MUHC nurse helps put Latin American nurses on the map
A nurse at the MUHC Glen site is bringing attention to the important contributions of Latin American nurses.
Paola Acuna, originally from Peru, co-authored a chapter — along with three fellow Peruvian nurses — in a newly published book from Spain, Enfermeras invisibles de Iberoamérica y el Caribe (Invisible Nurses of Ibero America and the Caribbean). The book highlights 19 nurses who made history, but remain largely unknown.
“Many people, especially outside of Canada, still think nurses only work in hospitals under doctors,” says Paola. “This book shows we do much more.”
Paola contributed a chapter about a Peruvian nurse who helped establish the country’s first human milk bank in the 2010s - an initiative that continues to thrive today, thanks to the mentorship of that same nurse.
“People don’t realize that this kind of initiative came from a nurse,” says Paola. “We wanted to highlight these kinds of contributions.”
A voice for change
The book is part of a broader initiative started during the COVID-19 pandemic by Spanish nurses Olga Navarro and Vanessa Ibáñez. Their first project, Invisible Nurses. Inventors, Invincible, Incredible, self-published in 2020, highlighted contemporary nurses who played extraordinary roles during the pandemic.
In 2021, the project expanded with a new collection to feature the biographies of 14 nurses. All proceeds from book sales will support future publications to continue telling the stories of these “invisible” nurses and showcasing the evolving role of nurses in the 21st century.
From Peru to the Glen
Before arriving in Montreal in 2019, Paola worked for nearly 12 years in Peru. When the pandemic hit, she wasn’t able to get the documents needed to prove her qualifications and had to complete additional training - delaying her return to the profession.
To stay connected to health care, she worked as a PAB at Pierre Boucher Hospital during the first wave. She later completed the integration program for internationally trained nurses at John Abbott College. Paola has now been part of the Internal Medicine team at the Royal Victoria Hospital for just over two years. “It has been wonderful watching Paola evolve as a nurse,” says Nurse Manager Aparna Bhattacharjee. “I am very proud to learn that she is now sharing her knowledge and experiences with others.”
Giving back – across communities
“I’m proud to work at the MUHC — it gave me the chance to grow and reconnect with my profession,” says Paola, who remains committed to giving back. She stays in close contact with nursing colleagues in Peru and hopes to resume teaching and mentoring them online — something she paused temporarily because she was too busy — sharing what she’s learned in Canada.
“Canada opened new doors for me and helped me become more autonomous. Now I want to use that to contribute to nursing in Latin America.”
