be brave, stand up, and make positive changes for the betterment of our profession as a whole.