People of PointClickCare – Cindy Plunkett

You may think you know our employees, but did you know our Director, Learning Design and Development Cindy Plunkett, is a black belt who is also studying to get her PhD? Cindy is an impressive and dynamic employee, and we are delighted to share her story.

About Cindy

To start, we’re getting to know the real Cindy with a few rapid-fire 🔥 questions!

• Favorite Movie? Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. 
• Guilty pleasure? Watching Beat Bobby Flay on the Food Network. 
• Describe yourself in 3 words? Loyal, Determined, and Passionate.
• Who would you invite to a dinner party alive or dead and why? Michelle Obama, she is super fascinating to me, a very strong, authentic, intelligent woman. 
• Favorite sport? Karate. 
• Are you a morning person or a night person? Definitely a night hawk, I get my best work done between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.

Cindy’s Nomination

Starting with the company only 2 years ago, Cindy has already had a huge impact on our organization. The person who nominated her, Angeline Pleunis, mentioned she is an incredibly interesting person who has had many years of experience in the Acute and Long-Term Care space.  

She is also currently working on her dissertation for a PhD in Education specializing in online learning. When we asked Cindy about her studies, she mentioned that she has always been passionate about learning and technology, and most of all, helping people. Thus, her studies were a natural fit for her career progression. She says it all started when she was working at Baycrest, and her team noticed a specific gap in knowledge regarding persons with dementia. “My PhD focuses on using a Virtual Reality Dementia Simulation that we created to effect behaviour change, more specifically to increase empathy, confidence, and attitudes towards caring for persons with dementia. As of right now, I have submitted my final research manuscript and am preparing to defend my dissertation.”

Choosing PointClickCare   

Prior to joining PointClickCare, Cindy spent 20 years working in various TAHSN (Toronto Academic Health Science Network) hospitals, honing her skills on her path of continued learning. “I started in Medical Imaging and was a Supervisor at Toronto Western Hospital when we were first bringing in an electronic Medication Order Entry (MOE) and Medication Administration Record (MAR) system.”

Cindy’s passion for both technology and learning made her a perfect fit for PointClickCare, but that isn’t the only reason she chose to join our team. “I believe helping people to be a higher calling. I chose and continue to choose PointClickCare because of our mission. I see the people behind what we do. I honestly believe we are making a difference for older adults everywhere in North America.”

It’s no surprise that her favourite thing about PointClickCare is the people she gets to work with to make a difference. “For me it is the people and our culture. I love the people that I get to work with, and collaborate with, and I love the PointClickCare Culture of folks that dig in and help out – regardless of their position within the company.” 

Always keep learning

When we asked Cindy if she always saw herself in Learning Design and Development, she said although she believes her career has been a bit of a winding path, she has always been passionate about learning and technology. Cindy’s love for education has extended to her hobbies as well. She has a black belt in two different styles of Karate and is an instructor at her local dojo. She is also a part time professor at Ontario Tech University in the Education Department and recently “retired” from being a sessional lecturer at the University of Toronto in a post-grad program teaching healthcare professionals how to leverage learning technologies in practice with their medical students. 

It doesn’t surprise us that for an avid teacher like Cindy, her advice to future PointClickCare employees is about learning as much as you can from those around you. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions and leverage your Culture Connector Buddy. There will be so much to learn, we run at a rapid pace and things change quickly, but your PointClickCare family is here to lean on and help you thrive.”

Thanks for sharing, Cindy!