Three members of the Silverio family have made a mark within YellowknifeSA国际影视传媒檚 health care community as registered nurses devoted to the profession for more than a decade.

Rommel, Vivian and Eric all came to the North in 1997 in their early 20s from the Philippines, and the trio wound up working as registered nurses.

In EricSA国际影视传媒檚 case SA国际影视传媒� an intensive care unit senior staff member since 2006 SA国际影视传媒� he married Sandra, who now works as a territorial specialist nurse.

SA国际影视传媒淲ith any profession you have to do it for the right reasons, regardless of what it is,SA国际影视传媒� Vivian said. SA国际影视传媒淢y youngest brother says to always remember that nursing can be a blessing. It is a blessing because not everyone can care for the sick.SA国际影视传媒�

Although all three had been trained in nursing in the Philippines before immigrating to Canada, all did courses at Aurora College SA国际影视传媒� Vivian to get a refresher as a foreign nurse and Eric and Rommel to attain registered nursing certification.

In January, Vivian became the nurse in charge of the Frame Lake Community Health Care Centre. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 a supervisory role that has her overseeing front-line staff at the clinic. Up to that point, and since 2008, she had been working in StantonSA国际影视传媒檚 pediatric unit.

Rommel became nurse in charge at the Yellowknife Primary Health Centre downtown last September SA国际影视传媒� making the brother and sister proud to both be managing clinics.

SA国际影视传媒淚 just want to make a difference,SA国际影视传媒� Vivian said when asked why the family has been so involved in working in the profession. SA国际影视传媒淲hen I came and joined primary care, I didnSA国际影视传媒檛 do it to change what was working but to improve the system and help the front-liners.

SA国际影视传媒淚f you can improve the process, then being in leadership is the only way to do that and that is my commitment.SA国际影视传媒�

There have been challenges, particularly with staffing, she admits.

SA国际影视传媒淭he challenges are sometimes staff going without breaks and staff with children because child care is one of the main issues,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淏ut that is not unique and it is all over the place where we do see shortages.SA国际影视传媒�

Closely associated with those challenges is burnout, she added.

SA国际影视传媒淭here is always going to be burnout anywhere but from a management position, we have to look at what we can do to mitigate it,SA国际影视传媒� she said, noting itSA国际影视传媒檚 important to be as understanding as possible. SA国际影视传媒淏urnout will always be there and we have to support the staff the best we can.SA国际影视传媒�

The nurse in charge roles isnSA国际影视传媒檛 the only common leadership roles the siblings have achieved.

In April, Vivian was acclaimed as president-elect of the Northwest Territories Registered Nurses Association. SheSA国际影视传媒檚 expected to assume the presidentSA国际影视传媒檚 role in 2023.

Rommel was president from 2017 to 2019.

Also a sitting city councillor, Rommel made a rare memberSA国际影视传媒檚 statement at MondaySA国际影视传媒檚 council meeting to mark National Nursing Week and International Nurses Day on May 12.

He said he was SA国际影视传媒渢hrilled and honouredSA国际影视传媒� to be part of the profession in Yellowknife and noted that the pandemic has highlighted the critical role of nurses in the community.

SA国际影视传媒淣urses are the centre of our Canadian health care system,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淣urses are the smiling faces who welcome us at the hospital. They are the common voices helping us through our toughest days and they are the ones helping to care for our parents, family members and loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic.SA国际影视传媒�

Union of Northern Workers

Others who work in the field have spoken about the challenges of the profession.

Jos茅e-Anne Spirito, regional vice-president for Somba KSA国际影视传媒檈 with the Union of Norther WorkersSA国际影视传媒� executive, agreed that union members in nursing do it as a passion despite the recent obstacles.

SA国际影视传媒淭he past month has been a difficult time for our nurses and health-care staff as they put in long days, extra hours, and are working under a lot of pressure,SA国际影视传媒� Spirito said. SA国际影视传媒淢any have been redeployed to cover any service gaps, and those types of transitions can be challenging.SA国际影视传媒�

She added that the additional work has meant union members have experienced SA国际影视传媒淐OVID fatigueSA国际影视传媒� and are missing families and loved ones.

SA国际影视传媒淒espite the challenges of the recent outbreak, weSA国际影视传媒檝e had a year to prepare for this type of scenario and we were ready for it,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚t has been stressful, and our members have put in a lot of overtime, but everyone has stepped up to keep our communities safe.SA国际影视传媒�