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A Nod to Nursing Home Administrators

Julie Boggess
thank-you-300x300Nursing Home Administrators are unsung heroes before, during and after the pandemic.  On this occasion of  Nursing Home Administrator's Week, AGE-u-cate Training Institute extends our thanks and admiration for the tireless commitment of these professionals.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that a health services manager plans, directs and coordinates the business of activities of healthcare providers, and this includes nursing home administrators.

It is difficult to define such a complex job.  However, I think the BLS should update the position responsibilities for the LNHA.

The Realities of Being a LNHA

Must be willing to:

  1. Sleep with phone set on the loudest ring tone to respond to emergencies 24/7.
  2. Juggle multiple priorities that come to a hard stop when a survey team makes an unscheduled visit- which is 100% of the time.
  3. Worry continually about the wellbeing of elders in their care and how to make things better.
  4. Count the number of empty beds daily and pray that there is enough money to cover payroll.
  5. Care about all employees, and regret that they can't be paid more.
  6. Listen to the heart-wrenching grief of family members with compassion and kindness.

Many wonder how much longer they can do this job.  However, they brush away that thought because of their deep commitment.

The job is challenging, and rewarding.  But, the scale tipped further to challenging territory this past year.  Hopefully, LNHA's will soon get back to experiencing more of the rewards of their important profession.

Nursing Home Administrators deserve respect for taking on the immense responsibility to over-see the care of the most vulnerable among us.

Julie has worked in Aging Services for over 30 years and has been a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator since 1990. She is a the Director of Grants and Consulting Projects and a Certified Master Trainer with AGE-u-cate Training Institute. In addition, she is an instructor and of Gerontology and Leadership in Aging Services at Northern Illinois University and lives in the Chicago Northwest Suburb of Mount Prospect, IL.