Discussions with Dan: Meet St. John’s VP of Skilled Services
Sitting down to talk about his new role as St. John’s Vice President of Skilled Services, Dan Morphet knew exactly what he wanted to talk about, but he knew he would be short on time because he is never at his desk for too long. “I think it is necessary to be out on the floors,” says Morphet.
Morphet brings 33 years of experience to his role at St. John’s Home. He earned his Bachelor of Science in business administration and healthcare administration from Alfred University and he comes to St. John’s at a transitory time.
Morphet wanted to emphasize during this discussion that recent surveys and star ratings are “not reflective of the quality care here.” Morphet is confident and impassioned that the “numbers will reflect the care in time.”
“There are so many positive things to say about St. John’s,” says Morphet, “I want us to show Rochester how great we are.”
In the past few months since he joined St. John’s, Morphet has been present at every step of the clinical process — attending a variety of department meetings and getting to know the people here. He says that his main goals are to revamp rehabilitation, memory care, employee outreach, and retention. “We have to get better at promoting our great continuum of care and our great staff,” says Morphet.
“St. John’s has good care and a positive and rich history, and I really think we can bring that into the future,” says Morphet, “and that’s not just me saying that as an administrator.”
Morphet’s pride in and commitment to St. John’s is demonstrated daily. He can be seen sitting down and talking to residents, helping at therapeutic recreation events, and meeting new employees.
“It is simple. We are a quality facility that cares for the community and our residents, and as a leader, I live by that.”
Halfway through the discussion, Morphet was joined by Trinell Elliott, St. John’s Skilled Services Assistant Administrator and longtime colleague of Morphet.
“I think Dan does a great job of making sure all employees and departments are heard,” says Elliott. “No department or person is better than the other because we all have to work together.”
“That’s right,” replies Morphet, “we have our facility to worry about, and we want the best of the best to work here, and that starts with visibility among the management.”
Morphet says that he likes to remind management of why they all are here, “it is for the residents.”
Morphet and Elliot agree that there is “no hierarchy at St. John’s.” Morphet says that he does not see himself as important. “I could easily be moved, the people who matter are the clinical staff, the maintenance, the secretaries, and all of those people.”
“I would much rather be out there meeting the employees than here behind my desk,” says Morphet.
Transparency and growth are two of his main focuses as a leader. “St. John’s is amazing because we have the continuum of care,” says Morphet, “and not many facilities have that, so we are special, but we need to have a plan for the next decade — the next 125 years.”
“We are in an underfunded industry and we are going to have to continue to work harder and harder in what we do.”
“You got me on my soapbox now,” Morphet jokes.
As Morphet promotes hard work, he also realizes the importance of employee appreciation and career growth.
“I believe every employee deserves the chance to come up the ranks if that is what they want, and that is how it went for me,” says Morphet, “I have been an aid, I have worked on floors, worked in a kitchen — I mean look at Wyndell [Mewborn], and how he’s come through — everyone deserves that.”
Elliot agrees that St. John’s has “the potential to be a great place for nursing students to come, learn, and start their careers.”
“I think Trinell and I agree that we want to build career and success ladders, personal to each employee,” says Morphet. “We want people to be the best versions of themselves.”
Morphet says that employee wellbeing and education “bleeds together” with his goals of revamping St. John’s services. “The hardest thing for a person to do sometimes,” Morphet reflects, “is realizing their self-worth.”
“It is very easy for someone like a CNA to say, ‘I am just a CNA,’ but no, you are the main caregiver to a resident, and you could be the last person that they see, it is meaningful work.”
“So, if we make employees aware that they do matter and are important, great care follows,” says Morphet.
He says seeing employees and administrators he has trained become successful and confident “means the world” to him. “If I had any part in their success, that is just a wonderful feeling.”
“But it is also about having fun in your job,” says Morphet. “We have to enjoy what we do and look at how many times we laughed in this conversation — we have to laugh because what we do is damn serious work.”
If it seems like Morphet does not have much free time, that would be a correct observation. It is exactly how Morphet prefers it. “I don’t like sitting still,” says Morphet, “I like being here and getting to work.”
“Dan is living in his glory,” says Elliott, “he is always moving here.”
At the times when he does take a break, Morphet says he likes to spend time with his family and his two dogs (who can be seen at St. John’s from time to time), enjoy the outdoors, and travel. “We love adventures and being active, and I think being at St. John’s will be an adventure.”