Junvy Servitillo

Mabuhay, (Hello)

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat – Good day to each and everyone of you

Ako si Junvy – my name is Junvy

My name is derived from the combination of my parents’ names: Junior and Jovy. I was born in the Philippines on the 9th of November 1990. I am the eldest of 3 siblings.

Growing up in the Philippines meant that most of my weekends and holidays are spent with my caring, loving and nurturing grandparents.

My parents decided to migrate to New Zealand back in May 2008, with a goal to secure and provide me and my siblings a better future but I didn’t not join them at the time as I was already about to start my 3rd Year of my Nursing degree. We got our NZ Resident Status in October later that year.

I originally did not want to pursue a Nursing degree. I have always dreamt of being a Biologist or Geneticist instead. Biology was my favourite subject in High School and excelled in it but I decided to become a Nurse because I have learned and witnessed from my relatives who are Nurses that having a Nursing degree gives you a ticket to be able to work anywhere in the world and be able to provide a better life to my family.

While I was studying, my main goal was to get my degree and registration and then work overseas and help out my parents and relatives with the good salary that comes with it. This has changed when my grandmother from my dad’s side was diagnosed with end stage papillary cancer. I used to accompany my grandmother to her check-ups and radiation therapy and would sometimes administer some of her treatments. This made me realise that becoming a Nurse is not all about money but being able to provide care with lots of passion and empathy.

I finished my Nursing degree at the age of 19 back in April 2010. It was one of the proudest moments for my parents and relatives but on the eve of my Nursing Licensure Exam, 1st of July 2010, my grandmother passed away and my relatives did not inform me straight away, for fear that I would loose focus. They eventually told me after my last exam on the 2nd of July and I felt so devastated. I have felt that all my efforts were all meaningless. I have lost hope. I did not want to become a Nurse anymore.

In August 2010, I had to move to New Zealand and live here before my resident visa expires and my grandmother’s death was still in my mind. The move meant that I was unable to practice my profession but I was undecided on what I am going to do at this time.

My family was based in Christchurch at the time. We lived in Lincoln, a small town on the south of the city centre. I fell in love with the quiet and simple life, surrounded by flower, vegetable and stock farms. In fact, I started my first job as a casual daffodil and tulip picker on the farm where my younger brother worked, after only a few days of my arrival.

On my day off, I went on a bus ride to the city centre to check out the place. I coincidentally met with a fellow Filipino on her way home from work and we started talking. I found out that she’s working in a retirement home as a caregiver and like me, she’s a Nurse back home. Upon learning that I am also a Nurse, she suggested that I should apply because they are hiring and it will be easy for me because of my visa status but I told her that I was still undecided. I gave her my number and we parted ways. I got home later that day and I got a phone call from the manager of the retirement home where the Filipino I met earlier that day worked. The manager asked me if I am interested to have an interview the next day and I responded yes. I was very nervous because it was my first time being interviewed for a job. The interview went well though because the manager told me to just be me and answer questions to the best of my ability. The manager called me later that day to inform me that I am successful and that I could start on Monday next week if I wanted to and I accepted the offer.

I was very nervous on my first day. But I remembered my grandparents and everything they thought me: the Golden Rule “Do not do unto others, what you do not want others do unto you”.

Working with the elderly brought back the passion I had while I was determined to get a Nursing degree. I decided to contact the Nursing Council of New Zealand to get an advice on how I can become a Registered Nurse. I submitted all documentation required and I was informed that because I did not practice back in the Philippines, I have to either go back and practice for 2 years, take an English exam and then undergo a Competency Assessment Program or study Bachelor of Nursing and sit the state exam. The first option was not possible due to my visa restrictions at the time so I chose the latter. I applied at Christchurch Polytechnic and they have cross credited most of my academic records and only had to take a few papers in a year and I will be able to get the degree and sit the state exam. I was accepted to start on the February 2011 intake but due to the September 2010 and February 2011 earthquake, my parents decided that we have to relocate to Auckland in April 2011.

The company of the retirement home where I started have multiple sites all over New Zealand. I was fortunate to be transferred in one of their Auckland sites. I also still wanted to continue my plans of becoming an NZRN. I got accepted at the Manukau Institute of Technology’s Bachelor of Nursing Program for their July 2011 intake. Unfortunately, unlike CPIT, I had to do the undertake the whole 3-year BN Program at MIT. I juggled working full time as a caregiver and studying full time at the same time.

I met a Manager for a retirement village which is part of one of the biggest Retirement Village Companies in New Zealand. The manager saw some potential in me and started becoming my mentor and would eventually hire me whenever he moves companies so he can help me with a working roster that would fit my nursing studies.

I finished my Bachelor of Nursing Degree in 2014 and subsequently passed the state exam and started my Nursing Career as one of the pioneer nurses in a newly built Retirement Village for one of the biggest Retirement Village companies in NZ.

In August 2015, I joined Counties Manukau DHB as a Theatre Registered Nurse under the Nurse Entry to Practice Program. I wanted to become a Theatre Nurse for a change and acquire knowledge on a different field of nursing other than Older People’s Health. The NEtP Program is a 1 year contract with a condition that you have to complete a 30-point post graduate paper while working. After the program, I realised that theatre nursing is not really for me.

I reached out to Frontline Health Recruitment Agency and got a job offer at the New Zealand Blood Service in Auckland. I was offered the job in September 2016 but my start date was not until October 2016 so I went back working in a retirement home as a casual RN while waiting.

While I was at NZBS, I have learned, acquired and honed new sets of knowledge and skills including customer service focus, leadership and management and high regard of quality and health and safety procedures. I have also achieved a lot while working at NZBS, I became one of the youngest trained and competent shift coordinators, plasmapheresis, plateletepheresis and therapeutice apheresis nurse, all in less than a year of joining the company. I have also completed my Post Graduate Diploma in Health Sciences in Advance Nursing in November 2018 while working at NZBS. My post graduate degree focused on Clinical Education and Mentoring and I have utilised this to train new staff members and mentor existing ones. At the age of 28 back in March 2019, I became the youngest Clinical Nurse Leader in NZBS history.

I joined Thornton Park in March this year as the new Clinical Manager. The decision to move to Opotiki wasn’t easy because my family and my close friends are all based in Auckland. But the decision isn’t one that I regret because of all the new challenges and opportunities that comes with the role. If you haven’t already noticed from what you have read so far, I must admit that I have a very competitive nature and I always try to achieve and attain more and strive for the best. Having been part of the Thornton Park family so far, has brought me back to my first love and passion, caring for the elderly.

I am grateful to be a part of Thornton Park and to be able to share my knowledge and expertise. The best part of it all, is that I am doing it by managing a facility where everyone is made to feel that you are part of one big happy family.