Her Story
About Virginia
I started my healthcare career 25 years ago at 16 in the dietary department, working in culinary services. At 18, I became a nursing assistant, and from there I've had a progressive career climbing every rung of the ladder. I'm both a licensed assisted living director and a registered nurse, which allows me to work in multiple capacities. My company, Align Senior Care Consulting, is a little over 3 years old, almost 4. What I love most about my job is that no two days are the same - I don't do monotonous work, and I never know what I'm walking into. When I'm working directly with a client, I might be doing survey preparedness or survey recovery, reviewing their waiver services and financials, or mentoring an administrator, licensed assisted living director, or director of nursing. If I'm there for interim leadership, I may actually be filling those roles myself - working as a director of nursing, assistant director of nursing, nurse manager, nurse educator, or licensed assisted living director. I basically walk into chaos, stabilize it, and hand it off once it's stabilized. When I'm doing work for my company, I might be attending network events, creating tools to help improve things for our clients and consultants, or working to find new business. One of my most notable professional achievements was completing a survey recovery with 48 deficiencies and Level 4 tags, and getting them back to regulatory compliance within 90 days.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Virginia
01What do you attribute your success to?
I have this little problem where I don't give up. I am very, very much that once my mind is set to something, I have to see it through. That determination and persistence has been key to my success throughout my career.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is just go for it. Don't be afraid. Really work to your fullest potential and don't give up. This advice has guided me throughout my 25-year career as I've climbed every rung of the ladder in healthcare.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would honestly tell women entering healthcare to remember that the good days will outnumber the bad. Healthcare is a very hard industry to work in, and especially right now with all the regulation changes and financial issues, you might have your bad days. But you are going to have those days where you know that something you did definitely affected the outcome for someone else's life, and hopefully it's going to be in a positive way. That makes all the difference.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge and opportunity we're facing right now is that we need people. We need people to work in our industry. I work in post-acute care and senior living, in both skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities. We are hitting the part of this lifetime where the baby boomers are aging and they need care. They need help, and we need more people to provide that care. The aging population creates both a tremendous need and an opportunity for those entering the field.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would say honesty is a very big one. In everything we do, we have to be honest with each other, because if we are not functioning with honesty to ourselves and to our stakeholders, what are we doing? There will be no trust between you and your stakeholders - whether that's your clients, your consultants, or the people you're providing care for. You have to maintain that level of transparency and honesty in all your relationships.
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