Stephanie Schlegelmilch will tell you she’s right where she belongs. She started working at Salem Lutheran Homes & Rehabilitation Center in Elk Horn, Iowa, in 2017 as the staff development coordinator. After working as the assistant director of nursing, in 2019 she become the director of nursing, building on her career in long-term care.

Developing a team

Stephanie leads the charge to help others feel welcomed from the day they enter the building. 

While no two days are the same, they usually entail a mix of managing work oads, serving residents, solving problems and cultivating an employee atmosphere aimed at improving the flow of work around her.

She tells a story about a day when she came to work and the center was short-staffed. “Every person in an office job got together and went out and we were mopping floors, making beds, vacuuming and a little bit of everything. It made the day a lot better.”

It was one of those days, she says, when she realized her career had brought her to the place where she truly wanted to be. And her path is a prime example of how a career in long-term care locations like the Good Samaritan Society provides opportunities for growth and advancement.

Watch the video below to see Stephanie at work.

At 14, her first job was washing dishes at the retirement home in Walnut, Iowa. She was accredited at age 15 and started as a certified nursing assistant at age 16. Later, she became a licensed practical nurse and eventually a registered nurse. She took a job working in hospital acute care, but it wasn’t the same.

“It (long-term care) is where I was first exposed to elders and found out I liked to work with them,” she says. While much of that experience comes from serving residents, part of it is her co-workers and, further still, the Christ-centered mission that the Good Samaritan Society and Salem Lutheran uphold. 

That compassionate atmosphere was immediately welcoming, Stephanie says. "I didn’t know anybody, but once I got here and I introduced myself, they treated me with respect, and that was a lot of the reason I took the position I did.” 

She’s trying to do the same for those she works with. "The staff know if they ever need a break, I always have candy in my office,” she says with a big smile. “They can get a little chocolate or a sweet treat and talk to me.” 

Opportunity to grow

Stephanie has worked at Salem Lutheran Homes & Rehabilitation Center for three years, and views each day as an opportunity to serve others as if they were family.

She is now director of nursing, managing a staff of 35 nurses and certified nursing assistants.

Since starting her role, she’s grown in her leadership and has developed stronger communication among her team members.

“It is a team effort every day in our morning meetings starting by being open and honest,” she says. “I’ve told everyone they can come into my office at any time.”

Stephanie’s commitment to caring for her staff and residents has also influenced her 2-year-old daughter, Kinsey, who asks to go to work with Stephanie to visit residents.

“That’s how I grew up, too, because my mom used to do hair in a retirement home and I’d go along with her to visit with residents and paint their nails. If I can have that same relationship with my daughters, I’d be happy."

Stephanie has learned to be patient and flexible, since in health care, change can happen quickly. For someone considering a career like hers, her advice is to "love [your residents] like your own family, because that is what you’ll end up doing if your heart is in it," she says.

Because of this, she doesn't see her career changing any time soon.