Gail Rudolph

I have been in healthcare for 25 years, and I've been a unit manager at a skilled nursing facility since 2024. I started my career in med-surg nursing, then transitioned to correctional nursing where I spent many years. During that time, I noticed that while the inmates' physical and medical needs were being met, their mental health needs were not. They're human beings with feelings, but once they're in prison, people don't think about them. That realization led me to go back to school for my bachelor's in public health, and then I pursued a master's in forensic psychology because I wanted to specialize in helping inmates committed to mental health institutions. But when the pandemic hit, my employer asked me to come back to nursing, so I transitioned back to the nursing home. Meanwhile, I felt called to keep going with mental health work, so now I'm in a program for my PhD in I/O Psychology where I'll be working with employees on retention issues, especially after the pandemic when so many healthcare workers lost their energy and calling. I'm getting ready to graduate and recently made the Dean's List. As a manager, I'm a multitasker - I do everything from cleaning toilets to sitting in Zoom meetings. Nothing is too small or too big. I do a piece of everybody's job, and I try to teach the younger generation because the customer service that I generate won't come back again when I leave. I'm a lifelong learner, and I love to teach. I spent almost 10 years at the DMV in Virginia as a medical evaluator, evaluating drivers on the road. Each role has taught me so much, and I can combine all of that and bring it to the table. Eventually, teaching will probably be the beginning of a new phase of my life, because there's so much I can teach for those who want to learn.