Nicole Armstrong
Waukesha,WI
Summary
Dedicated and passionate Dementia Care Practitioner skilled in overseeing the day-to-day operations and clinical teams. Manages with a clear vision. Excels at process/workflow improvement to reach operational excellence and efficiency. Sets clear expectations for employees with appropriate counsel/consequence. Possesses a strong working knowledge of HR practices and principles. Encourages and can create cohesive teams based on understanding that most thrive in environment of structure and support and allowing leaders to lead. Well versed in regulatory environment. Creates an inclusive community culture that expects high quality resident experiences and care and engages residents, families, and associates. Creates and executes the business plan and develops the team to become the preferred senior living community in the market, while growing revenue and profitability in partnership with the district team. Proven track record with documented successes.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Executive Director II
Brookdale Senior Living
06.2022 - Current
- Responsible for all operations with a 120 suite/ 2 tax identity community, with 3 separate service lines interacting with staff and residents, prospects, or their family members or representatives, as necessary
- Develops and implements business plan to become a preferred senior living community in local market and creates, analyzes, and executes annual operating and capital budgets; manages community performance against goals; sets plans to improve or maintain performance to Company service and financial standards
- Builds and maintains strong working relationships with management team and encourages teamwork and collaboration; cultivates inclusive community culture
- Empowers department leaders to supervise, direct, and motivate staff and to proactively recognize and solve issues
- Holds department leaders accountable for department performance
- Provides assistance to leaders and staff as needed
- Ensures community maintains appropriate staffing levels to meet needs of residents and in accordance with applicable legal requirements
- Supports department leaders to attract, develop, engage, and retain associates in accordance with Company policies
- Responsible for recruiting and hiring high quality and engaged associates and ensuring they are appropriately trained and developed to meet needs of residents
- Reviews promotions, development plans, disciplinary actions, and termination decisions ensuring consistency in selection and retention of quality associates
- Analyzes trends and implements strategies to reduce turnover and increase retention
- Builds high degree of resident satisfaction and retention
- Is responsible for maintaining positive resident relations and is accessible and approachable to residents and their families
- Is proactive in solving resident problems and resolving issues
- Leads effort to leverage satisfied residents and families to grow community occupancy; executes renewal program with existing residents
- Partners with Resident Council as necessary
- Administers resident satisfaction and other surveys and works with department leaders and district team to create plan to address opportunities for improvement in resident satisfaction, experience, and engagement
- Ensures collaborative relationship with community clinical leader to ensure community’s care and services are appropriate to meet needs of residents
- Oversees resident services including admission process, healthcare management, and maintenance of resident documentation to ensure high quality services and compliance with Company policy and applicable legal requirements
- Empowers department leaders to demonstrate same for their area
- Ensures service plan reviews are conducted, consistent with applicable legal requirements, with appropriate clinical care team members and resident families to maintain personal dignity of residents
- Demonstrates high degree of financial acumen as it relates to community operations
- Analyzes, develops, and executes annual operating and capital budgets; works to meet or exceed budgeted revenue, profitability, and occupancy goals
- Proactively creates plans to overcome unanticipated expenses or revenue shortfalls
- Continually explores means of revenue enhancement and expense reduction, while meeting needs of residents and adhering to Company policies and applicable regulations
- Drives sales and marketing efforts in collaboration with community sales leader to meet or exceed occupancy or revenue targets by developing new business, generating leads, and building strategic relationships
- Engages with prospects who tour community
- Identifies trends and works with sales leader to implement approved sales and marketing activities and strategies to maximize revenue (RevPAR)
- Identifies and builds positive relationships with local influencers and professionals to raise community profile
- Becomes active in social and civic affairs of local community that align with Company’s mission
- Represents community and Company to governmental agencies (as appropriate), professional organizations, community groups, and other appropriate public agencies and groups
- Ensures buildings, grounds, and property are up to Company standards through the oversight of preventative maintenance systems and programs and frequent inspections that meet Company standards of excellence
- Enforces current Company policies and procedures
- Maintains applicable licenses in accordance with Company, Federal, State, and local requirements.
Executive Director
Noble Senior Living
12.2021 - 06.2022
- Responsible for the day-to-day operational execution of the community
- Identifies objectives and opportunities for not only the community, but its teams and individuals; works within each to support and lead to successful outcomes
- Provide training and support which ensures resident satisfaction and optimal care
- Monitor company operations and ensure employees and business practices comply with regulatory requirements
- Develop the organizational culture and promote transparency and collaboration throughout the organization
- Identify, recruit, train and develop a talented team of employees who can lead critical departments and manage their teams with strategic business outcomes in mind
- Develop and maintain partnerships with stakeholders, industry regulators and any other relevant parties including and most importantly our customers
- Represent the company at social and corporate events in a way that strengthen the brand and communicate the company’s message
- Partner with sales and marketing to rebrand and drive census
- Maintains budgets and P&L.
Associate Executive Director
Brookdale Senior Living Assisted Living and Memory Care
08.2020 - 12.2021
- Under direct supervision of an Executive Director, responsible for all operations, acting as contact for all staff, residents, prospects, community organizations, government agencies and the public
- Supervises, directs, and motivates staff
- Maintains superior training and morale
- Ensures training programs are effectively executed
- Maintains high degree of resident satisfaction and retention through consistent delivery of high quality services
- Provides leadership for staff and residents to include pro-actively solving problems and resolving issues
- In conjunction with the Executive Director, develops annual operating and capital budgets
- Maintains budget accountability to the Executive Director, aggressively anticipates and minimizes negative budget variances and deficits
- Meets and exceeds budget occupancy goals for the property
- Continually explores means of revenue enhancement and expense reduction
- Reviews hires, promotions, disciplinary actions and termination of employment of associates with attention paid to consistency in the selection and retention of quality personnel
- Ensures buildings, grounds and property are up to company standards through the oversight of preventative maintenance systems and programs, and frequent inspections that meet company standards of excellence
- Maintains current departmental policies, procedures, and licenses in accordance with all requirements
- Fosters creativity among staff to deliver the highest quality and optimum services
- Responsible for creating and maintaining an atmosphere of stability
- Keeps current on competitive projects and programs in the market place.
Health and Wellness Director
Brookdale Senior Living- Brookfield Memory Care and Crossings
06.2016 - 08.2020
- Campus consists of 60 suite AL with upper floor of 30 suite unit for early memory care + additional building of 20 suite full memory care
- Assists in managing day to day operations of 2 memory care CBRF’s (total 50 suites) with primary focus on clinical side
- Took over units with compliance and regulatory issues; achieved deficiency free surveys last 4 years
- Implemented processes to monitor daily to annual goals with spreadsheet and tickler system to assure all parameters met
- Completed chart audits; revised order into compliance and include order checklist in each chart to maintain accuracy
- Lowered voluntary turn-over rate by setting clear expectations, teaching staff the “why” of tasks and holding all to same accountability to include considering how an absence of staff impacts the team
- Part of on-call team rotation to include regular schedule acting as Campus MOD with focus on more overall operations
- Hire, discipline, terminate employees to include caregivers, dietary, and maintenance in collaboration with HR and ED
- Provides leadership, training and education to staff of 30 direct report CNA’s and CBRF certified PCA’s based on development and implementation of operational and strategic goals, as well as oversight and guidance to programming, housekeeping and maintenance as needed
- Supports the organization’s strategic initiatives, including outreach into the wider community
- Serve as a point of contact for the resident’s family members, vendors and professional contacts in the community, dealing with issues such as scheduling, resident care, service plans, assessments and marketing
- Achieved consecutive above company average NPS scores
- Collaborates with ED and AED to ensure fiscal responsibility
- Serves as mentor/coach for newly hired nurses within the Brookdale system.
Unit Manager
Waukesha Springs Health and Rehab
- Hired as Staff LPN
- Set up and organized “start-up” dementia unit; achieved promotion to Unit Manager
- Discovered personal passion to “be a voice” and provide loving care for elderly and those with dementia.
Hospice Nurse
Heartland Hospice and Homecare
- On-call position
- Provide emotional, educational and additional support to families whose loved one was receiving hospice services.
Floor Nurse
Kindred Hospital (LTAC)
- Provide all aspects of direct patient care to long term acutely ill patients in LTAC hospital setting with multi system failures and multiple comorbidities
- Including telemetry, and infusion therapies
- ACLS and telemetry certified.
Education
BHA -
California Coast University
LPN -
Ivy Tech State College
BSN -
Excelsior College
Journalism -
Ball State University
Skills
- Staff Management
- Operations Management
- Process Improvement
- Effective Communication
- Problem-Solving
- Organizational Skills
- Budgeting and financial management
- Compliance and regulations
- Human Resources
- Strategic Planning
- Resident satisfaction
Certification
- WALA CBRF certification
- Licensed Practical Nurse #303124-31
- Certified Dementia Care Practitioner and Trainer
- CRBF Certified
- Standard Precautions Trainer
Timeline
Executive Director II
Brookdale Senior Living
06.2022 - Current
Executive Director
Noble Senior Living
12.2021 - 06.2022
Associate Executive Director
Brookdale Senior Living Assisted Living and Memory Care
08.2020 - 12.2021
Health and Wellness Director
Brookdale Senior Living- Brookfield Memory Care and Crossings
06.2016 - 08.2020
Unit Manager
Waukesha Springs Health and Rehab
Hospice Nurse
Heartland Hospice and Homecare
Floor Nurse
Kindred Hospital (LTAC)
BHA -
California Coast University
LPN -
Ivy Tech State College
BSN -
Excelsior College
Journalism -
Ball State University