We Are IH: High-flying occupational health nurse enjoys lifestyle

March 16, 2023

Joanne takes to the skies on another beautiful Okanagan day.

Name: Joanne Standish (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Occupational health nurse and safety advisor
Years of Service: 5.5
Worksite: Commerce Court / IH-wide service area
Community: Penticton
Ancestral Territory: Syilx Okanagan
Favourite 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.

In this Story…

Learn more about her journey at IH

Why Joanne recommends a career in occupational health and safety

Discover more about Joanne’s Okanagan life

Joanne nominates Carrie Schlenker, RN, palliative care to keep We Are IH going

Explore nursing Careers@IH

Learn more about her journey at IH

Joanne feels that working in health care in Workplace Health and Safety is about being a trusted intermediary who supports the organization and its needs, as well as the workers who tirelessly serve our communities and partners. This strong sense of purpose has turned into a passion for Joanne.

Why Joanne recommends a career in occupational health and safety

Joanne sees working in OHS as a privilege that allows her to contribute to a safer workplace for health-care workers at all levels, and to the organization as a whole.

For those considering a role as an occupational health nurse (OHN) Joanne highlights the role's diversity and her learnings, from providing emergency care for workplace injuries, disability management and meaningful stay at work/early return to work programs, to many other organization-specific features, including:

Leading safety initiatives for compliance
Risk-based health monitoring
Audiometric/spirometric testing
Program development
Immunizations
Providing education on controls to prevent potential health effects
Stewardship of resources

As an OHN, I care for the caregivers. The health, safety and well-being of employees and partners is as important as it is for patients. In the caring profession, sometimes health-care workers need to be reminded of that.

-- Joanne Standish (she/her/hers)

Joanne is proud to be part of an exceptional team of professionals that supports the dedicated workers in all roles at IH. This has been particularly evident throughout the challenges presented by the pandemic. This multidisciplinary team, with a wide range of education and experience, is able to provide health and safety subject matter expertise and case management knowledge for full-service support of the organization. “Every day, I am in awe of the knowledge and diversity within this team, and the example it sets for creating a psychologically safe workspace”.

Discover more about Joanne’s Okanagan life

After five years living the good life in the Okanagan, Joanne is still as excited to be here as she ever was.

“I love it! I feel grateful to live at my "vacation destination" and enjoy paddle boarding, boating, swimming in the amazing lakes, and skiing in winter. It cannot get any better than this!”

A woman with light grey hair and sunglasses is sitting in a kayak on a lake holding a paddle — Joanne kayaking out on a glassy lake in the Okanagan.

What a lot of people don’t know about Joanne is that this adventure seeker has been a private pilot since she was 17 years old. According to Joanne, aviation is not only a passion, but has also allowed her to regularly apply many of the principles of aviation safety to her job at IH, including sharing learnings with her team.

An aerial photograph of an airport runway — Joanne’s view of the approach into Penticton airport.

Whether over land or on the water, on any given weekend you can find Joanne spending lots of time with her sons in the Okanagan, along with their overly enthusiastic goldendoodle that never fails to brighten her day.

“I look forward to continuing to enjoy the Okanagan's outdoor activities with my family for many years to come!”

Mylo the goldendoodle takes Joanne on a walk of the KVR track.

Joanne nominates Carrie Schlenker, RN, palliative care to keep We Are IH going

“Carrie is a phenomenal nurse who I so admire," Joanne says. "She has done so much over many years at IH, most recently in front-line palliative care. We went to nursing school together in Medicine Hat, AB, so we go way back and I would love to nominate her to share her wonderful story.”