Editor’s Note: McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Long Term Care are profiling the McKnight’s 2021 Women of Distinction honorees daily July 6 through Aug. 9. To see the 2021 McKnight’s 2021 Women of Distinction awards ceremony, register for free here. For additional profiles of McKnight’s Women of Distinction, visit this page.
Jaime Smiley’s background in occupational therapy allowed her to advance in the nursing home industry with unique insight on the specific needs of both rehabilitation patients and long-term care residents at Medical Facilities of America, Roanoke, VA.
After working as an occupational therapist at the facility, she progressed to become rehab clinical education coordinator, the first person to fill this position at MFA.
During the pandemic, Smiley worked alongside the vice president of rehab to enact special policies and procedures to deliver rehabilitation services safely. She later presented these procedures to practitioners at the American Occupational Therapy Association.
Smiley also has developed various interdisciplinary clinical workbooks for therapist use and implemented indoor mobility gardens among other rehabilitation programs.
As a leader in the field of occupational therapy, Smiley has served as an adjunct professor in the occupational therapy department at Virginia Commonwealth University since 2004. She also has presented her research and procedures at various conferences and has been published three times in scholarly journals such as the American Journal of Occupational Therapy and OT Practice.
Colleagues say they are extremely impressed by her work ethic and that she has a huge commitment to helping others as well as developing the field of occupational therapy.
Outside of her work, she has been a girls basketball and softball coach, a school board member and a pastoral council member.
The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is jointly administered by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Senior Living. The program’s Diamond sponsor is PointClickCare, and the Roundtable Sponsor is Paycor.
