1. Shari D. Myhill-Jones, RN
Post Office Box 1328
Sechelt, BC V0N 3A0
Telephone 1-604-885-3633
myhilljones@gmail.com
“I strive for quality of care
while considering the quality of
life and the individual’s
choices for palliative care.”
Previous Site Manager and Director of Care, 140
resident assisted care, complex care and dementia
care seniors community
Current Case Manager, Home Care Services,
Vancouver Coastal Health, Sunshine Coast
Graduate of British Columbia Institute of
Technology General Nursing program, 1994 to 1997
Registered as a Registered Nurse with College of
Registered Nurses of British Columbia after
successful completion of examinations, 1998
I began my career in nursing over twenty years ago when I enrolled in the General Nursing
program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. I commenced working as a Registered
Nurse at a 192 bed licensed residential care facility and then after several years I moved to a 140
bed campus of care facility where within three years I was promoted to be its Site Manager. I
have been honoured in my career to receive several significant promotions as well as
opportunities to participate in meaningful committee work. Somewhere in the midst of these two
care facilities, I realized that my speciality and my passion is in geriatric nursing and dementia
care. I embraced that realization and I have allowed it to guide me in the employment,
leadership and volunteer positions I have subsequently sought.
On the afternoon of March 31, 2009, all of my leadership skills and training were put to the
ultimate test when a resident of Christenson Village opened fire on my colleagues, one of whom
was seriously injured in the shooting. I was directly involved in securing our site and protecting
both our elderly residents and my staff. While many of my team members took extended leave
in the aftermath of this ordeal, I carried on and in the end became involved in the creation of a
Violence in the Workplace Prevention Program that has been adopted by WorkSafeBC for use
around our Province. Without trivializing in any way the significant trauma that was inflicted by
this very ill person, that Tuesday afternoon certainly became a watershed day in the world of
assisted living facilities in Canada, and I learned what it takes to lead in a time of real crisis.
I have worked hard over the years to further my skills and education in dementia care and
geriatric nursing. Recent training includes the University of Tasmania’s nine week
Understanding Dementia course and a Dementia Care and the Arts weeklong course at the
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. I serve at present on the Sunshine Coast Seniors
Planning Table, an organization that exists in part to identify needs and gaps in services for
seniors, to promote collaboration in existing services, and to assist the various local governments
in our region to identify and then prioritize the needs of older adults. I further serve on a
dementia planning task force for the Sunshine Coast that is working to improve the quality of life
for those persons with dementia living in our region, an issue that I am particularly passionate
about. I also give many hours of service to the Alzheimer Society of BC.
2. Following in chart form is a summary of my responsibilities, achievements and accomplishments
within the three organizations I have been fortunate to work with in my career.
Responsibilities, Achievements, Accomplishments
Oversee the personal care, medication management,
home visits and complete RAI assessments that result
in the planning and creation of detailed care plans for
our clients
Responsible for effective communications between
physicians, clients and their families, referrals to
other health care professionals and services on the
Sunshine Coast, providing support to the client and
their caregiver while living in the community and
transitioning to facility care or palliation
Participate in daily meetings with our acute care
leadership team to facilitate the timely discharge of
patients and then coordinate the appropriate home
care services for those patients
Many hours are spent leading client, family and
physician care conferences to create discharge from
hospital plans; my conflict resolution skills are often
used to defuse the anger of family members who
believe their loved one is not yet ready to return
home
Lead and conduct abuse and neglect investigations of
vulnerable adults through Vancouver Coastal
Health’s ReAct Adult Protection Program
As Case Manager, I’ve had practical, first hand
experiences that have enhanced my understanding of
the relationships between institutional care and
community and acute care
Case Manager, Home Care Services,
Vancouver Coastal Health,
Sunshine Coast, BC
February 2014 to present
I create and oversee comprehensive
plans of care to support clients to
remain living independently in their
own homes for as long as possible; if
the need for a transition to residential
care or assisted living is desired, I
complete the assessments to determine
eligibility and ensure the completeness
of all of the required documentation
for the move; in addition, I offer
support for caregivers and their
families through community referrals
and information sharing as well as any
necessary emotional support
Approximately 30 clients as of this
application to UBC, 95% of whom are
senior citizens; my clients reside in
two rural communities plus one First
Nations reserve
My client count was reduced recently
as I assumed new responsibilities for
completing the residential care waitlist
process for all individuals in our
region admitted to hospital who will
not be able to return home
3. Responsibilities, Achievements, Accomplishments
Assisted with the creation of the annual operating
budget as well as management of the facility budget
and all finances; under my leadership, Christenson
Village was one of the few sites administered by The
Good Samaritan Society to stay within their budget
each year while providing quality services
Following the tragic shooting at our facility in the
spring of 2009, I assisted in the creation of a
Violence in the Workplace Prevention Program in
conjunction with WorkSafeBC that has now been
adopted across British Columbia
While enrolled in the Quality Academy professional
development program offered by the BC Patient
Safety & Quality Council, I chose an ‘improving the
quality of life of residents with dementia through
exercise’ project; working over a six month period
with my Recreation Manager, we created a walking
program for residents living in the dementia care
cottages and tracked the subsequent improvements in
their fitness levels and moods
Responded to the personal and professional needs of
all nurses and other employees; led staff appreciation
events; responsible for hiring, progressive discipline,
performance reviews, responding to union grievances
and attendance management; management of
employee injuries and illness claims; assisted with
OHS return to work plans
Responded to all complaints by residents, their
families or members of the health care team
Managed Quality Improvement statistics, reported
same to our corporate office and completed action
plans for improvement
Led team in the creation of a dental suite fundraising
plan for Christenson Village
Collaboratively worked with corporate office staff
and management; created contracts with tradesmen
and health care providers working on site
Site Manager and Director of Care,
The Good Samaritan Society,
Christenson Village, Gibsons, BC
February 2006 to October 2013
I managed and oversaw all operations
of this 140 resident campus of care;
I directly oversaw all nursing staff and
ensured the consistent provision of an
exemplary level of care to all residents
140 residents
3 dementia care cottages, each
providing a secure home for 10
residents
50 licensed complex care suites
60 assisted living suites
Responsible for a staff of 150
Commenced employment as a
Registered Nurse and within three
years promoted to Site Manager;
following my layoff due to significant
financial difficulties faced by the
national Society that operates
Christenson Village, I received a
personal letter which included the
comment, “I have an incredible
respect for you. I know you have put
your heart and soul into Christenson
Village … Shari you have developed a
great skill set … you are very much
loved and respected by staff and
residents here …”
Prior to joining Christenson Village,I
stepped back fromthe workforce for four
years to care formy three young children
4. Responsibilities, Achievements, Accomplishments
Led team of health care aides to care for 30 residents
living in a Special Care Unit that became the gold
standard of care for people with dementia; Kiwanis
Care Centre operates a Special Care Unit for
residents with dementia plus a separate Special Care
Unit for residents with dementia and aggressive
behaviours
Detailed care planning for residents with particular
attention paid to residents with challenging
behaviours; daily assessments of resident needs
Led care conferences
Communicated with the entire care team including
physicians, pharmacists, nurses and families
Supervised health care aides including the teaching
of new skills and the correction of care practices
when required
Assessed and administered all medications to
residents
RegisteredNurse, Kiwanis Care
Centre, North Vancouver, BC
1998 to 2002
192 bed licensed residential care
facility
Prior to commencing employment at the
Kiwanis Care Centre,I worked some 17
years as a Personal Banking Officer with
the Bank of Montreal in West Vancouver,
BC