From CNA to Administrator

From Certified Nurse Aide to Administrator

I am the youngest of three girls, with 12 years and 16 years between myself and my two older sisters.  My sisters were already registered nurses, so I knew from an early age that I wanted to be involved in health care. I graduated from Thomas Walker High School in Ewing, VA in May 2006. I began my career journey in January 2007 at a skilled nursing facility in Harrogate, TN by completing the in-house nurse aide program and becoming a certified nurse aide in Tennessee on April 24, 2007.

It was not until March 2009 that I joined the CCR team at Lee Health & Rehab Center as a Certified Nurse’s Aide. I also attended Mountain Empire Community College to obtain my certificate in practical nursing while also working full-time. There were weeks that I did not get a day off and was either working at Lee Health and Rehab Center, attending classes at Mountain Empire Community College, or attending clinicals in relation to the practical nursing program. I graduated from the practical nursing program at Mountain Empire Community College in December 2009 and became a Licensed Practical Nursing on February 3, 2010.

The following year, in 2011, I began the two-year nursing bridge program, from LPN to RN, at Mountain Empire Community College. The program had multiple tracks and allowed individuals who needed to work full-time, different options for completing their associate’s degree in nursing. Normal standard college nursing programs were Monday through Friday and did not allow an individual to continue to work full-time, while also pursuing their educational goals.

From 2010-2013, I held multiple positions at Lee Health and Rehab Center, including charge nurse, scheduler, unit manager, care plan nurse, and MDS coordinator. I was very versatile and flexible. I was always willing to help whenever and wherever I was needed.

I completed the Mountain Empire Community College LPN to RN bridge program in May 2013 and became licensed as a registered nurse on August 16, 2013.  From 2013-2018, I was the lead RN MDS Coordinator, with multiple job duties including completing resident MDS assessments, assisting in the facility’s financial well-being, and completing care plans for all residents. During this time, I also lost my father on October 2, 2017. He was my biggest fan all through elementary and high school with sports, academics, hobbies, and any other activities. We spent a lot of time together in the outdoors including fishing, hunting, playing sports, flying in his airplane, and anything that was outdoors. He was also my biggest influencer and always pushed me to do my best at anything I ever did, including my career when I became an adult. I geared his death as a motivator in my career and life choices and did not let it be a negative influence on my life.

I had promised my father that I would continue advancing my career, and that is exactly what I did. I began taking classes at Ashworth College in February 2018 to obtain my Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. In December 2018, I became the Director of Nursing at Lee Health and Rehab Center.  I called my mother immediately and told her the news and I could just hear in her voice how proud she was of the accomplishment. She started to cry and then stated “Your daddy would be so proud.” My mindset never changed, even after my father had passed away. I never gave 25% or 50%, I always gave and will continue to give 100% of any activity, schooling, or position that I will ever have. He always told me, “If you want it, you have to work for it. Take it one day at a time.” I completed my Bachelor of Science degree in nursing in February 2020 with a 3.71 GPA. I did not stop there though, with my education. I began my master’s degree in nursing with a specialization in education in May 2020 and graduated in June 2022 with a 4.0 GPA.

Soon after the completion of my master’s degree in nursing, another opportunity presented itself in the fall of 2022. I applied for the administrator position at Lee Health and Rehab Center. No, I did not have a degree in administration, nor had I completed the administrator-in-training program, nor did I have my administrator license, but again, that did not stop me. I had the support of upper operational and nursing management at CCR, the team of department heads that I have worked with for many years, and the front-line staff who I had led since 2018 as their Director of Nursing.

On November 1, 2022, I began my administrator-in-training program, with Charles Rehnborg, Director of Operations of the Southwest Region, as my preceptor, mentor, and huge supporter of my success in my career and education. He monitored my progress as I completed the administrator-in-training program while allowing the Assistant Administrator at Abingdon Health and Rehab, Colbey Smith, to sit as the Acting Administrator at Lee Health and Rehab Center, while I completed my program. Both men were huge influencers on my development as an administrator and a leader. I completed my administrator-in-training program on May 7, 2023, and became a licensed administrator on June 7, 2023, and was officially appointed as the Administrator at Lee Health and Rehab Center.

If I told you this journey was easy and everything fell into place without complications, I would be lying. If I told you I didn’t have to work for every task completion and that every item was handed to me, I would also be lying. But I will tell you, every job, every task, every assignment, every challenge, they all led me to where I am today. I am very proud of the accomplishments I have achieved both in my career and my life, but most of all, I am so very humbled that I had so much support throughout the entire journey with family, friends, and my work family, both at the center and at CCR. There were days when I questioned why I was doing what I was doing and how much easier it would have been to have just given up, instead of persevering through the difficult times, but that mindset never stayed too long. I knew what I was doing wasn’t just for me, but it was for the staff as well. As a leader, one of the most important things you know is that people are always watching you so I knew I couldn’t fail, I couldn’t give up. I had to be their example that IT COULD BE DONE, despite feeling as if the world and its surroundings were sometimes working against me during the journey.

I began my journey in 2007 as a C.N.A. and now in 2024, I am the Administrator of Lee Health and Rehab Center. I am very thankful to everyone who has supported me throughout this journey and for being given the opportunities and blessings that I have given throughout my fifteen years with Lee Health and Rehab Center.  I hope my sharing of my journey will encourage someone to continue their journey, and let them know that yes, it can be done. Times will be tough, but perseverance and support from those around you, will be your biggest influencers.