Career in Long Term Care
As I continue on with my junior year, I have learned a multitude of things; not only educationally, but about myself. As an HMP major, I love that there are so many career paths that this major could take me down, but at the same time it’s very overwhelming. I’m not entirely sure what I want to do after I graduate, but up until Monday of this week, I was pretty sure long term care wasn’t for me. That all changed after we had Tom Lavallee, COO of Alliance Health Management Services, come into my management class and talk about his career in long term care.
Personally, I know that two things I really want out of any job that I have is to be able to help people and to interact with the staff, families, and patients of the organization that I serve. Mr. Lavallee talked about his experiences as an administrator in long term care facilities and he was able to accomplish both of these things. He brings up the crucial point that administrators who don’t leave their office and get to know their patients and staff, are not going to be the ones that truly make a difference in the industry. To run a successful long term care facility, to ensure patient safety and high quality of care, it is necessary to be involved and by doing this, the difference you make is so rewarding.
On top of the ability to make a difference and maintain patient interaction in this position, the job outlook for long term care administrators is great. Mr. Lavallee makes a compelling argument that as the baby boomers age, the opportunities in this field will be endless. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has numbers that agree with Mr. Lavalle. They predict that by 2024 long term care administrator positions will grow by 17% and will continue to grow as this population ages (Career Outlook, n.d.). This field would be ideal for a new HMP grad to enter as they would be able to get some valuable years of learning under their belt, take the Administrator in Training exam, and be prepared to enter an administrator role right around the time the baby boomer generation is going to begin needing long term care services. It is really looking like a promising field of work and I’m now very intrigued to learn more about a possible career in long term care.
Career Outlook: Nursing Home Administrator. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2017, from
http://www.tuw.edu/program-resources/career-nursing-home-administrator/
Personally, I know that two things I really want out of any job that I have is to be able to help people and to interact with the staff, families, and patients of the organization that I serve. Mr. Lavallee talked about his experiences as an administrator in long term care facilities and he was able to accomplish both of these things. He brings up the crucial point that administrators who don’t leave their office and get to know their patients and staff, are not going to be the ones that truly make a difference in the industry. To run a successful long term care facility, to ensure patient safety and high quality of care, it is necessary to be involved and by doing this, the difference you make is so rewarding.
On top of the ability to make a difference and maintain patient interaction in this position, the job outlook for long term care administrators is great. Mr. Lavallee makes a compelling argument that as the baby boomers age, the opportunities in this field will be endless. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has numbers that agree with Mr. Lavalle. They predict that by 2024 long term care administrator positions will grow by 17% and will continue to grow as this population ages (Career Outlook, n.d.). This field would be ideal for a new HMP grad to enter as they would be able to get some valuable years of learning under their belt, take the Administrator in Training exam, and be prepared to enter an administrator role right around the time the baby boomer generation is going to begin needing long term care services. It is really looking like a promising field of work and I’m now very intrigued to learn more about a possible career in long term care.
Career Outlook: Nursing Home Administrator. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2017, from
http://www.tuw.edu/program-resources/career-nursing-home-administrator/
I'm glad his visit was valuable to you. You should try to do a job shadow to decide if this would be for you. Let me know if you want an introduction.
ReplyDeleteI was actually considering a job shadow since I have this new found interest. I'm hoping to plan one during winter break at a local facility (possibly Edgewood). Really interested in seeing if this area is truly for me!
DeleteLong term care has always been a passion of mine, too. Though I am not currently working in it, I feel as though oncology is pretty close. You build the relationship with patients and you are (some if not most of the time) delivering care to them with a palliative care approach. If you want to ever spend time at the Seacoast Cancer Center at WDH please let me know! More than happy to connect.
ReplyDeleteI would love to set something up during my winter break! If you wouldn't mind if Professor Bonica shared your email with me, I can reach out to you within the next week or so, to set up a time to come visit the Seacoast Cancer Center. I look forward to talking with you!
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