Jennifer Saintignon and patient (Photo courtesy of Cooper Farms) Rendering first aid Nurses play a vital role in keeping plant workers healthy and productive By Larry Aylward meatpoultry@sosland.com W hen she became a nurse, Jennifer Saintignon never figured she'd end up working in - of all places - a poultry processing plant......and loving it. Saintignon's career took a twist when she went from working as a registered nurse on a hospital maternity ward to working as a certified occupational health nurse for Cooper Farms, a turkey processor based in St. Henry, Ohio. "It was really quite a switch for me," 46 I MEAT&POULTRY I July 2008 I says Saintignon, who joined Cooper Farms about eight years ago. Saintignon worked nights for five years as a hospital nurse caring for mothers and their newborns. But when she saw an advertisement for a nursing job at Cooper Farms - and a chance to work the dayshift with weekends and holidays off - she applied for it. Saintignon had never even been in a processing plant before and didn't have a clue what the inside of a turkey processing plant looked like. She expected www.MEATPOULTRY.com the worst. "I thought, 'Oh my God - they kill things in there,'" she says. To her surprise, it wasn't at all like that. "I was very impressed with the whole operation," Saintingon says. "I love this job." Occupational benefit Many processing companies across the country employ occupational health nurses. Those that do attest to the fact that they play an integral role. Consider the job description Tysonhttp://www.MEATPOULTRY.com