In this nursing week spotlight, we’re introducing Christene, director of clinical services at Casey House. Christene oversees programs and clinical offerings provided by both the outpatient and inpatient teams.
Christene initially started her career with one goal in mind: to become an emergency room nurse. As a student, she seized every opportunity to achieve this, including taking on extra educational courses and training. She succeeded in getting an emergency room nurse role upon graduating, and after moving to a bigger hospital in Toronto, she quickly climbed the ranks to new positions with her continued resolve. Over the years, Christene has worked as an emergency and trauma room nurse, charge nurse, occupational health and safety nurse, and an organ donation coordinator, before being promoted to leadership positions.
Looking back, Christene cites her drive and initiative as key factors to her success. There was not a specific pathway through her journey, she found new opportunities, and the more she raised her hand the more she got her foot in the door working on new projects. She grew and learned from those experiences, eventually acquiring more skills. Simultaneously, Christene enrolled in more professional education programs for pediatric life support, advanced care life support, and business courses like finance and management, before she ultimately acquired her master’s degree in nursing. Christene’s perspective on her ongoing journey of upgrading her abilities was that no one else was going to do it for her – she had to go out and reach for it herself. Her hard work did not go unnoticed, her mentor and fellow colleagues nominated her to new positions as a supervisor and manager; and at Casey House, she now acts as a director.
While she no longer attends to bedside nursing duties, Christene uses her perspective as a nurse to inform her approach to leadership. Nurses have frontline experience with clients and work with diverse peers in a variety of disciplines. Having a solid foundation of clinical best practices keeps Christene grounded as a leader.
“Anybody can be a leader. Sometimes, people are leaders without even realizing it,” says Christine. “At the end of the day, you gain a list of experiences and opportunities that help shape you and help guide you to be ready for the next position.”
At Casey House, Christene finds that the best way to manage two diverse interdisciplinary teams – inpatient and outpatient – is to remain flexible and adaptive. Christene asks questions to understand best practices of each team and brings in her own history from working at different organizations to solve problems, make decisions, and find new strategies.
“I’ve been enjoying getting to know our clients and seeing how amazing our staff are: they support clients in so many different ways, going above and beyond. I’ve seen nursing staff offer to host painting sessions with clients, arrange special events for clients, or even stay late to attend events for clients. Casey House is a very special place.”
May 14, 2026
Meet Christene – Director, Clinical Services
In this nursing week spotlight, we’re introducing Christene, director of clinical services at Casey House. Christene oversees programs and clinical offerings provided by both the outpatient and inpatient teams.
Christene initially started her career with one goal in mind: to become an emergency room nurse. As a student, she seized every opportunity to achieve this, including taking on extra educational courses and training. She succeeded in getting an emergency room nurse role upon graduating, and after moving to a bigger hospital in Toronto, she quickly climbed the ranks to new positions with her continued resolve. Over the years, Christene has worked as an emergency and trauma room nurse, charge nurse, occupational health and safety nurse, and an organ donation coordinator, before being promoted to leadership positions.
Looking back, Christene cites her drive and initiative as key factors to her success. There was not a specific pathway through her journey, she found new opportunities, and the more she raised her hand the more she got her foot in the door working on new projects. She grew and learned from those experiences, eventually acquiring more skills. Simultaneously, Christene enrolled in more professional education programs for pediatric life support, advanced care life support, and business courses like finance and management, before she ultimately acquired her master’s degree in nursing. Christene’s perspective on her ongoing journey of upgrading her abilities was that no one else was going to do it for her – she had to go out and reach for it herself. Her hard work did not go unnoticed, her mentor and fellow colleagues nominated her to new positions as a supervisor and manager; and at Casey House, she now acts as a director.
While she no longer attends to bedside nursing duties, Christene uses her perspective as a nurse to inform her approach to leadership. Nurses have frontline experience with clients and work with diverse peers in a variety of disciplines. Having a solid foundation of clinical best practices keeps Christene grounded as a leader.
“Anybody can be a leader. Sometimes, people are leaders without even realizing it,” says Christine. “At the end of the day, you gain a list of experiences and opportunities that help shape you and help guide you to be ready for the next position.”
At Casey House, Christene finds that the best way to manage two diverse interdisciplinary teams – inpatient and outpatient – is to remain flexible and adaptive. Christene asks questions to understand best practices of each team and brings in her own history from working at different organizations to solve problems, make decisions, and find new strategies.
“I’ve been enjoying getting to know our clients and seeing how amazing our staff are: they support clients in so many different ways, going above and beyond. I’ve seen nursing staff offer to host painting sessions with clients, arrange special events for clients, or even stay late to attend events for clients. Casey House is a very special place.”
Thank you for being a part of our team Christene!
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