When Brittni Berg was 15, she was set on saving up enough money to purchase a car, so she got a job as a CNA at the nursing home in her home town of Belgrade, Minn. Little did she know that she was embarking on a lifelong career.
Brittni remembers one resident in particular from early in her career. Whatever he needed, she could help him, especially if he needed to find a sense of calm. She knew she could be that person to help him find peace.
“Just knowing I could be that person for him, encouraged me in knowing I could be that for other people too.”
Fast forward a few years to when Brittni moved to the Fargo-Moorhead area and was deciding on what she’d like to do for work. By this point in her life, her heart was set on caring for older adults. Brittni accepted a position as a CNA at Eventide on Eighth care center in Moorhead, where she works as a Resident Care Manager today.
While she enjoyed being a CNA for several years, one common theme kept popping up. Her peers, especially the nurses, continued to tell her that she should further her education and become a nurse.
During one of her annual reviews, her supervisor listed off the qualities she saw in Brittni, and then told her these are also qualities she sees in many of the nurses.
During one of her annual reviews, her supervisor listed off the qualities she saw in Brittni, and then told her these are also qualities she sees in many of the nurses.
Brittni Berg, Resident Care Manager at Eventide on Eighth in Moorhead
Brittni’s supervisor asked her, “What are your plans?”
Brittni wasn’t sure at the time. She felt content in what she was doing, but also felt inspired by the encouragement she was receiving, so she went back to school while working full time at Eventide.
“The scheduler at the time helped make a flexible schedule for me so I could work and go to school,” said Brittni. “The flexibility made working and going to school manageable.”
As Brittni went to school for her LPN and then her RN, she received scholarships from Eventide. The scholarships allowed her to cut back her hours a bit while she finished her education.
After she earned her RN, Brittni decided she wanted to try something else and went to work at a local hospital. But after a little over a year, she felt called back to Eventide.
“In a hospital setting, you only deal with what happens at the present moment, but in long term care you get to know the person you are caring for,” Brittni explained. “You get their past, their present, and you really are their future a lot of the time. You get to learn their whole story, not just what brought them in for care, and I end up feeling like I am part of their family since they cannot be with theirs all of the time.”
Ever since Brittni became a nurse she knew that the Resident Care Manager position is what she wanted to do. When she saw the position open at Eventide, she decided it was a good time to leave the hospital and return to long term care.
“I wanted to experience what went on behind the scenes. I like providing bedside care, but I was interested in WHY we are providing the care,” she said.
She was offered the position and accepted and when she walked through the doors on that first day back, one of the long-term employees saw her and immediately gave her a hug.
“In that moment I thought, I am at home now. It felt right. The great thing about Eventide is that even though I left, I always knew I could come back.”
