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

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.

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

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”.  

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!”

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.

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!”

“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.” 

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