Here’s who’s Working for you
Why I support BCNU BCNU gives nurses the power to take a stance together, become informed and advocate for the change we all need and want. Alone, struggles can feel overwhelming. Together, we drive change..
Quick Facts
Name: Caitlin Jarvis
Graduated: 2010, LPN, North Island College
Union Position: South Islands Regional Council Member
In her youth, BCNU South Islands regional council member Caitlin Jarvis spent a lot of time at the hospital while her mother faced health challenges. “That experience solidified that I wanted a career that would support patients and families,” she recalls. By 2010, Jarvis had graduated from an accelerated Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) program at North Island College. “I thought becoming an LPN would help me see if nursing was a fit. I fell in love with being a nurse and being part of a team of allied health professionals.”
Today, Jarvis takes pride in representing nurses on BCNU’s council, “It makes me feel good to bring the voice of LPNs to BCNU,” she says. “It’s an exciting time to be part of a union that represents LPNs and registered nurses.”
After graduating, Jarvis started working as a home care nurse in her hometown of Port Alberni. Her first interaction with BCNU was with a supportive full-time steward who answered all her questions about an upcoming rotation change at her worksite. But that wasn’t the first time Jarvis witnessed the power of labour activism – her union roots run deep.
“I believe in united voices collectively advocating for the change we are all desperate to achieve.”
Caitlin Jarvis, BCNU South Islands regional council member
“Union activism is important in my family,” Jarvis explains. “I grew up listening to my dad, who was a union steward, sitting at the dining room table advocating for better and safer workplaces.”
Jarvis started as a worksite steward 10 years ago and says she hit the ground running thanks to her family's example. From there, she ran for a vacant steward liaison position on the South Islands region executive after a colleague recommended she try out the role.
Motivated by that experience and inspired to be a voice for nurses on a bigger scale, Jarvis put her name forward for one of two South Islands regional council member positions in the 2023 election and won.
She believes helping members appreciate the importance of unions is part of her job. “Often it’s a negative workplace situation that brings members to the union,” Jarvis says. “But we’re working to change that. Our region hosts over 40 events a year and we try to make them accessible, casual and low barrier.” She says this approach has resulted in new nurses and those who haven’t been involved coming out and participating.
Jarvis also works to keep barriers low in her everyday interactions with members. “There are no silly questions,” she insists. “It’s really important to me that members know if they don’t understand something, they can reach out to have a conversation.”
Jarvis's momentum just keeps going. She sits on several of BCNU’s provincial committees, including human resources and the LPN laddering fund. She is also the Young Nurses’ Network council liaison and BCNU’s representative for young workers at the Canadian Labour Congress, a national labour organization BCNU re-joined in 2025.
Jarvis is quick to point out the many opportunities being a council member provides to advocate for members at the local government level and with health authorities. She co-chairs her local minimum nurse-to-patient ratio Joint Regional Implementation Committee, advocating for improved recruitment and retention strategies to support the implementation of minimum nurse-to-patient ratios across Island Health.
Though she does take time to read and is learning to play golf, most of Jarvis’s energy is focused on advocating for nurses. And her passion is clear: “I believe in united voices collectively advocating for the change we are all desperate to achieve. The more people say the same thing, the louder our voice.”
UPDATE (Winter 2025)