When Tabatha Anderson went to college, she never dreamed it would be for social work. What started as a passion for teaching quickly turned into a passion for serving older adults.
During her last year of college at Minnesota State University Moorhead, a summer internship became available at a long-term care center in Fargo, North Dakota.
“I don’t know if it even took a full week for me to fall in love with the people and how special of an environment it was,” says Tabatha.
After graduating, she spent time working at a long-term care center in the Twin Cities, but she and her future husband wanted to live somewhere closer to family.
A new beginning
That’s when Tabatha discovered the Good Samaritan Society. She was first hired in Pine River, Minnesota, and then, two years later, she transitioned to Good Samaritan Society – Woodland in Brainerd, Minnesota. She served as a social worker there for the next eight years.
As a social worker, she managed residents’ psychosocial needs and communicated with their families, along with doing admissions, discharges and care planning. Even with all of those duties, she felt privileged to help residents.
“Over time, it always comes back to them and how you can be so impactful in their lives,” she says. “Learning their stories has always been my favorite part.”
Tabatha feels like she’s grown up at the Society. She’s now married with two children and has changed roles three times. A year ago, she became a health care sales specialist representing home health, hospice and long-term care for the Brainerd, Nisswa and Pine River communities.
Her role includes educating staff members as well as connecting with community members to help them find the services they need.
“It uses my social work background, but in a different way,” Tabatha says.
She appreciates the support she’s received as an employee and is thankful to be part of a faith-based organization.
“All my supervisors have been wonderful. They’ve always supported life changes as they came,” states Tabatha. “I’ve felt blessed to work with the mission in mind, and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to continue to grow here.”
