Morgan Branning, BSHSM’20, developed a passion for elder care as a certified nursing assistant, a position she held as a student at the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health. Branning believes that experience and the long-term care administration class she took with Professor Gary Brumitt helped her identify a meaningful career path.
“I really loved the courses that the school of public health offered, Branning said. “They were all so interesting, and the faculty is amazing.”
Shortly after enrolling in the long-term care class, Branning noticed that the school was hosting its annual internship day. Through that event, she discovered an opportunity at CarDon and Associates, a long-term care facility in Indiana, that she pursued and was chosen for.
Her administrative internship solidified all of the reasons she loves working with the elderly population, and she now has a goal to become a nursing home administrator.
“The internship jumpstarted my passion and opened my eyes to what I wanted to do as a career,” Branning said. “After the internship, I was provided the opportunity to apply for a position in the health center at Hoosier Village as the activities director. I am also pursuing my Masters of Business Administration through the University of Southern Indiana.”
Branning, who was on the Executive Board of the Undergraduate Student Association, encourages other students to take advantage of the opportunities they can have as a student, such as interacting with faculty and engaging in activities. She also encourages current students to get involved.
“Read the undergraduate newsletter every week, there are a lot of opportunities included in the newsletter.”
As an activities director at Hoosier Village, Branning leads several activities each hour of the day. Prior to COVID-19, these included group activities such as exercise classes or religious services. Once the COVID-19 pandemic began, the facility needed to shift these activities to personal visits to meet the residents’ individual needs.
“These individual meetings have allowed me to get to know the residents very well. I enjoy it, as I am able to meet around 20 residents a day and participate in everything from working on a puzzle to discussing the daily paper.” In addition to Branning’s visits, residents of Hoosier Village have also started social distance visits with family members.
“It has been great to begin socially-distant visits for residents and their families. During the lockdown, I wasn’t able to meet many family members, and it’s been great to build these relationships with individuals who visit regularly. It means so much to the residents.”
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