Shari Carson is a veteran nurse leader known nationally and in her state as an educator and resource for post-acute care directors of nursing and nurse managers.
She recently also proved yet again that she still walks the walk and doesn’t just talk the talk. Due to a staffing emergency at one of the eight Michigan skilled nursing facilities Carson oversees as regional coordinator for Ciena Healthcare, she jumped into a role she hadn’t held for years to help right the ship.
For four months this spring, she served as the acting director of nursing at one facility, covering open shifts while incentivizing remaining staff and recruiting new, dedicated nurses and an experienced DON.
“They felt I had their backs,” Carson says. When you get into the trenches with your staff, “the residents have a better quality of life, and the employee feels like they matter and that you will listen to them.
“It’s important that you engage and develop a relationship with your staff,” she adds. “If you do that, they’ll be there for you.”
Stepping back into the DON role is typical of Carson, who is not only an excellent communicator with strong clinical abilities and experience but also a “servant leader,” according to colleague Marie Hall, regional director of operations at Ciena.
Carson says her first love is teaching. A tireless learner, she’s acquired a wealth of certifications and titles in post-acute care, and has served as a consultant for the state of Michigan over her 40-year career.
She holds the DON position in high esteem and is in her second term as vice president of the National Association of Directors of Nursing Administration in Long-Term Care.
Educated along with three siblings in Detroit’s Catholic schools, Carson absorbed lessons about the inherent value of the elderly and the concept of person-centered care from her mother. Carson joined the busy volunteer on visits to nursing homes and as she cared for older family members. She also was actively involved in her grandparents’ lives.
“I have an affinity for the elderly, and I am a big proponent of quality of life, not quantity of life. … I always strive for and preach that,” she says.
She notes a non-stop work ethic was fostered by both parents. Her father, who worked for UPS, taught his four kids that “you did not miss a day of work or school unless you were on your deathbed,” she recalls.
Carson and her husband Rick, both 62, are now ferrying their children, Hannah, 24, and RJ, 20, through the college years. Rick long ago decided to stay at home with the children, and Carson became deeply invested in her children’s scouting troops and her church.
She also fits in some downtime, learning the creative art of scrapbooking, and loves escaping into the pages of a book. In retirement, she’d like to travel to Italy, but right now her weekends are spent teaching RJ how to drive.
When people inevitably ask how she fits it all in, she has a ready answer: “You find the time to do the things you want to do, that are important to you.”
Resume
1983 Becomes LPN; RN follows 4 years later
1988 Named director of education/quality assurance, Bon Secours Nursing Center, St. Clair Shores, MI
1993 Named SNF director of nursing, St. Lawrence Dimondale (MI) Center
1993 Becomes licensed nursing home administrator
2003-2009 Serves as LTC clinical consultant, community leader, NexCare Health Systems
2009 Promoted to LTC vice president of clinical support
2009-Present Appointed to Michigan nurse education council
2011 Inducted into NADONA Academy of Fellows
2017-Present Serves as NADONA vice president
2019 Becomes a regional clinical coordinator, Laurel Health/Ciena Healthcare
