At right is Ahkira McPherson, RN, staff development coordinator at Vi at Lakeside Village, Lantana, Fla. She began there as a CNA.
Shaping your own destiny Ahkira McPherson, RN, staff development coordinator at Vi at Lakeside Village, is a fast learner—and she takes every opportu- nity to learn more. She believes in education as a key to re- tention—and it worked for her. McPherson started at the Lantana, Fla., community as a server, in 2001. From there, she became a CNA, then an LPN, then an RN, until her present position, managing resident care staff development. She recently was part of a team making a presentation on hiring and retention at a national industry conference. “We want to see every employee develop
here,” she says of Vi’s culture. That culture has allowed not only educational opportu- nity, but a chance to shape her role to be responsive to the need to work in multidis- ciplinary teams.
She has made her position “multidimen-
sional,” as a Vi company newsletter puts it: helping employees shape their own careers, onboarding new hires, and measuring and meeting quality measures. But she also works actively in the health care side. For instance, she consults with nursing and rehab on wound care since earning her Wound Care Certification (WCC), also with tuition support from Vi. And her own story makes it clear to
newcomers that a way up the ladder is achievable. McPherson advocates for em- ployees to go for appropriate educational opportunities to make the climb. Vi’s culture of support for learning, she says, is a major reason that she has stayed with the com- pany. Employees throughout the company can take courses through ECampus, Vi’s online university. But specialized courses
are available for those who apply and meet the qualifications. McPherson applied to and was selected
to take Vi’s one-year Management Develop- ment Institute, a program that fills a critical gap by preparing employees to pursue future leadership programs. Next, she was admitted to and completed the seven-month Emerging Leaders program for mid-level managers; in 2020, she plans to complete the one-year Breakthrough Leadership program for high-potential leaders. This last program includes classes taught by Vi executives, DePaul University faculty, and a six-month virtual program through Harvard Business Publishing. While nurses often have multiple admin-
istration skills, management training makes the difference in moving from a primarily health care role to one where a manager
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