We Are IH: Nurse now recruits others to enhance patient care

June 27, 2024

Donna Jeri-Leon skating at Shannon Lake with husband Franklin and son Keltie

Name: Donna Jeri-Leon (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Specialist, Clinical Recruitment
Years of Service: 26
Worksite: Community Health & Services Centre (Remote)
Community: Kelowna
Ancestral Territory: Syilx/Okanagan
Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “It is what it is, but it will become what you make of it.” – Pat Summitt

Donna Jeri-Leon is a clinical recruitment specialist that works to attract top notch health-care professionals to join Interior Health (IH). Born in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Donna moved to Kelowna in 1997 and has been working at IH ever since.

In this Story…

Learn more about Donna’s journey with IH

Donna nominates Leslie Godwin to keep We Are IH going

Explore Human Resources Careers@IH

Learn more about Donna’s journey with IH

Woman with grey ballcap, sleeveless top, knee-length black pants, running shoes and backpack standing on narrow path on the side of a mountain overlooking rocky mountains and cloudy sky in the background — Donna hiking in Glacier National Park

Donna has been a registered nurse for the past 34 years and has worked at IH for over 27 of those years. She worked in a variety of home and community care roles, from clinical to leadership. She’s also been a community nurse in acute and palliative care, as well as a case manager, clinical practice consultant and wound consultant. Donna also worked in the private health-care sector in management.

Donna is deeply inspired by her ability to make a difference in the lives of people during a vulnerable time in their lives as they experience health challenges. She is passionate about her work and highly values kindness.

Woman kayaking in red kayak with paddle on still lake with trees, mountains and clear blue sky in background — Donna kayaking on Okanagan Lake

As a clinical leader, Donna was part of a team that strategically spearheaded the development of the home and community care nursing program in the central Okanagan. It aimed to be on the leading edge in wound care with the development of a formalized wound care program, competencies, standards, and community Enterostomal Therapy (ET) program. She also worked on the implementation of an online assessment and documentation tool called Pixalere, which would become the gold standard for use at IH.

In 2022, Donna accepted a recruitment specialist position to seek clinical staff (externally) for rural communities within the region that IH serves. Donna is excited to be part of a team that brings skilled health professionals into our organization, a strategy that aims to enhance patient care.

Having worked as a registered nurse in different areas of clinical nursing and seeing firsthand the impact the nursing shortage has had, it has been an incredible opportunity over the past two years to work in Human Resources as a clinical recruitment specialist, hiring qualified health-care professionals to support staffing needs at IH – especially for rural worksites.

-- Donna Jeri-Leon

Donna is motivated to keep on interviewing, inspiring and hiring qualified clinical staff so that people in need of health care will have the right person to care for them.

Outside of work, Donna enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, kayaking and gardening.