MOL graduate leads long-term care organization to national award

September 2, 2009
Contact: Paul K. Logsdon, Director of Public Relations and Publications (417) 865-2815, ext. 7292

2009 EU MOL students John Jay Wilson, Stephanie Grant, Lisa Tyson

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Stephanie Grant, 2009 graduate of Evangel University’s Master of Organizational Leadership program, has already begun to reap the benefits of her new degree.

As administrator at Springfield Rehab and Health Care Center nursing home, Grant turned her 50-page capstone presentation for her MOL degree into an application for a national award.

Grant’s capstone project was an assessment of her nursing home, using the American Health Care Association’s Guidelines for their Step II National Quality Award. The AHCA guidelines are similar to the Baldrige National Quality Award program. In addition to describing the quality management systems and performance outcomes, the capstone project also included identifying key opportunities for improvement and leadership initiatives that should be taken over the next year.

Grant submitted the core assessment as her application for the Step II National Quality Award to the American Health Care Association. After six weeks of waiting, she learned that out of 215 applications, hers was one of only 26 to receive the award nationwide.

“I am thrilled that Springfield Rehab has won the Step II Award,” says Grant. “What we described is a team effort, and our staff deserves tremendous credit for our accomplishments. The fact that SRHCC is worthy of recognition of an award given by the largest association in the long-term care profession tells the public, competitors and customers that the center has taken commendable steps to ensure quality care for residents.”

According to Bernie Dana, 2009 chair of the Board of Overseers for the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program, less than 10 percent of first-time applicants receive the Step II Award. “In the 13 years that AHCA/NCAL’s 10,000 nursing and assisted living facility members have been eligible to apply for the Step II National Quality Award, only 130 have actually received the award,” Dana said.

Dana, who is also a professor of business at Evangel and teacher in the MOL program, encouraged Grant to pursue the project; however, he could not advise her on the application’s content.

Grant began her career in nursing 27 years ago, after graduating from St. John’s School of Nursing. In the late 1990s, she was hired by SRHCC to serve as director of nursing and was promoted to administrator in 2001.

“Caring for the elderly and providing confidence for their families are day-to-day challenges of my job,” says Grant. “The expectations and hopes of residents and family members are sometimes difficult to achieve, and ‘the nursing home’ is never their place of choice. Establishing trust, meeting the needs of such frail individuals and ensuring quality outcomes is a constant, ongoing consideration with each new resident, family and special need,” she said.

It was in 2006 that Grant made the decision to pursue her master’s degree in leadership at Evangel University.

“Leadership and teaching leadership is my passion,” Grant says. “I serve as a preceptor to administrators in training for one year during their program, and I also train directors of nursing for the Missouri/Kansas region for my company. In addition, I do two-day supervisory training for our region department heads and RNs.”

With her busy schedule, Grant chose Evangel because, “They offered the degree I wanted and offered it in a way I could complete it without a problem.”

Evangel’s MOL program, which was launched nearly four years ago, serves to provide students with the foundations of leadership and the tools needed to lead an effective organization.

“Stephanie’s work illustrates the outcomes we desire from our students,” said Dr. Jeff Fulks, MOL coordinator. “The award recognizes her knowledge, skills and values orientation in preparing and submitting the report with excellence, while providing leadership at SRHCC.”

“Great leadership is the answer to so many issues and is the difference between success and mediocrity in business,” Grant said.

Her newly earned master’s degree in organizational leadership prepared Grant well. “Completing my capstone, revising it to meet the award page restrictions, and meeting all the deadlines was a daunting task,” she said. “But, wow! What a way to end my MOL program at Evangel. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.”

By Bethany Bashioum
Edited and revised by Bernie Dana, Brenda Lochner and Paul K. Logsdon
Released 09/02/09