Workforce

Careers in Aging Caregiver Profile

Shawntika Evans, Restorative CNA at Highlands Lake Center in Lakeland

Shawntika Evans began working at Highlands Lake Center as a housekeeper in 2001. She was inspired to work in long-term care by her grandmother who raised her. She later challenged the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) test and passed it on the first try.

After working as a CNA, she then transitioned to Restorative CNA. She took multiple courses covering topics ranging from wound care to understanding different food consistencies and temperatures.

Shawntika loves working in long-term care because she enjoys learning about residents’ lives and hearing the stories that they share with her.

Shawntika’s goal is to make sure that everyone feels loved, including the residents and her fellow team members. She reminds us that we don’t really know what another person is going through until you sit and talk with them. Being a strong woman herself, she knows the burdens that many women carry and understands that sometimes it becomes overwhelming. Her compassion and thoughtfulness help everyone at the facility get through their day-to-day lives. She always gives a lending ear to those in need.

Shawntika’s position contributes to the quality of care and quality of life of the residents because of her consistency of care. The residents know her and her team and are comfortable because they feel safe and heard.

Shawntika would tell others that are considering long-term care as a career path that, “your heart must be in it to make a difference for yourself and the residents.”

Shawntika’s story provided by Amy Messer, Highlands Lake Center Administrator in Training

Careers in Aging Caregiver Profile

Blenda Carter, RN, Resident Administrator at Middleburg Rehabilitation and Nursing Center

I became a certified nursing assistant (CNA)) in 2010, inspired by my mother who took a CNA express course and became certified. A few years later, my sister came home from school and toldme she was going to go to college to become a nurse. Although she was younger than me, I believed her and asked how she would pay for college. She told me the school guidance counselor said funds were available to allow people to go to school.

My sister said to me, “you care about people; why don’t you become a nurse?”

My reply was that I never knew I could. I decided to go to the local community college and started down a path that changed my entire life trajectory.

I worked in home health care as a CNA, and once I became an LPN, I worked in long-term care. I was proud of myself and thankful that my sister had inspired me to become a nurse. One day, my sister and I were talking, and she said she was going to go back to school and become a Registered Nurse. I challenged her to see who could become an RN first, and the race was on. In 2013, I became a Registered Nurse.

I have worked in home health and the hospital, but my heart was always in long-term care because I feel I can make a difference. Many residents in long-term care facilities don’t have a family, and some are there because they were dealt an intricate hand in life, but no matter the reason, they deserve to be treated with love and respect; they deserve a clean, safe haven to call home. We are their family. I am my brother’s keeper, so I have made it my life’s mission to care for those who cannot care for themselves.

I have worked in long-term care as a floor nurse, unit manager, ADON, and the Director of Nursing. Each position has inspired me to do more and to be more, and I am grateful. When you genuinely care about people, it becomes infectious to the people around you. I strive daily to make a difference, which has made a difference for my team. My motto is “We are people taking care of people.” I never want to forget that.

While employed as the Director of Nursing at a facility in my hometown, I was surprised to learn that the interim administrator had also held my current position. I was fascinated and would often stop by her office and talk to her about the nursing department and the operations. It was then that I decided that I would one day become an administrator.

Today, I am blessed to be a Resident Administrator at Middleburg Nursing and Rehabilitation Center under Erica Henderson, NHA, who has been an administrator for over 7 years. Erica is intelligent, compassionate, and caring, and I am thankful to be able to learn from the best.

We need more people who are passionate about caring for others to join us in providing excellent care. If you genuinely love people, this is your career path. We can teach you the skills if you have the heart.

 

It amazes me that Florida is facing a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) shortage – have we lost our compassion as a community? Getting started as a CNA is simple, and it is the most fulfilling job, personally and professionally, you could have.

 

I have been a CNA at a long-term care facility for twenty-two years, and I would not trade it for the world. Working as a CNA allowed me to quickly advance in my career while forming life-long friendships with residents. Being greeted by a room full of smiles walking into work is an experience unlike any other.

 

There was even a time when my mom and sister were in my facility, and I provided their care. Without my CNA training, I would not have been capable of caring for my family when they needed it the most. I will forever be grateful for my training because of that experience.

 

This experience made me realize that I will need the assistance my residents need one day, just like everyone else. That is one reason working as a CNA in a long-term care facility is more than just a job – you are doing your part to serve our community when caring for those that need it.

 

If you want to find CNA job openings or resources on how to get started, visit the CaregiversFL Career Program website. Working as a CNA will prepare you for the rest of your career while helping those in our community that need it.

Lashia Hicks initially hesitated when considering a career in skilled nursing and working with older adults, wondering if it would be the fulfilling career she was seeking.

However, it didn’t take long for Lashia, the current Director of Rehabilitation at Brooks University Crossing, to realize that long term care was exactly the career for which she had been hoping.

Lashia’s passion for skilled nursing began during her Physical Therapy studies when she completed her first rotation in a skilled nursing facility. While her peers were eager to go into sports therapy and meet famous athletes, Lashia was different. Despite her initial doubts, she found helping patients in this environment to be both challenging and rewarding, leading her to discover her calling.

Brooks University Crossing stands out from other facilities due to its abundance of specialists. This allows patients to be placed in different programs or areas based on their diagnoses with daily attention from these specialists.

Lashia has witnessed remarkable progress from patients who were previously unable to walk or stand, and they leave the facility functioning independently. Seeing these patients “get the biggest smile and the biggest joy” from their recoveries “makes it all worth it” for Lashia and her team.

Lashia emphasizes that every day offers new opportunities to meet and learn from patients in long term care facilities. She encourages individuals, even those without prior interest, to consider a career in skilled nursing as they may discover their true passion and long term career path, just like she did.

Tremaine Shuler is a shining example of how personally and professionally enriching it is to work in the long term care profession. Her career began as a Certified Nursing Assistant, where she first discovered her love for connecting with people from all walks of life—a unique opportunity that long term care now provides. Tremaine currently serves as an administrator at Brooks University Crossing, and she still treasures the connections she has made with her residents throughout her career. Being a small part of their stories is something she holds close to her heart to this day.

With plenty of opportunities for advancement, like hands-on job training and panel assessments, Tremaine realized how her skills and passion could apply to the long term care profession. Tremaine, who naturally leads by example, moved to an administrative role. Using her own experience, she ensures that the same level of care and compassion she showed her residents during her time as a CNA is the standard for every resident at University Crossing. The resources made available to her encouraged her to succeed in ways she never thought possible. Now, she’s using her passion and expertise to help hundreds of long term care residents.

Tremaine has a genuine passion for serving others. Her ability to connect with all her residents individually underlines her “People First” approach—never forgetting to view people as people, and not just patients. Tremaine is proud of University Crossing’s rehabilitative services and activities department, which ensures that residents are able to remain actively engaged with their community with trips and events.

For Tremaine, this job not only allows her to connect with people with many different experiences, but the nature of long term care also creates a family atmosphere. Every member of the team can truly appreciate, and ensure, the success of the residents they serve. Every day, each person who works at University Crossing harnesses their unique skillset to work together to achieve that mission of exceptional care and compassion.

“The feeling that I receive from caring for people from different backgrounds, and learning from them, it sparked something in me,” Tremaine noted when asked her favorite part of working in long term care. Having worked at each level of the profession, she truly understands how special the work is, and she has a desire for rehabilitation that she will never lose. Tremaine encourages other healthcare heroes looking for a fulfilling career to explore long term care.