Kashaya Zukowske
Assistant Director of Nursing
I started working in health care when I was 18 years old. I always spent a lot of time in nursing facilities because my mom worked in nursing homes, so it felt like a natural fit. Starting at that young age and for the next several years, I had a bunch of different roles, including a certified nursing assistant, certified medical assistant, social service designee and more. But eventually, I decided to complete nursing school and pursue a license as a registered nurse.
To help achieve this goal, I earned a full scholarship through my employer, Meadowlark, in Manhattan, Kansas. Meadowlark is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to caring for the elderly population through everything from senior living services to wellness programs. Taking advantage of this scholarship allowed me to earn my nursing degree without the huge financial burden.
Today, I’m the assistant director of nursing at Meadowlark. I support nursing processes and practices at the facility and collaborate with all our teams on campus to care for our patients and residents. I also organize student clinicals and work with educational programs to help future nurses get required clinical learning hours at our facility. I’m responsible for our infection control program to try to avoid outbreaks and spread within our community. I help develop policies and procedures for our teams while keeping in mind governmental rules and regulations. You could say I wear a lot of hats!
The best part of this job is working with our team. Collaboration is a huge part of health care, and the team we have works super well together. It’s incredibly rewarding to collaborate with these people and bounce ideas off each other. I also love working and living in Manhattan! It’s a great community with a small-town feel, while still having a lot to do.
If you’re interested in the healthcare field, I’d encourage you to get your CNA license and start working as soon as possible. If being a CNA isn’t in the cards, try volunteering at a local facility. Gaining hands-on experience is so beneficial. You’ll learn skills and form relationships you can take with you throughout your life and your career
