Kelly Valenzuela, administrator at Nemasket Healthcare Center, recently went out on maternity leave. When looking for someone to cover in her absence, she only had to look as far as the culinary department.
“Matt [Reynolds] has been at Nemasket for over ten years as Culinary Director, and has worked in healthcare facilities for over 25 years. Just last year, Matt approached me about an Administrator-in-Training (AIT) Program and asked that I be his preceptor.”
Matt completed the AIT program in six months, and passed his NHA licensing exam with flying colors. Kelly served as preceptor during Matt’s training, while he used his personal study materials during off-hours to ensure he was prepared for the licensing exam and his future as a Nursing Home Administrator.
Kelly continues, “My husband and I found out we were expecting at the end of 2023, while Matt was still in the middle of his AIT program. After Matt was officially licensed, I was able to share the news with him and my hopes that he would be able to cover for us. It was really meant to be!”
Says Matt, “I’ve worked in healthcare [facilities] since I was 16 years old, starting out as a dishwasher and working my way up to Culinary Director. While working as a Director I continued my education, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Management. I had been a Culinary Director at a few facilities before joining Whittier. I have stayed at Whittier for over ten years because I feel it is a great company to work for.”
After managing a successful Culinary Department for years, Matt felt he needed a new challenge and hopes to now manage a successful building: “I often thought about trying to become a licensed Administrator. I had a great working relationship with my Administrator (Kelly Valenzuela) and asked her if she would be my preceptor for an AIT.”
Using the relationships he had already built with many of Nemasket’s team members, he was able to get a lot of hands-on training with other departments. “There are so many moving parts to operating a nursing home and so many regulations; at times learning all of that information seemed overwhelming. I stayed motivated and studied a lot to pass the licensing exam.”
“[This is] just another example of how well this facility works as a team,” adds Kelly.
Matt says that he is grateful that Whittier and Kelly have given him this opportunity to get his Administrator license. “Everyone has been supportive, and Kelly has continued to work with me beyond getting my license.”
Whittier Health Network is so excited for Matt to have this opportunity to further his career with us, and we have the utmost confidence in his abilities to successfully run Nemasket Healthcare Center!
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