Jennifer Romagnolo ’05 (M) serves the elderly as a licensed nursing home administrator
Growing up in Little Compton, Rhode Island, Jennifer Romagnolo ’05 (M) had always dreamed of working with the elderly. She’s now spent many years doing so as a licensed nursing home administrator – something that Salve Regina helped her achieve through its graduate program in healthcare administration.
A love for working with the elderly
Romagnolo’s dream of working with the elderly started young. “In eighth grade, I was involved in an older adult program and visited them in nursing homes,” she said. “It was something I genuinely loved.”
When Romagnolo graduated from Rhode Island College in 1999 with a degree in social work and a minor in gerontology, she had already gained some experience interning at an adult daycare. This confirmed her dedication to working with the elderly, and her first job out of college was a social worker at a nursing home on Aquidneck Island.
Romagnolo had never envisioned herself working in a nursing home. However, as her role shifted from social worker to administrator, she found that she was loving her role and decided to pursue a master’s degree in health care administration.
She chose Salve Regina’s program after researching a number of schools. “I had a great experience,” she said. “I loved all of the classes. I still talk to several of the teachers and faculty that I had in the industry. As a nursing home administrator on Aquidneck Island, I’ve even taken care of some of their family members.”
A master’s in healthcare administration
Romagnolo noted the vast array of career paths in healthcare administration. “There are so many different pieces to health care that you can get into,” she said. “There are basic classes, but there are also classes on leadership, ethics and finances. There’s an admissions piece, a nursing piece, social work, maintenance, housekeeping, laundry, food service. There are so many things that you can do within healthcare administration.”
After graduating from Salve Regina in 2005, Romagnolo became a licensed nursing home administrator and has worked at two nursing homes. Since 2012, she’s been working at Village House Nursing & Rehabilitation Center.
Romangolo will always cherish her Salve Regina education, which gave her rich opportunities to work in a growing field. “Salve really took their time and chose faculty that had experience,” she said. “Not just who had a degree, but who had actual real-world experience to bring to the students taking classes. I think that is huge.”
A need for licensed nursing home administrators
Romangolo hasn’t lost her ties to Salve Regina over the years. She’s had many interns work at Village House, from both the undergraduate social work program and the graduate program in healthcare administration.
She emphasized how much of a need there is for skilled professionals in nursing homes, which will be especially true as Baby Boomers age and need more care. “These are well paying jobs,” she said. “People don’t know that, and so I think it’s a great opportunity for people to understand that it’s a job that is out there that is much needed.”
Romangolo hopes to see more young professionals choose careers in health care overall, and especially working with the elderly, and she’s excited to see the profession grow. “It’s a time of great need,” she said. “Let’s step up for the future of health care.”
