Most of us have heard about “magic numbers” that supposedly define success. For example, the familiar “10,000 steps per day” goal wasn’t based on science at all. It began in 1965, when a Japanese company launched the first commercial pedometer, naming it the manpo-kei: literally, the “10,000-step meter.” The number was chosen because it was round, memorable, and marketable, not because research proved it was the secret to good health.

The same thing happened with the 10,000-hour rule for expertise. Popularized by Malcolm Gladwell, it was based on research by psychologist Anders Ericsson. But even Ericsson clarified later: there was nothing magical about 10,000 hours. The real key was deliberate practice and continuous learning, and the actual number of hours varied dramatically by field.

What This Means in Senior Care Hiring

In senior living, it’s tempting to look for benchmarks. How many years of experience should an Executive Director have? How many hours of clinical leadership make someone ready for a Director of Nursing role? Is there a “magic number” that signals readiness?

The reality: there really isn’t one. Here’s what does matter:

  • Depth matters more than duration. 10 years in a role doesn’t automatically mean someone has the skills to handle regulatory audits, retain staff, or drive occupancy growth, especially if it’s really one year of experience repeated ten times across multiple short tenures. Conversely, someone who’s moved strategically between organizations may have gained diverse expertise that a long-tenured candidate lacks.
  • Relevance counts. A nurse leader with 5 years in long-term care may bring more applicable expertise than someone with 15 years in a hospital setting.
  • Adaptability is key. The senior care landscape evolves constantly, with new regulations, workforce shortages, changing resident expectations. An “expert” is someone who grows with those changes, not just someone who’s logged hours.

Just like 10,000 steps a day isn’t the magic ticket to good health, 10,000 hours on the job isn’t the sole measure of expertise. In senior care, what matters most is deliberate practice, relevant experience, and the ability to adapt to complexity. Each role comes with slightly different requirements, culture, and priorities, and it’s more important for candidates to align with those, rather than some one-size-fits-all benchmark.

At Aspen Associates Group, we’ve seen it firsthand, time and time again. The best leaders are defined less by how many years they’ve worked, and more by how they’ve applied their experience to improve care, support staff, and strengthen communities.

Those are the leaders we bring you for each and every search. Contact us to learn more and make your next senior care search a success!