As I have wrapped up my internship at NLCS and The Village at Rockville, I can’t help but wonder where this is now going to guide my next year or so. The end of my wonderful internship also means the summer leading up to my senior year is also coming to a close. I cannot express how amazing this summer internship has been for me both personally and professionally. Professionally, I have learned so many hands-on skills that I know will be invaluable as I continue in my career. But some of the most important things I’ve learned are the personal aspects. I learned what it looks like to be a professional woman in a professional setting weather that be a clinical setting or more of an office setting. Getting this real world experience showed me both sides of what professionalism should and shouldn’t look like. I also experienced what great leadership can look like, again both clinically and on the business side. Not all leadership styles are the same, which I knew long before this summer, but I always enjoy seeing for myself the different styles and how they are interpreted by their peers, their subordinates, and their superiors. Being an outsider in many ways at The Village this summer, I got to see those interpretations from all angles.

I could continue on with all of the professional lessons I learned this summer that I cannot wait to show off when I enter that world full time, however I think the biggest take aways are on the personal side. No, I still don’t know what I want to do in a year when I’m finished with school. I do have a better idea though; I know what I don’t want to do. I know that the business and administrative side to nursing and healthcare is interesting and there are parts of it that I loved this summer and that I want to incorporate into whatever it is that I end up doing. But I have decided that it isn’t practical or the best use of my skills to start out in a position like that, or even in a long term care setting at all. I have decided I need to take a year or two or even three to just work, to gain more experiences like this one, particularly to hone in on my nursing skills. I have always known that the nursing profession is my calling and purpose. This summer’s experiences have solidified that even more. I have no doubt in what my calling is and in fact I’ve gained more confidence in it and in myself. Later down on the path of my career I could see myself doing something similar to those I worked with at The Village at Rockville, but I’ve realized something really important. My calling isn’t a set path. Dan Look, one of the officers at corporate made a wonderful analogy that has stuck with me. When you are sailing a boat you need to at least have an idea of what your final destination is so that you can map your course. Along the way though you might move a little off course, and as you refocus on that destination and how you need to redirect to get back there you might realize that your final destination has changed. I think I’ve decided where I’m headed, at least enough to get going!

Over the past few weeks, I have been working at The Village at Rockville here in Rockville, MD under the umbrella corporation of National Lutheran Communities and Services. The last two weeks in particular have been the most exciting yet! I have been challenged learning new skills and understanding the running of a retirement community both from an administrative side as well as a nurse manager side. So with all of the amazing experiences I have gotten so far, I am about half way through this internship with twice as many unanswered questions as when I started.

Last week the Maryland state survey team was in the building. They spent the entire week walking around the facilities, talking to staff and residents, and combing through charts with a fine tooth comb looking for any harm or risk of potential harm for residents. Talk about a learning experience! I was able to see what sorts of things facilities usually fall short on. Even more valuable, I was able to stand in the office of the executive director in the midst of all this chaos and see how to handle all the stress and chaos that survey brings. As a future nurse, I now see just how important accuracy in both my care and my charting will be. In the end, The Village at Rockville only got a handful of minor mark ups; half the amount as last year. All the staff in the building from nurses to cooks, everyone was beaming with pride when the week was over.

Another highlight from the past couple of weeks was going to visit one of NLCS’s other communities in Winchester, VA. The Village at Orchard Ridge was one of the most beautiful facilities I have ever seen. It sits right in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley giving the community a beautiful backdrop. Even though the buildings only went up within the last three years, plans for a major expansion are already underway. The unique aspect of this community in comparison to Rockville where I’ve gotten to know quite well, is that there is no traditional assisted living unit. There is a beautiful and well thought out memory care unit which is assisted living, but outside of that and the skilled nursing unit the entire campus is independent living. There are several cottages similar to the one we are staying at here in Rockville, and then hundreds of apartments. The unique model of care at Orchard Ridge is aging in place. So as the residents might begin to need more assistance, they would hire a home health care agency to come into their apartment or cottage and provide them the care they need. With that as their care model as opposed to a more traditional nursing home style, this creates a whole different atmosphere on campus. The average age on the campus is somewhere in their 70’s. In contrast to The Village at Rockville who’s average is somewhere in the mid-to-high-80’s. Orchard Ridge is therefore a very active community with many activities and clubs on campus.

My goal through this experience has been to become a sponge and soak up every bit of knowledge I can get weather that is from experiences or from picking the brains of people who understand this healthcare industry inside and out. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I have accumulated more questions that have yet to be answered. What do I want my role as a nurse to be? Do I want to work towards a management position? Do I want to work with this elderly population at all? These are just a few uncertainties that come to mind almost on a daily basis. I doubt that my 9 weeks here in Rockville this summer will answer all of them, but I hope that I figure out what direction my first step out of school will be.

The iconic chapel at The Village at Orchard Ridge

The main entrance at the Village at Orchard Ridge