Executive Assistant’s Passion for Her Job Grows with Her

Diane Cairney happened to fall into the long-term care industry after moving to Wisconsin from Illinois in 2002, where she started working through a temp agency at Extendicare. She was an Administrative Assistant in the Facilities Management department where their goal was to update and renovate the nursing homes.

“It was great to see the before and after photos of the residents enjoying their new environment with new furniture, carpeting, paint, artwork, etc.,” says Diane. After two weeks of her performance, Extendicare bought out her temp contract and hired Diane full-time where she continued to work for them for 13 years. Eventually, Extendicare sold part of the business to Fortis Management Group, so Diane decided to stay with Fortis for the two years they were in business. “Even though Fortis was much smaller, I wore many more hats and was fortunate to support more departments and learn different aspects of the long-term care industry.”

After Fortis sold, Diane decided to try to go a different direction with her career. She ended up getting a job with a marketing company but found it was not the right fit. She found herself job searching again and came across North Shore Healthcare, who happened to be looking for a Receptionist/Administrative Assistant. Diane jumped at the chance at applying because she thought to herself, “Hey, I know those centers!”  Diane accepted the job in 2018, and it felt right to her from the start as she already knew some of the nursing home “lingo.” She says, “Being familiar with the ins and outs helped me take the bull by the horns. Within a year, I was promoted to Executive Assistant where I continue to learn this industry and am proud to say I work with many people who enjoy their mission to helping our seniors live the best life they can.”