Community & Culture

We Are IH: Kamloops clinical operations manager impacts change

August 29, 2024
Erin and her kids at the Alzheimer’s walk in Kamloops, a charity event to bring awareness about Alzheimer’s.

Name: Erin Blackwell (she/hers/her)
Job Title: Manager of Clinical Operations, Neuro, Trauma and Stroke Unit
Years of Service: 7
Worksite: Royal Inland Hospital
Community:  Kamloops
Ancestral Territory: Secwempc
Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: Think globally, act locally.

Erin Blackwell, manager of clinical operations, Neuro, Trauma and Stroke Unit at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) in Kamloops is someone who truly lives by her motto “think globally, act locally.” 

Erin is very passionate about diversity and inclusion in the workplace. So much so, she successfully advocated for rainbow lanyards and rainbow nametags to become available to all staff to promote inclusivity at Interior Health (IH).

“Symbols are important in society, and the rainbow symbolizes acceptance and openness. Health care should be the most inclusive system, as our patients come from all walks of life,” says Erin.

 

Learn more about Erin’s journey with IH

Through her work on Employee Voices, an employee advisory group that aims to advise, guide, and make recommendations that support diversity, equity and inclusion within IH, she was able to advocate for the rainbow lanyards and nametags to become the gold standard. 

My proudest moments at Interior Health were seeing the rainbow name tags come into fruition. It has been seeing rainbow crosswalks in redevelopment plans. It is seeing rainbow lanyards as the standard.

-- Erin Blackwell

Erin found a career in health care later in life, after being a stay-at-home mom; she feels incredibly fortunate to have found a career that constantly challenges and inspires her to do better.

Her grandma always encouraged her to get an education, and her grandma and aunty were both nurses, which inspired her to become a nurse as well. Erin realized she “had the stomach” for nursing, cared deeply about people, held the capacity to help others and wanted a career that was meaningful - nursing was a great option.

Erin started her career in health care in food services and worked in patient registration and as a health-care aide at Cariboo Memorial Hospital (CMH) while she completed her Diploma in Practical Nursing. 

She worked as a frontline nurse for five years, then moved into leadership in Spring 2022. Erin relocated to Kamloops in Fall 2022 to continue her role in clinical operations.

Woman takes a selfie with her son and daughter. She is smiling, has blonde hair tied into a ponytail with a yellow scrunchy and is wearing yellow sunglasses and a yellow shirt with a rainbow on it. Beside her, her son is wearing a green shirt with a rainbow on it with green sunglasses and a green headband. To the right of him, the daughter is wearing a blue rainbow shirt and blue sunglasses.
Erin and her two kids at Foam Fest; they wore rainbows, which go well with Pride!

As a clinical operations manager, Erin supports the staff on her unit so they have the capacity to provide patients with the quality care they deserve. Sometimes this looks like listening to a staff member after a hard shift, talking with families or patients, or simply having an open-door policy so that staff know she has a safe space for them to come to for support.  

A woman with blonde hair taking a selfie. She is smiling, wearing a red T-shirt. Behind her and to the left in the photo her daughter with brown hair tied in a top knot is smiling. Beside her daughter is her grandmother who is wearing a blue sweater and has short, curly grey hair and black framed glasses. To the right of her grandmother is her son who has short dirty blonde hair and black rimmed glasses and is wearing a black T-shirt.
Erin with her grandma (93 years old) and kids.

Over her seven years at IH Erin has been part of some amazing teams at CMH, in the Kamloops community and at RIH, which continue to be creative with resources to provide support for one another and patients. She feels very fortunate to have met and worked with so many incredible people that provide patients and clients with excellent care. 

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