Over the past 3 decades, Janelle Steeves has gathered an extensive amount of experience and training within the Occupational Health Nursing and business field.  She has her degree in Nursing and is a Canadian Certified Occupational Health Nurse, with an MBA focused on HR and Entrepreneurship

Her nursing career has allowed her to create and execute strategic plans for establishing operations, developing business opportunities, aligning with government regulations, and recommending pragmatic business and system solutions to drive value creation.  Alongside this she has developed and implemented policies and procedures to help improve practice standardization and to ensure compliancy with regulatory requirements.

Janelle has consulted with clients to identify specific business needs/requirements and develop effective workflows and programs focused on resolving identified issues and creating business efficiencies.  She has worked collaboratively with cross functionally leaders and stakeholders to align on organizational health and clinical strategy to enhance program/platform implementation for project success and encourage user adoption and accurate application of new processes.

As part of her nursing leadership, Janelle has built cohesive strategic teams of professionals focused on exceeding client expectations, resolving workplace health and safety concerns, preventing injuries while ensuring alignment with business targets and strategic goals.

Janelle continues to stay abreast of emerging health topics and continuing global health concerns that may impact the workplace and our communities.  

Janelle has been a champion of mentorship and in encouraging the development of professional skills and knowledge for her team members and believes that we as nurses need to stand together, for each other, so that the important work we do is clearly seen and understood!

Janelle Steeves graduated from her nursing program in 1991, and first began her occupational health journey by working in an emergency response nursing role combined with taking on the role of firefighter for large Oil & Gas Company in Fort McMurray. Without any previous experience in such a physical, high adrenaline environment, Janelle was supported in her new role by her nurse colleagues. She recalls being terrified by the potential for mass casualty events and the interventions required in emergency response nursing (i.e., intubation). Janelle found a mentor that “taught me everything I know”, including firefighting! She recalls spending time job shadowing as she earned her ACLS and other certifications and describes the initial frenzy of learning that led her to her interest in procedure-driven practice (understanding the importance of tasks and procedures to nursing practice). 

Janelle’s experience with emergency response roles moved her practice interests toward a focus on developing procedural responses to care through peer and client education, which continues to drive her passions today. She notes that her evolving focus on developing procedural aspects of prevention advanced her nursing career even further. Later, she was able to independently advise her previous employer in managing health and medical surveillance through the protocols and procedures she had created with her own business. Janelle eventually went on to run clinics for large Oil & Gas Company employees in both Fort McMurray and Edmonton, and at one time employed 35 employees, with 4.5 million dollars in revenue.

It comes down to peer support

Janelle recalls that her successful initial professional role transition experience into emergency response nursing and firefighting was made possible by a senior nurse mentor's support, something she sought in subsequent roles and continues to recommend for all nurses. She describes that a mentor helped her achieve her comfort level in practice, providing both understanding and support. Janelle notes that she now leads both novice and experienced hires through an environment of open-door mentoring and peer support.

I always wanted to learn more...a focus on what comes next?

Janelle began her journey into policy making and standardization by first saying yes to an opportunity to create a reference guide for new staff. For those interested in expanding their current knowledge and practice, Janelle suggests that nurses look for opportunities that fit their interests, including the education that comes with interacting with colleagues who are already in the field that interests you. She encourages nurses to consider what experience will move them to a new level or opportunity. Janelle believes that a positive experience with a course and its material can be a good indicator of your continued interest in that field.

We are not just here to put band-aids on people

Janelle’s experience and vision of occupational health is one in which the field receives acknowledgement and respect for its innovative, meaningful and positive impacts. While the general understanding of what occupational health nursing remains underdeveloped, Janelle believes it is important for nurses to take every opportunity to educate the public and other nurses about the attributes of this nursing field. While safety is a cornerstone of occupational health nursing, she notes it is not an isolated ideal or state but is inextricably connected to an appreciation of whole-person wellness. Psychological health and safety are interconnected concepts that inform and shape much of Janelle's innovative work and professional goals. She maintains that situational awareness and organisational culture are true drivers of safety in the workplace.

The future of Occupational Health Nursing

Janelle, in her current role as the corporate occupational health specialist for NOVA, is invigorated by the possibilities of what occupational health nursing could achieve. One research project she is currently a part of is understanding workplace fatigue through AI supported speech recognition. Efforts such as this novel evidence-driven research can inform workplace research and decisions impacting work gap analysis protocols for a safer work environment. Understanding previously unstudied facets of the workplace can help to create realistic policies reflective of unique site and worker experiences. Janelle encourages interested nurses to become involved in informatics outside of the hospital setting, where technology validation can improve business objectives such as tracking noise-induced hearing loss cases, reducing the number of hearing loss visits per year, and reporting these findings in a manner meaningful to the employer.

Janelle encourages nurses interested in both occupational nursing and independent nursing practice to reach out to the right people, and to not be afraid to ask questions, as there are many nurses out there willing to give guidance!