In her own words, Joan Robbins, administrator at Briarwood Nursing & Rehabilitation in Little Rock, described herself as a stickler for details and someone who sets high standards for her employees. She is not the kind of boss that one would consider buddy-buddy with her staff.
That is what happens when someone’s work is personal, the way Robbins’ has been to her, and not just over the 43 years she has served the residents of Briarwood and their families. For Robbins, it goes even deeper than that.
“My mother was the administrator here before me. I grew up here, watching her,” she said. “Back then, kids were scared of old people, but I was never, ever afraid of them because I was around them so much. I would spend all my time with them, sit in their rooms with them and talk to them forever.”
Robbins knew she not only wanted to become a nurse but that she would spend her career in elder care. She did not plan for it to play out at Briarwood specifically, not wanting to be seen as a nepo hire.
“We didn’t mean to work together; it just happened that way,” she said. “I was a certified nursing assistant first, a licensed practical nurse and then a [registered nurse]. I was going to go out on my own, but they didn’t have a director of nurses. I was just going to help for a little while until they found one, but I just couldn’t leave.”
Wanting to be taken on her own merits nonetheless, she kept her married name after her divorce so people would not connect her with the administrator. She also distinguished herself from her mother by the way she went about her job.
“My mother was very particular and very stern, but I think I was even more so,” she said. “I think she was much more patient than I was. I’ve always run a very tight ship, and if you didn’t want to do it that way, you know, you could go. I still feel that way today, but it’s a little different because of the shortage of nurses. I’ve actually had to relax somewhat.
“It’s funny though; I have people tell me, ‘I’m a better nurse because of how you were when I worked under you.’ People tell me that they have higher expectations and they learned that from me. When they go off and they’re a director of nurses somewhere or something, they understand what I was trying to instill in them. I’ve had people come back 20 years later and say, ‘Now I understand why you were so strict with us.’”
As she approaches the end of her remarkable career, the line she took up after her mother is set to continue as Robbins’ daughter, assistant administrator Brooke Martin, has been groomed to step into the role. Talking about it brings a note of pride into Robbins’ voice.
“I’m fixing to turn 70, and I will be retiring soon, though I haven’t announced any particular time. When I do, my daughter, who’s been here 24 years, will be taking over,” she said. “We have had several generations of workers here, you know, but I think we’ll probably be the only set of three-generation administrators.”
As she talked, Robbins shifted easily between stories of her work family, the accomplishments of her biological family and the residents they care for. That is probably because there is not much distance among the three, despite her hard-edged reputation.
“Most rewarding to me is when you do something so tiny for [a patient], and they turn around and tell you they love you and thank you,” she said. “Most patients don’t expect a lot from you; they just expect to be treated with dignity and respect. The same goes for my team. I know about them not friendwise so much as knowing when their grandmother’s sick or their kids are sick. I love my staff; that’s probably the strongest suit I have, caring about my staff so much.”
Photo provided by Briarwood Nursing & Rehab
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