Her Story
About Brittani
Brittani Ruhogo, MHA, LNHA, is a Licensed Healthcare Administrator based in Chesapeake, Virginia, with a strong background in long-term care and skilled nursing facility operations. She is currently serving as an Administrator with Eastern Healthcare Group, where she oversees daily facility operations, supports clinical coordination, manages staffing and budgets, and ensures quality resident care. A graduate of ECPI University with a Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration, she also held leadership roles on campus, including Business Club President, which helped strengthen her foundation in management and organizational leadership.
Her professional journey reflects a diverse and service-driven background. Before entering healthcare administration, Brittani served in the United States Marine Corps for seven and a half years, followed by roles in car sales, retail, and as a Navy contractor for five years. Initially pursuing nursing due to a personal connection to dementia care within her family, she later transitioned into healthcare administration after discovering her passion for systems, regulations, and operational leadership. This shift ultimately led her to a fulfilling career where she combines structure with compassionate, person-centered care.
In her current role, Brittani is especially passionate about working with dementia residents, emphasizing empathy, dignity, and meeting individuals “where they are.” She leads with a philosophy of being firm, fair, and consistent while maintaining humility and emotional intelligence in high-pressure environments. Outside of work, she values family life with her husband and children and enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, walking, and sports. Looking ahead, she aspires to expand her impact by creating a nonprofit program that empowers women from underserved backgrounds to pursue education, leadership, and career success in healthcare.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Brittani
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success wholeheartedly to my family, especially my husband. If it was not for my husband saying go back to school, I would have never went back to school. I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for my husband's support - I'm a thousand percent sure on that one. He pushed me when I didn't believe in myself, and he continues to support me in everything I do.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is don't try to control everything - control your controllables, which is yourself. I think that was the best thing I've ever heard. When you're in a leadership position, you want to control everything and you want everybody to react and do what you want them to do, but that's not reality. These are human beings, they are real-life people, not robots. I relate this to how I view the residents in the nursing home - I'm not expecting them to be dolls and robotic, I'm expecting them to have real-life human reactions. Sometimes they're not always pretty, and sometimes you have to be the calm for them when they're in their storm moment. So I try to control myself and how I am with them, and I let them be themselves. I use this advice not just for my career, but in my everyday life - I can't control anyone but myself.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be you, and always try. You don't have to be the best at it, but if you remain consistent, you will get to where you are supposed to be. That's what I would say - just be yourself, stay consistent, and keep trying.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the biggest opportunity in this field is in volunteering. A lot of people nowadays don't believe in the free work thing, so there's a shortage of that. But I think the reason why I got to where I am right now is because my opportunities came from just volunteering, talking to people, going to different events, making yourself known, and trying new things within the community. It's really needed, and it's a huge opportunity to go in and talk with the residents to really understand what's going on with them and try to bridge that gap. When you're volunteering and networking, you build a value within yourself. I still to this day like to do something within volunteering because you don't know who you're going to meet and who you're going to touch in a way that they needed that moment. A smile goes a long way.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My values are firm, fair, and consistent. I try to be as consistent as possible. Even though I talk about firmness, there's a gentleness to it in my opinion. My overall value is really just being as honest and true to yourself as possible. Everyone always tells me to never lose the humility that I have. I'm not a bleeding heart, but I lead with my heart with a lot of things because these are real-life people. This isn't us playing around or building robots - this is dealing with human lives. You can't take away your emotion out of that, and that doesn't just go for the residents, it goes for the staff as well. The same way that I apologize to residents if they don't like something happening, it's the same way that I apologize to my staff if they don't like that something is happening.
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