National Nursing Week is an annual celebration that occurs the same week as Florence Nightingale’s birthday, May 12. The theme for 2023 is Our Nurses. Our Future. This theme showcases the many roles that nurses play in a patient’s health-care journey. The past few years have brought to light the courage and commitment that nurses work under every day, and showed the important role that nurses play in the community. “To all our Interior Health nurses, I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for your ongoing commitment to supporting patients, clients and each other in our journey to optimal health and well-being for all. Your caring continues to touch everyone here at IH, and beyond.” - Cheryl Whittleton, Chief Nursing Officer & Professional Practice Lead

Name: Angela Ozero (she/her/hers)Job Title:  PhysiotherapistYears of Service: 15Worksite: Vernon Jubilee HospitalCommunity: VernonAncestral Territory: Syilx OkanaganFavourite Quote: “Today is a gift. That's why we call it 'The Present'.” – Eleanor Roosevelt Physiotherapist Angela Ozero was born and raised in Pembroke, Ont. She lives and works in Vernon, on Syilx Okanagan Nation territory.

Name: Wendy Glover (she/her/hers)Job Title: Team lead, administrative support services, KB Community, Clinical Operations, SouthYears of Service: 26Worksite: Kiro Wellness CentreCommunity: TrailAncestral Territory: Syilx and KtunaxaFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: Several years ago, Wendy required a lengthy, complicated surgery, the anxiety leading up to which she described as “numbing.” She was reminded of how she wanted to approach the situation by the quote “get busy living or get busy dying” from The Shawshank Redemption. Administrative support service team lead Wendy Glover has a passion for helping and supporting others – from alleviating work from coworkers, to creating positive process change in the workplace, to ensuring the health and safety of her team. After 15 years working at Trail mental health and substance use (MHSU), she was promoted to team lead for the region, where she enjoys the work she does – particularly when she’s able to relieve stress from her colleagues through her organizational skills.

Name: Dr. Glenn Gill (he/him/his)Job Title: Obstetrician and gynecologistYears of Service:  20Worksite:  Cariboo Memorial Hospital (CMH)Community:  Williams LakeAncestral Territory: Tsilhqotin, Secwepemc TerritoryFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you…” Matthew 7:12 When Dr. Glenn Gill was two years old, he travelled with his parents to India on the Queen Mary ocean liner. For the next 10 years, his father worked as medical missionary doctor in a jungle hospital. The same year he arrived in India, Dr. Gill was bit on the face by their rabid pet dog. He received 21 days of rabies vaccine injections in the abdomen, which saved his life. “I definitely am a believer in vaccines!” he laughs. Born in Toronto, he’s a husband and father of three grown children, and is a grandfather to four.

Name: Stephanie Rodgers (she/her/hers)Job Title:  Interim Director Laboratory Quality, Safety and InnovationYears of Service: 16Worksite: Kootenay Boundary Regional HospitalCommunity: CastlegarAncestral Territory: SinixtAdvice to live by: I live by my Rodgers family rules: be kind, have patience, show respect, forgive and forget, eat healthy, go outside, and love one another. Congratulations to Stephanie Rodgers, a medical laboratory technologist (MLT) who was appointed to the role of interim director, laboratory quality, safety and innovation! Stephanie was born in Vancouver and raised in Richmond, B.C. She’s lived in Castlegar since 2007, located on the Sinixt Nation territory. Stephanie considers herself approachable, knowledgeable and compassionate. “I take pride in my work; I have a strong work ethic. I am dedicated to lifelong learning and want to learn as much as I can about the world we live in.”

Name: Linda French (she/her/hers)Job Title: Community nurse/long-term care case managerYears of Service: 27Worksite: KirschnerCommunity: Central Okanagan-SouthAncestral Territory: Sylix OkanaganFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: Life is too short to drink bad wine. Throughout her health-care career, Linda French has done her part for the community. Linda, who was born in Scarborough, Ont. but grew up in North Delta, B.C., started her nursing career at BC Children's Hospital in pediatric cardiology. She worked at Kelowna General Hospital in pediatrics from 1994-1997 and then transferred to community nursing in 1997. She now serves as a community nurse/long-term care case manager for the Central Okanagan-South. “I have been enjoying this challenging role for 26 years,” Linda said. “I’m an active girl who can't sit still and loves a challenge.”

Name: Kristin Lockhart (she/her/hers)Job Title: Manager, Clinical Operations, Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital, Daly Pavilion, Harbour House and McKim CottageYears of Service: 26Community: Works in Trail and Nelson; lives in CastlegarAncestral Territory: Syilx, Sinixt and Ktunaxa NationsFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: Choose to be kind despite the hard challenges, as we never truly know what is going on for another person and we are all in this together. Kristin Lockhart is a registered nurse (RN) of 26 years. She feels blessed to have worked in a number of positions with Interior Health, both in frontline and leadership, and her true career passion is working in mental health and substance use (MHSU).

Name: Joanne Standish (she/her/hers)Job Title: Occupational health nurse and safety advisorYears of Service: 5.5Worksite: Commerce Court / IH-wide service areaCommunity: PentictonAncestral Territory: Syilx OkanaganFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: "Our goals can only be reached through the vehicle of a plan. There is no other route to success" - Pablo Picasso Joanne Standish grew up in the small town of Burstall in southwestern Saskatchewan, with a “single gas plant on the prairie” as her source of livelihood in an otherwise rural farming community. After spending a year in chemical engineering Joanne realized she wanted to help others more tangibly, and shifted to a career as a registered nurse (RN). Joanne’s interest in industry continued and while working as a nurse in acute care she also began a career in occupational health and safety (OHS) in the local oil and gas industry. “I am fascinated by learning the processes of work – in any industry – and how they potentially impact the worker and their health, safety and well-being. Once that is understood, then supporting the worker and the organization so workers don’t get hurt or sick from work becomes clearer.” With her Occupational Health Nursing Certificate, during her 35-year career Joanne has enjoyed many opportunities to learn and apply OHS principles across multiple industries. “Because my family life required frequent transfers throughout Alberta, I was able to work to full scope in meatpacking, gas processing, bitumen refining (Alberta oil sands), power generation and now health care.”  In 2017, Joanne finally made her dream move to Penticton with her sons to take full advantage of the Okanagan lifestyle, while continuing her career at Interior Health as an occupational health nurse and safety advisor.

Name: Fiona Bradford (she/her/hers) Job Title: Social work professional practice leaderYears of Service: 6Worksite: East Kootenay Regional HospitalCommunity: East Kootenay region – between Invermere, Kimberley, and CranbrookAncestral Territory: I live and work between the Ktunaxa and Secwepemc territories Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: We generally regret the things we didn’t take a chance on in life, rather than the things we did.  As a forester turned social worker, ultra-marathoner and team leader, Fiona Bradford brings her full focus and passion into everything she does in life. For Fiona, social work was an intentional career choice. She originally completed a forestry degree and worked in the B.C. forest industry. Says Fiona, “I was a forester before GPS was invented, and I admit that my directional skills were not very good. I spent a lot of time looking at upside-down maps and wondering where my truck was parked!” After eight years in that profession, she realized that her heart was more suited to a people-focused career, and returned to university to pursue a bachelor and then master degree in social work. When she and her husband decided to raise their three kids in Invermere, Fiona started a private practice, which she ran as a sole practitioner for 10 years. She then realized she wanted to work toward systemic change within a team of social workers, which led her to Interior Health. At IH, Fiona has had several different roles: she’s worked in mental health counselling; renal social work; on the regional mental health and substance use team; and now works as a professional practice leader out of the East Kootenay Regional Hospital.