SKLD staffers head back to school to make a difference
This back to school season, kids aren’t the only ones in our communities to be heading back to the classroom. Several SKLD staff members are taking advantage of the opportunity to advance their careers with the support of their employer and colleagues.
Supporting staff who take the time to go back to school benefits the residents as well as the staff. However, working full time makes pursuing a degree or certification that much more challenging.
Supporting skilled nursing staff with tuition assistance and educational opportunities
SKLD staff who want to pursue degrees and certification to serve their residents better are encouraged to do so. SKLD helps by offering tuition reimbursement for full-time employees who have completed one year of service. To be eligible, employees must maintain their full-time status throughout the duration of the courses for which reimbursement is requested.
SKLD also sponsors individuals to go through their CNA course and will pay for them to complete the course and take the examination. SKLD works closely with a few of the CNA schools for CNA sponsorship.
Dr. Amelia Kenyon DNP, MSN, BSN, RN is the Program Director at Professional Education Services and partners with SKLD on this initiative. Dr. Kenyon says,
“It’s been my dream for over a decade to help healthcare heroes get the opportunity to further their education. When everything shut down with the pandemic, I realized it was time.”
Dr. Kenyon’s program affords sponsorships to healthcare workers. She explains, “They will apply to work with the facility which does a background check. Then they will receive the date and training sessions to attend. After completion, they can start working as a CNA and get certified with the exam.”
Skilled nursing education programs support future leaders
Amber Stroven, Tori Malus, Londyn Richardson and Jenna Stacy are four SKLD staff members who work incredibly hard to bring top notch care to their residents. Although their work and home life keep them busy, they are both now working even harder to continue their education with the goal of a successful future helping SKLD skilled nursing residents.
Amber is the Transitional Care Liaison and Admissions Director at SKLD Zeeland, who is in school at Baker College to study healthcare administration. Amber says, “I’ve been in the healthcare industry for 14 years. I became more involved in the administrative side and fell in love. I really enjoy what I do.”
SKLD Zeeland’s Amber Stroven pictured with her kids for their first day of school this year.
Some of Amber’s responsibilities at SKLD Zeeland include reviewing accounts and admitting residents into the building. She says, “Initially I wanted to go back to school for nursing. Michigan has a healthcare heroes grant to cover schooling. Then I got into the administrative side and knew that was what I wanted to pursue.”
Currently, Amber is working towards her degree in healthcare administration. Amber says, “I had dreams of going back to school, but it’s been 14 years. I have three little kids and work full time so I’ll be done in roughly four years.”
Amber keeps a tight routine to succeed. She says, “My classes are online so I usually finish work, get the kids ready for bed and then start my homework. I’m hoping to gain a better understanding of my job and get my administrators license.”
SKLD has supported Amber in her endeavors by encouraging professional development. Amber shares, “When I first started with SKLD, I was a CNA. Then I worked for one year in admissions when SKLD created a hybrid position for me. Now many of my duties revolve around helping with administrative roles.”
Amber says, “The healthcare administration program will definitely give me a broader understanding and getting my administrator’s license will help give me training to thrive in a leadership role in long-term care.”
She continues,
“I want to learn as much as I can in school and in my job. Because I have so much experience in different departments, one day it will help me run the building effectively and efficiently. The staff will be able to trust me because I know where they are coming from.”
Skilled nursing education programs improve lives of seniors in communities
Tori Malus started in the healthcare industry in 2017 as an activity director and has worked in two different facilities since then doing activities, social services, marketing and admissions. She is now the Admissions Director at SKLD Beltline.
This wasn’t what Tori originally pictured herself doing. Tori says, “I wanted to be a medical examiner and forensic anthropologist, and while I was in my medical school interviews I realized that I didn’t really like any of my science classes and that medical school probably wasn’t the best decision for me.”
She continues, “I then started looking into direct care jobs because I was a resident assistant in college. I started off as a house mom in a boys home then transitioned to work with adults with mental and physical disabilities. Then I finally landed in the nursing home industry where I truly feel at home.”
Tori’s job in a nutshell is to make sure that every resident or family member or potential member that walks through the doors at SKLD Beltline or calls on the phone feels welcomed and that all their concerns have been addressed.
Tori says, “I am also the face of the building and make sure that I know the strengths of the building and how to showcase it to potential residents and their family members. I am a one stop shop for all the knowledge of SKLD Beltline. If I don’t know the answer to a question, I know who to ask to get the answer.”
Tori had thought about getting her administrators license for the last couple of years, but she didn’t pursue the certificate until she started working at SKLD Beltline.
She shares, “Working with Kayla Neuman, our Assistant Administrator, has really pushed me to be better, want more for myself, and create goals and timelines. I really owe my decision to start this certificate to her. I am going for my long term care certificate through Ferris State University and it will take the fall semester to complete. Then I will be graduating in December of this year.”
Through her program, Tori says,
“I am hoping to get the foundation knowledge built for all of the experience that I have in the different positions that I have held over the past four years. It is one thing to go through everything in person, but there are a lot of technical things that happen day to day that are not always public knowledge. Eventually I would like to become an administrator and run my own building.”
Tori has support from her SKLD team to advance her studies. “My assistant administrator Kayla Neuman has really given me the final push that I needed to sign up for the classes. She is giving me her support and has given me all of her study materials. I have really learned so much from her already. This will further my career opportunities and also make me more well rounded,” Tori says.
Her love of her job makes the hard work worthwhile. Tori says,
“I love being able to help people during a very difficult and stressful time in their lives. We provide a sense of community for the residents and their family members. The sense of family among the staff within each nursing facility is amazing. I’ve never worked with a more driven and passionate team in any other job.”
Bringing lessons from the long term care administration classroom Back to work
Jenna Stacy joined the SKLD Plymouth team as the Admissions Director in January. As she welcomes new families to the building each day she says she feels grateful to provide the warmth she would want for her own grandparents.
“I get to be the face of the building, welcoming families and introducing them to our facility. I also help them adjust from a hospital to a long-term care facility. It’s a wonderful experience to see someone succeed and then get to go home.”
Jenna received her degree in healthcare administration from Bowling Green State University. Jenna says, “I thought of my grandparents who would soon need care. I wanted to be the change to make them feel comfortable. They felt the stigma of going into long-term care, so I went to college to help change that.”
Last May, Jenna completed a degree at Madonna University for long term care administration and is preparing to take the administration test. She says, “There is a lot of studying involved, but I’m enjoying learning more and more.”
Jenna is looking forward to passing her administration exam and says, “I want to pursue the administration route and gain more knowledge in long-term care. I’m not ready just yet, but I am gaining knowledge for when I’m ready to be a successful administrator.”
One class Jenna found particularly interesting was public health. She says, “In this class we learned all about how to handle a pandemic and different techniques about outbreaks. I remember thinking at the time that it would never happen. Instead I saw firsthand how to do infection control.”
Working while pursuing a degree can be hard, but Jenna makes it work. Jenna says, “My SKLD family has always supported me. They want me to succeed at taking the administration test. My regional is always asking where I’m at in classes. They also give me Saturdays to focus on studying for the exam.”
She continues, “What keeps me going is the residents. They are like my own grandparents and I want to care for them. I’m studying and learning something new each time and can’t wait to bring them back to our building and share.”
Londyn Richardson, an LPN at SKLD Bloomfield Hills, also was inspired to pursue a career in healthcare after seeing her grandmother become ill. She became certified as a CNA in order to be able to help her directly, and then later when her grandmother passed away, she knew she wanted to be more than a CNA.
Londyn attended nursing school at Dorsey and graduated as an LPN in December of 2020. This September, she began at Schoolcraft College to meet her short-term goal as a RN ADN. She says, “My long-term goal is to become a RN BSN. I am currently taking one step at a time until I’m able to meet all my goals, but I am very confident that I will be able to meet every goal I have if I put my mind to it.”
At SKLD we are proud to see our staff members pursue higher degrees and certifications in healthcare and do what we can to make it easier for them to achieve their dreams.
Tuition reimbursement for full time staff helps alleviate the financial burden. Dr. Kenyon from Professional Education Services says, “Not everyone can pay tuition out of pocket, so this is a way to help them. Someone with a servant heart who wants to learn and expand their education should be able to pursue that dream.”
Click here to learn more about working at one of our SKLD skilled nursing facilities across Ohio and Michigan. To find out about continued education opportunities and tuition reimbursement, speak to your building Human Capital team member.