We are IH: Clinical operations manager inspired by her community

Marie began her nursing career in Calgary when she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Calgary in the late 90s. As a new grad, she was encouraged to not specialize in any one area of health care, but to explore as many different avenues as she could.

For the first five years after graduation, that's exactly what she did. She tried a little bit of everything and was fortunate to have so many opportunities to use and build on her skills in both community and acute care settings.

In 2004, Marie moved to the Kootenays and worked mainly in the private sector. Fifteen years later, in 2019, she joined Interior Health and shifted her focus to leadership. Since then, she has furthered her education and recently completed her Master’s in Interdisciplinary Studies majoring in organizational development and leadership.

Marie’s day begins with reporting to her frontline teams which helps inform the priorities of the day. She then dedicates a portion of her morning to assisting her team on the floor prior to completing her management responsibilities.

Marie always works to have time available in her day to connect with her staff, complete check-ins, follow up on concerns, or manage any issues.

“What motivates my work everyday are my frontline teams—not only our nurses, care aides and recreation assistants, but also our administrative assistants, Environmental Services teams, Food Services, Logistics and Maintenance staff," she shares.

In her role as manager, Marie is responsible for sitting on committees that support work in long-term care in the Kootenay Boundary and across IH. She also helps support various projects that are important to her site, Poplar Ridge.

“The best part of my day is spending time with those in care at Poplar Ridge. It’s my goal to create an environment that is as home-like, inclusive and as accessible as possible. The time I take to connect is incredibly important to me—it ensures that our people in care and their families feel heard and valued, and are at the centre of what we do.”

Have you thought about a career in clinical operations at IH?

Explore career opportunities

Visit our Stories@IH blog homepage

Sign up to receive the Stories@IH email digest twice a week to your inbox