Almonte's new DOC 'couldn't ask for a better place to work'

Education and communication important to Kim Trombley

July 16, 2012 -- Lisa Bailey

From the time she became a nurse 12 years ago, Kim Trombley says she knew that working in long-term care “was for me.”

And she says she “couldn’t ask for a better place to work” as director of care (DOC) than Almonte Country Haven.

“’I’ve been off for a week (because) my mom passed away, and the people here have been absolutely wonderful with cards and letters and coming to the funeral and the wake,” Trombley says.

“That says a lot about their integrity and their being. I’m very lucky to be part of this company. I’m very, very lucky.”

Trombley became DOC on June 25 but had her first taste of OMNI Health Care at Garden Terrace. She worked there for just a few shifts but loved it immediately.

“I loved how the people were very caring, and they acted as a team,” she says. Team members were “very kind and very caring and they wanted to make your experience a good one.”

Trombley brings to her role nursing experience in both long-term care and corrections. She worked in the prison system in Kingston for seven years and found some similarities to nursing in long-term care, in the sense that there are populations of people with a number of care needs and requiring medical attention.

Trombley welcomes putting her experience and expertise to work making decisions that can be enacted efficiently and quickly.

“That has really given me the opportunity to expand on my ideas and thoughts and bring everything to the board and to the table to see, will this work here, will this not work there,” she says.

Trombley acknowledges it’s a challenging time in long-term care. Rules have changed substantially but “for the better” because they “keep the residents’ best interests at heart,” she says.

Trombley is ready for the challenge of her first DOC role and keeping an open mind as she acclimates to the position. She says she aims to define her role and perhaps tweak it to “make sure I am doing a good job.”

“I need to make sure my role is being fulfilled in a good way.”

Trombley stresses that as a director, she wants to lead by example and be a good role model for staff.

Her first priority is getting to know Almonte Country Haven’s residents and staff better. Maintaining a good line of open communication and ensuring staff are current in their education are also goals.

“When I was a floor nurse it was really important to be educated because there’s so many changes, so staff have to be kept up to date,” Trombley says.

“I’m big on education.”

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