By Vickie Jenkins, Staff Writer
When LaKeisha Frierson Carter was a little girl growing up in Wichita, Kansas, she dreamed of becoming an attorney. Even as a child, she imagined a future arguing cases in a courtroom. But God had a different plan.
“I wanted to be an attorney,” LaKeisha said. “I made plans and started taking classes to be an attorney. But God said I was supposed to be a nurse.”
Today, LaKeisha serves as Director of Nursing at Epworth Villa in Oklahoma City, where she oversees all nursing operations for both skilled nursing and long-term care. She joined Epworth Villa on June 2, 2025, bringing nearly two decades of nursing experience and a heart devoted to serving others.
LaKeisha first became a LPN in 2006 before earning her RN degree in 2016. Rather than taking shortcuts, she steadily worked her way through every level of nursing. “I literally climbed the ladder,” she said. “I was a CNA, then a CMA, an LPN, then an RN.”
That journey gave her something many leaders never experience, a firsthand understanding of every role on the nursing team. It also shaped the way she leads today. “I think my strongest quality is that I’ve been on the other side of the bed,” she said.
LaKeisha earned her LPN from Wichita, Kansas Area Technical College before receiving her RN degree from Hesston College, a private Mennonite college in Kansas. Although she says she did not have a mentor during nursing school, one professor made a lasting impact on her education.
Her first nursing position was in Kansas, where she began building the career that would eventually lead her to Oklahoma.
As Director of Nursing, LaKeisha oversees all nursing services for both skilled nursing and long-term care residents. She leads teams of RNs, LPNs, CNAs and medication aides while ensuring residents receive quality care every day.
Her mornings begin by reviewing the previous day’s work to ensure every detail has been completed correctly.
“I start out by going over the prior day to make sure that we are staying in compliance with state and federal regulations,” LaKeisha explained. “I make sure we have all the documentation the way it should be.”
She also prepares for upcoming admissions, reviews assessments, monitors changes in residents’ conditions and works to ensure every resident receives excellent care.
Epworth Villa serves approximately 65 to 70 residents in its skilled nursing and long-term care areas while also welcoming rehabilitation patients throughout the week. As a continuing care retirement community, residents often transition from independent living to assisted living before moving into skilled nursing if their healthcare needs increase.
One of the things that impressed LaKeisha most after joining Epworth Villa was the organization’s commitment to serving others beyond its campus.
“They give back to the community more than any nursing place that I have ever seen,” she said.
She especially appreciates the facility’s mission projects that raise money for charitable organizations and support the neighborhood school.
“The most important fact I would like others to know about Epworth Villa is that they are a community that really cares about people.”
When asked what qualities make an exceptional nurse, LaKeisha didn’t hesitate. “You have to have great assessment skills, pay attention to detail and good documentation skills,” she said. “And that’s just having to have a heart and be compassionate. I can teach skills. I can’t teach compassion.”
Her philosophy reflects the example she strives to set for every member of her nursing team.
LaKeisha credits her parents and stepfather for teaching her responsibility, faith and a strong work ethic.
“They instilled in me that if you don’t work, you don’t eat,” she said.
She also remembers the lessons her military stepfather taught about stewardship and faithfully managing the blessings God provides.
Outside of work, LaKeisha enjoys shopping and reading. Growing up in a Pentecostal home without television, reading became one of her favorite hobbies and remains so today.
She and her husband have three grown children and eight grandchildren.
Although she has already climbed every step of the nursing ladder, from CNA to CMA, LPN, RN and now Director of Nursing, LaKeisha has no plans to stop learning. She hopes to continue her education and become a nurse practitioner, expanding both her knowledge and her ability to serve patients.
Asked what advice she would offer those entering the nursing profession, LaKeisha emphasized the importance of perseverance and balance.
“Don’t get discouraged,” she said. “Make sure that they do something for self-care so that they don’t get burned out, because the medical field is changing.”
Nearly twenty years after answering God’s call to nursing, LaKeisha continues to lead with compassion, integrity and faith. The courtroom she once imagined was replaced by patient rooms and nursing stations, but she believes she is exactly where God intended her to be—making a difference one resident, one family and one caregiver at a time.
