Maggie Sudduth began working in nursing homes when she was 15.

"Back in the 1960s, working as a nurse's aid, we got to do everything," said Sudduth, LNHA, whose passion for caring for the elderly has dominated her career. "We did injections, patient care, whatever needed to be done, and it was a great learning experience for me."

In those days, Sudduth had planned to become a registered nurse, but she discovered that she was allergic to ether.

"I'd pass out whenever it was in the room, but my allergy led me to choose the business path and still remain in health care," she said.

Sudduth earned a degree in business administration and entered the business side of health care.

Today, she is the nursing home administrator for Powder Springs Nursing and Rehab Center. The 208-bed facility serves long-term nursing home residents, short-term residents undergoing rehabilitation after hospital stays, and it has a separate Alzheimer's unit.

The majority of Sudduth's career has been spent in nursing homes.

"I took an eight-year break and became a physicians' office practice manager to see if I could break away from elder care and nursing homes but I came back," she said. "I love the residents and interact with them daily. Before I head into my office, I make rounds every morning to give hugs to each of them. We're all like family."

To be a successful nursing home administrator, Sudduth said it is crucial to have a genuine love of caring for the elderly. She describes her job as a combination of social worker, caregiver, Alzheimer's expert, human resource specialist, good listener and business administrator.

"I wear many coats," she said. "In nursing homes, you're not only dealing with the residents, you're working closely with family members and with your staff. It's certainly not a desk job. I'm a Jill of all trades."

Nursing home administrators are required to be licensed in Georgia. Sudduth said that starting salaries range between $50,000 and $70,000, depending on the size of the facility.

"It's important for a nursing home administrator to know all aspects of the organization because we're managing a microcosm of a city," she said. "We also must be on top of state and federal compliance regulations and guidelines, take care of our patients and their families, [and] maintain and support our staff.

"It can be very stressful because we are constantly under the public microscope. Plus, as the administrator, I'm on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year."

Sudduth credits her department heads with making her job easier.

"I've got the best staff in the world, and that's crucial to our work," she said. "An administrator is only as good as the individual team members.

"We all work together for the good of our patients and their families. In many ways, we become part of their families, and that's one of the most rewarding things about my job."