Senior staffer turns to MGH Institute’s MHA program to do so while advancing career

Hillary Reynolds could have been content in her role as supporting the Office of the President at Nantucket Cottage Hospital.

As a member of the senior staff over the past several years, Reynolds has learned much about the facility’s inner workings. It’s been a rewarding experience. But as someone who takes a proactive, solutions-oriented approach to her job, she knew she had more to give, that she could make an even bigger difference at the Massachusetts island’s only hospital.

That is why she enrolled in the MGH Institute’s Master of Healthcare Administration program this past January.

“I’m not the kind of person who wants the title or is looking for the next step,” explained Reynolds. “I’m looking to better understand how the hospital operates when we talk about such things as strategy and budget so I can support senior leadership and grow my own leadership skills.”

Case in point: the Quality Improvement in Healthcare course she completed during her first semester taught about Lean management, a business philosophy focused on maximizing customer value while minimizing waste. Because her first job at the hospital was in its facilities department, she was asked to help while the department was in between managers.

“Using my new knowledge, I was able to help organize and streamline many of the department functions during this time,” said Reynolds, who noted her work to organize documentation helped the hospital receive a positive Joint Commission survey in late April.

While Reynolds has only completed two semesters of the 36-credit program – her first of two eight-week courses was Healthcare Ethics and Law – her newfound knowledge has not gone unnoticed.

“What has been especially clear this semester is that Hillary is not just learning new concepts, she has applied what she is learning in the program in ways that are practical, timely, and meaningful,” said hospital President and COO Amy E. Lee, MBA, MBHA, MJ, FACMPE, one of the three people to whom Reynolds reports. “She has applied stronger organizational and process-improvement skills to streamline documentation, improve how information is stored, clean up billing and invoice workflows, and support preparation for the Joint Commission survey, which had very successful outcomes. Hillary’s combination of institutional knowledge, curiosity, and willingness to apply new skills in real time makes her an invaluable member of the NCH team.”

Reynolds first learned of the IHP through colleagues who had enrolled in other programs. After sitting in on a webinar about the MHA program, where in addition to its depth she learned the part-time and online format would allow her to continue working full-time, the mother of two knew it would be a perfect fit.

“The IHP has a great reputation, and I knew people were having success there, so for me I just knew that it was the right school,” said Reynolds, 38, who noted she didn’t seriously consider other programs.

Prior to joining the hospital in 2015, Reynolds was a case manager working with adults who have disabilities at the non-profit Road to Responsibility, Inc., following her graduation from Bridgewater State University in 2010 with a psychology degree. But the fifth-generation islander’s deep roots drew her back across Nantucket Sound.

“I'm all in on working at NCH and supporting the work we do here” said Reynolds, who also volunteers as a voting member of the Human Rights Committee with the health and human services organization Vinfen, and is an assistant cheerleading coach at Nantucket High School. “I always want people to say they had a great experience at our hospital.”