Homeland med tech Anna Hicks: Adding a personal touch

Anna Hicks is a medication technician whose compassionate approach enhances the lives of residents far beyond dispensing medications.

For example, one Homeland resident wakes up achy every morning, so Hicks massages her knees with pain cream and makes her coffee, which the resident deeply appreciates.

“She loves me,” says Hicks. “She’ll tell everybody that I’m her ‘daughter.’ She tells anybody that. I have to have coffee every morning, so I feel her pain on that.”

To Hicks, these small, thoughtful gestures form the heart of her work: enhancing residents’ quality of life through genuine care, not seeking recognition.

“I go the extra mile for the residents who need that motivation to get up and get going,” she says. “I like to keep them motivated, so they don’t have things to worry about.”

Hicks also represents Homeland’s home-grown talent and opportunities. In 2014, while working at a restaurant in the Harrisburg area, a cousin-in-law working at Homeland told her about a kitchen opening.

After two years in dietary, she advanced to personal care assistant. Although she hadn’t expected to provide hands-on care, a past part-time home care job showed her how much she enjoyed ensuring people had what they needed.

“I walked into it super-nervous, thinking, ‘This thing’s not bad. I can actually do this,’” she said.

In 2017, she began studying to become a certified nurse assistant. Throughout this role, she focused on small details like keeping residents’ laundry organized, rooms tidy, and supplies stocked.

After earning her CNA certification, Hicks sought a new challenge and transitioned to a medical technician position around 2020.

As a medical technician, Hicks administers medications, visits rooms in the morning, and checks on residents in the dining room at lunch. She monitors vital signs, blood sugar, and keeps her cart fully stocked. Some days, she steps in for the assistant director of nursing, handling management tasks as part of their team.

Hicks strikes a balance in interacting with residents.

“The best way to talk to them isn’t like they’re a kid or you’re their parent,” she said. “You have to get on a relatable level with them. I don’t baby them, but I’m not bossy with them, either.”

She is the one ensuring that residents are taking their medications as prescribed. If they want to take some sort of supplement on their own, she checks with their physician for approval.

“It feels rewarding if residents come to me with a problem and I can solve it,” she said. “Then they’re happy.”

Outside of work, Hicks enjoys relaxing and playing with her three cats, a 2-year-old girl named Stormy, a 1-year-old boy named Dallas, and the newest addition is a girl named Lola.

Continuing the tradition of Homeland’s family connections, Hicks’ mother, Sherri Chanchlani, works for the Activities Department on weekends.

Hicks arrives each day fully put together, with coordinated makeup, nails, and scrubs that don’t look like uniforms.

“I’m big on presentation,” she says. “I have to look coordinated. I try to make it look as much like regular clothes as possible, because I don’t like it when it looks too much like an institution for the residents.”

Hicks also hopes to advance her career by becoming an LPN, which will enable her to acquire more skills and the necessary licensing to perform additional tasks in her med-tech work, such as administering injections.

Her experience at Homeland taught her about the importance of choices, teamwork, and professionalism. She leads by example—remaining calm in stressful situations, not just telling others to do so.

“If you get all worked up, you can’t do your work straight,” she says. “I always ask myself if this was me in this situation, how would I want a nurse reacting?”