MEN WI N HEALTH HealthLinksSC.com | 37 Describe one good habit that has helped you navigate challenges in your career. Considering others’ perspectives. Reflecting on the other party’s perspective before responding to a challenge is beneficial. If I immediately respond to a challenge, it causes me to make a quick judgment, and the outcome may not be as positive or productive for any party involved. Describe a moment when you knew you were in the right career. I had moments of fulfillment in previous roles before entering the senior living field. However, working with the senior population is extraordinary. You can learn from their life experiences, create relationships that are life-affirming and, more significantly, have the honor of seeing them through end-of-life. Realizing how proud and excited I was to tell others about my career and where I worked, meeting each day with enthusiasm and knowing I made a difference in someone’s life is how I knew I was in the right place. Please share advice you would give as a mentor to women new to the health field. I only recently felt I had the knowledge necessary to mentor someone. I still feel relatively new to the field of senior living, even after 16 years. However, one does not need to be a subject matter expert to be a mentor. I believe women have the innate ability to nurture and support, but sometimes they feel they are not qualified. One’s position or title is irrelevant – but rather, the focus should be on supporting and encouraging each of us to succeed. What’s your favorite way to recharge or prevent burnout? These last few years have added stress to the health care industry that is beyond compare. Healthcare leaders have been required to fly the airplane while it was still being built, and it doesn’t seem we’re on cruise control yet and may never be. Mental health and recharging must be a priority for those working within health care. For me, it is time with my family and dog and being connected to things that make me happy – the Charleston area’s natural landscape, cooking/entertaining and traveling to new places recharge me. How do you envision your practice in the next 10 years? The senior living field is responding to the changes of a significantly growing aging population. Seniors are more vested in their physical, mental and emotional health than ever. They want competitive sports, easily accessible health care that incorporates technology and the opportunity to keep learning, all within a hospitality-like environment. I’m very excited to see how this field continues to adapt – what has happened in the last 10 years is probably just a blip of what will happen in the next 10 years. Discuss one common misconception about your profession that you would like to refute. One misconception about senior living is that people think it’s slow-paced, stuck in the ’80s, not forward-thinking and doesn’t incorporate technology into everyday life. Nothing could be further from the truth. This field is engaging, ever-changing, incredibly fast-paced – but, more importantly, rewarding beyond belief. I encourage those interested in working in health care to consider senior living – be it in hands-on care, administrative leadership and everything in between. Working with seniors is a privilege. I’m honored to be part of this field. Every day brings something new. Kimberly M. Borts BISHOP GADSDEN Vice President of Mission and Communications Office of Charitable Giving and Communications bishopgadsden.org Photo by Jenn Cady.
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