Her Story
About Danielle
I've been in healthcare for 13 years, and I've been serving as a Director of Nursing for the past 4 years. Currently, I've been at my facility for a year and a half, where I oversee the entire nursing department at a skilled nursing facility. My role is to make sure we're in compliance with regulatory requirements, that we're providing great patient care, and that we're getting the patients healthy and getting them back home. Before becoming a Director of Nursing, I worked as an Assistant Director and worked my way up through the field. Beyond my clinical leadership role, I'm also an entrepreneur at heart. I own personal care homes that serve as a middle ground between staying at home and being in a nursing home. These homes provide non-medical care including medication management, meals, and activities for residents who cannot stay at home by themselves or who don't want to be in a traditional nursing home. I've been operating these homes for 3 years since COVID. I also have a staffing agency where I help home health companies with staffing for nurses and CNAs. I'm currently back in school working towards my bachelor's degree, as I only have an associate degree right now, and my plan is to eventually go to NP school to become a nurse practitioner. However, my ultimate goal is to own my own nursing home or assisted living facility. I truly believe that if the top doesn't care, then why should the bottom care, but if the top and the bottom both care, it makes all the difference. I also founded a nonprofit organization called Mae, which stands for Making Aging Easier and is also named after my grandmother's middle name. Through this nonprofit, I want to provide services for the elderly like respite care, taking them to appointments, making sure they have their medications and are eating, and providing basic needs like briefs, wipes, and water. I've seen too many patients come to me having not eaten, or found on the floor, or dealing with bed bug infestations at their home, or experiencing financial abuse from family members. A lot of people don't know about the resources that are available to them, and I want to change that.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Danielle
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would attribute my success to just being the person I am, being caring about any and everyone and everything. My heart is so easily broken, and I know people make a joke out of it, but it's true. I cry if something happens to a cartoon, I can't help it. I've even prayed to God asking Him to take it away because I'm just so soft. Things break my heart easily. When I go to my nephew's school and see a family member not showing up for a kid, my heart is broken. When someone can't afford to pay for something, I'm sad about it and I'm trying to see how I can help. I think having this big heart, even though I have to protect it, is what drives me to do what I do. I also attribute my success to my hard work and doing everything with my heart.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Do everything with your heart. That's the most important thing I can tell you. Nursing is a calling, you know? They say we get paid a decent amount of money, but they can never pay us enough. At the end of the day, if you don't care, or if you don't love what you're doing, you're not going to stay in this field. It's very demanding, it can be very hard, it can be tiring, overwhelming, but it also can be rewarding knowing that you gave your all to help someone heal. Our elderly do not get the respect or the care that they deserve. There's so much neglect, whether they're on a lower income, have no family members taking care of them, or are just neglected overall, whether in facilities or in their homes. You need to have a passion for this work and truly care about the vulnerable populations you're serving.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in my work and personal life are honesty and integrity. Those are the two that really stand out for me. I would say respect as well, but for sure integrity and honesty are at the core of everything I do.
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