The past 8 weeks interning in a senior living community have been eye-opening in several ways.    Many residents have passed on even during my short time here, serving as a constant reminder that death is a constant presence in this environment.   I have learned about the multi-faceted operation that makes up a nursing home.  Housekeeping, laundry, accounting, legal support, janitorial services, and even a person for medical supplies are needed to keep it going.

Recently, since many of the departments have run out of things for me to do, I’ve been spending a lot of time with my boss in his office.  Some of the most personally enriching moments of the fellowship have been the conversations we’ve had on a variety of business topics, from the nature of healthcare to career and leadership advice.  My final major trip with him was to the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) meeting at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Crown Point.  An ACO is a concept created by the Affordable Care Act that encourages different health institutions to collaborate and reduce the cost of care.  We represented one of several nursing homes/rehab hospitals in the ACO.  Patients from St Anthony’s needing long term care are sent to one of us to maintain consistency and ease of follow-up.

I’ve also done some soul searching as I’ve been immersed in long term care, and I’ve decided that this field is not for me.  This conclusion is based on a variety of factors:  1) The license exam to become an administrator is very difficult and is roughly equivalent to nursing boards.  Both the state and national exams must be passed, and it is quite common for takers to fail them.  2)  Once an administrator is licensed, he or she is constantly put in a no-win situation where the state, residents, families, and staff must be kept happy when it is impossible to keep everyone happy.  As someone who is not naturally a people-pleaser, I have learned that I’m not wired to be an executive of a care center.  However, I would excel in the role of department head, in which I would lead a specialized section of the operation.  While my future calling and purpose in society is not in the field of my internship, I am nevertheless grateful to the Institute for Leadership and Service for the opportunity to discover that early on.

This isn’t to say that it was all work and no play.  As I mentioned in my last post, my boss invited me to go sailing with him and some of his crew on Lake Michigan.  On the second to last day of the fellowship, we left from Belmont Harbor in Chicago to go on a 3 hour cruise on the lake.  I learned about sailing terminology and how teamwork plays such a pivotal role in sailing and in leadership.  I also got some pretty cool pictures of Chicago from the boat.  It was a great way to wrap up a fantastic learning experience.

The front of the sailboat going out into Lake Michigan

The view of Chicago from the sailboat