If Three Links Care Centre ever started an official fan club, Joanne Catong would be its president. The lengths she went to land her dream job at Three Links are practically medal worthy.

When Joanne decided to move to Vancouver from Regina last fall, Three Links was the only place she wanted to work. A friendly and supportive environment was top on Joanne’s list of what she was looking for in a workplace and her cousin’s friend Ali, a dietary aide in the Three Links kitchen, told her that Three Links was a wonderful place to work. Joanne is bubbly and quick to help others – she wanted to work with a team that shared her values.

Joanne left her job as a nurse in long-term care in Regina, packed up her car and drove the 29 hours to Vancouver. Her younger brother had been accepted at Vancouver Community College and needed his big sis to support him. Joanne’s first order of business in Vancouver was to drop her resume off at Three Links. Then she waited.

Nothing.

So she dropped off her resume again.

Nothing.

Then in January, she saw a job posting for a casual nurse position at Three Links. She didn’t want to risk having her application lost in the internet ether, so she drove all the way to the care centre to drop it off in person.

Then she got an interview.

Joanne remembers the interview questions being tough. She forgot to mention that dehydration is a possible cause for delirium and she thought she had blown it. “My heart just sank,” says Joanne, “I thought I wasn’t going to get the job.”

In the meantime, Joanne had been working as a nurse for a private company. She was in the middle of a training day when she got the call from Faria Ali, Three Links’ Director of Care, saying that the job was hers. She locked herself in the bathroom to jump up and down with glee.

After working as a casual nurse for a few months, Joanne got the opportunity to work in a brand new position, helping new residents and their families navigate the admissions process. She develops care plans, interviews new residents and their family members, and conducts assessments such as risk for falls and pain. “I love the job,” say Joanne, “it’s such a welcoming place to work and the staff always back each other up. The management has a very big heart.”

Joanne counts herself lucky that she finally landed her dream job, but the Three Links community is the real winner. Joanne’s optimism is like a ray of light, and who couldn’t use a bit more sunlight, especially at this time of year?