Celebrating Trailblazers: A Spotlight on Vicki Palm

To close out this month’s Regency Trailblazers, we’re spotlighting Vicki Palm, our Senior Vice President of Operations. She has been a part of #TheRegencyDifference for six years but has dedicated the last 37 years to the care of residents, staff, and families. Vicki didn’t plan to start working in Long-Term Care, but a recruiter came to the Texas Tech University Campus to interview college graduates for their Administrator in Training (AIT) program leading to her becoming a licensed nursing facility administrator. She says, “I needed to have a job after graduation, and lucky for me, I was chosen to be an AIT out of a pool of 200 candidates."

Vicki has noticed a shift in healthcare leadership throughout her career, saying, “Although I often still enter meetings being one of the few females present, I strive to break barriers and be a role model for the women to follow.” Her vision for the new group of women entering healthcare is that they continue to mentor and encourage each other. “My biggest advice is to speak up, even when you're the odd woman out. You will add a perspective that others have not seen or heard. Find a mentor - I would not be in my position today without the women before me and their mentorship to push barriers.”

She continues to say, “Be courageous, you never know who is looking up to you.” As her career evolved and moved away from daily interactions with residents, families, and staff, Vicki remains committed to advocating for those who cannot for themselves. “The best compensation for this job is watching an employee create a career within long-term care. The gratitude from a family member when you've walked them through the long-term care admissions process. But most importantly, the residents and the many stories and lessons they've shared with me.”

Vicki is dedicated to being an involved leader, serving in multiple roles during her career:

• Texas Health Care Association (THCA) Activity Professionals Administrator of the Year 2005
• THCA Board Member
• THCA Region Chair
• Member of the Executive Operators Forum-Direct Supply
• Preceptor for Administrator in Training program

Her favorite quote is “Success is not final, and failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that count” Winston Churchill. Vicki says, “As I look back on my career, I measure my own success by seeing the individuals I have mentored become leaders in the #LongTermCare community. Development of people is my passion and I look forward to seeing where the rest of my story will take me.”