Careers in Aging Caregiver Profile
Meaghan Rivera, LPN, Unit Manager at Aspire at Brooksville
My career in rehabilitation and long-term care (LTC) started in 2014. I had always aspired to become a nurse and started my journey as a staffing coordinator for a local long-term care facility. During this time, I worked my way up to admissions coordinator, and then branched into an outside marketing liaison.
Over the next few years, I marketed skilled nursing facilities and started an accelerated nursing program, where I graduated with my associate degree in nursing. Soon after, I moved into a Rehab Unit Manager position.
I think as nurses, we all have some sort of emotional attachment to our role. For me, I grew up in a household where my parents cared for my great grandparents, and learning of their conditions, I grew up understanding the impact of what these certain diagnoses can have on someone. I believe it drove me to become an empath and want to care for people.
I’ve always loved the idea of being there for people when they are most vulnerable, to be able to make a positive impact on their lives and support them when it comes to their health. I love Rehab/LTC nursing for the simple fact that the patients allow us into their world to be able to provide care and compassion.
Every day you can learn something new about your patients, what they’ve done in their lifetime, what they like and dislike, and what they are passionate about. Just by sitting and talking with patients for a few minutes, you can make the biggest impact, all while providing the best care for them and helping achieve their goals to be able to return to the community. Even the smallest of these interactions make a difference in their lives.
My relationship with my team at Aspire is important. Every day I come to the unit and ask them how their day is, I ask them what they need help with, and we embrace team building activities like decorating for holidays and unit potlucks. I encourage my team to learn one new thing about their patients each shift, and we talk about it.
As for my patients, I encourage them to decorate pictures to hang on the unit for holidays, so they feel they’re part of our unit. I speak to my patients every day and ask them how their morning or night was, I encourage them to share things about themselves, and tell us what we can do as a team to make their stay better. It is important that we regularly engage them in conversations to make them feel like they are heard and are comfortable in their environment.
For anyone thinking of entering a career in Rehab/LTC I encourage them to do so because the relationships you’ll make are life changing. The care and compassion you’ll give to your patient will not go unnoticed. A quote I love to reference is, “Be the change you want to see.” When you lead with compassion and drive, people tend to follow and lead in the same way, creating a cohesive and motivating work environment. The skill set you’ll develop will help you advance in your role and, in turn, give acquired expertise, innovation, and compassion enabling success in your career.
