Smooth Riding: Kim Mealing Kim Mealing says the most valuable thing she learned while studying Human Resources at SIAST was to be patient and professional. The emphasis on working in groups taught her that no matter who the members of a team are, a successful person has to work with them, be professional and get the task done on time and to a high standard. That’s similar to what the members of a professional sports team are expected to be and do. And Mealing knows all about that now, since she’s a human resources advisor and member of the management team of the Saskatchewan Roughriders organization. She very much enjoys her career, but it took her a while to get there. She changed majors three times at university, and a semester off to regroup slid into a two-year stint working in restaurant management. She eventually enrolled in Business at SIAST, where she discovered a passion for human resources. She graduated from the HR diploma program at SIAST Palliser Campus in 2007. “Each of the courses in my program was specific to skills that I wanted to learn and felt I needed,” Mealing says. “I liked that the program was only two years, that
About me: After many years of employment in the non-profit sector, I returned to SIAST four years ago. I am married with children and we’re enjoying newfound freedom after the recent sale of our family dairy farm. We spend summer “staycations” quadding around Saskatchewan and head to warm-weather destinations in winter. Oh yeah, and GO Riders! Sheila Booth Chemical Dependency Worker, SIAST Woodland 1990 and Special Care Aide, SIAST Wascana 1996 In May, I graduated from the practical nursing program offered at Cowesses. I’m working as a casual employee in Grenfell and continuing my education by taking classes in holistic health. Right now I’m on maternity leave – my daughter was born in 2010.
I would have a diploma from a respected and recognized school, and that I would be able to get started on my career soon.” Her first position out of college was as a human resources associate at SaskWater, a crown corporation. While learning the rules of the HR game, she hasn’t forgotten her alma mater. She promotes the school’s co-op program and participates in events such as the Business and Industry Dinner. She also speaks to HR students about her experiences, and she’s accepted an offer to sit on an alumni committee. Tackling a challenging career, Mealing knows when it’s time to run with the ball.
Joan Braun Nursing, SIAST Kelsey 1980 My career as a RN began in the neonatal intensive unit care at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon. I spent 12 years there, followed by a position in Toronto’s York Finch General Hospital, where I helped set up a step-down (intermediate care) nursery. I then returned to Saskatoon and worked in the dialysis unit at St. Paul’s for five years. Home care then became my passion, and I worked briefly at the Saskatoon Home Care Program before moving to Lethbridge, Alberta, in 2000. Here, I’ve enjoyed the challenges of change within the program and being a community care manager. It’s been an incredible career, with many opportunities and challenges. >>
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