OMNI engages staff, encourages self-improvement, says NASM
Friday November 2, 2007 -- Deron Hamel
Wendy Logan says the encouragement OMNI gives its employees to improve themselves and move up the corporate ladder is not only a great incentive to work for the company, it also builds confidence.

For the past 13 years, Logan has worked at Peterborough-area OMNI long-term care homes. She currently works as nursing administrative services manager (NASM) at Springdale Country Manor, but her career began at Riverview Manor.

Logan says it was a personal reason that compelled her to seek a career in long-term care.

“(Long-term care is) something that I never thought I would get into,” she says. “I started it because my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and that’s something that led me into this field.”

When she started a job as a health-care aide at Riverview in 1994, Logan was a student at Sir Sandford Fleming College. The course she took would later qualify her for a managerial position at Springdale when an NASM spot opened in October 2002.

OMNI’s faith in its employees, says Logan, is recognized by staff members.

“It gives people a lot of incentive to keep improving themselves,” she says. “We have so many educational opportunities to attend free of charge. I don’t know of many companies that do that.”

Logan says her transfer from Riverview to Springdale not only made a difference in her professional life, it also changed an aspect of her personal life.

Since taking her post as NASM, public speaking has been a part of her job to some degree.

“(The position) has given me a lot of confidence to do that,” she says. “I’ve had the opportunity to speak to staff and to make speeches outside of work, such as at weddings, which is something I never would have done before.”

And what message does OMNI’s encouragement send to potential job candidates at OMNI?

“It gives them a very positive outlook,” she says, noting the home has had several students pass through in the past six months.

“I was the one who gave them a little pep talk during their orientation, and I always tell them my story and they (realize) there’s room for advancement.”