Alumnus Luke Sponsel has recently become health care operations manager at Reeds Cove Health and Rehabilitation in Wichita.
Sponsel graduated from Newman University with his Bachelor of Science in healthcare science in 2017 and his Master of Business Administration in healthcare administration in 2018.
Sponsel had an internship with Reeds Cove while obtaining his master’s degree. Midway through that program, he was offered the position of health care operations manager within the locally owned and operated organization and happily accepted.
In this position, Sponsel oversees day to day responsibilities of staff, census development and various departments.
He primarily focuses on skilled nursing and long-term care within the organization. Reeds Cove recently built a geriatric psychiatric hospital that Sponsel looks forward to helping with.
“There has been positive feedback from the community on the need for a quality, less institutionalized, geri-psych hospital. I am looking forward to the continuation of that development.”
Not only does Sponsel enjoy his job duties, he said, but also the team he works with every day.
“I am blessed to work with a high performing team. It is one thing to go to work and accomplish the daily tasks, but it is another to break records in the building and in the company. Without the individuals that devote their time and energy to Reeds, none of this would be possible.”
Bringing a new and different perspective to the organization is also exciting for Sponsel. His past experience in hospitals has sparked the idea for a clinical rotation program at Reeds for surrounding colleges. He’s also been assisting with a pilot clinical program for staff development and advancement.
His abilities are being noticed by those outside the walls of Reeds Cove as well. As a former certified nursing assistant (CNA), Sponsel was asked to help revise the state CNA curriculum.
Sponsel spends his free time with family and friends but also spends much of it studying Spanish, as he believes it makes him a greater asset to those he serves.
His experience at Newman prepared him in more ways than one for his current career.
“I understand, on a fundamental level, both clinical and non-clinical viewpoints of health care. This has and continues to influence my decisions on a daily basis. Having that working knowledge provides the opportunity for me relate in a more effective way with the staff,” he said.
“I only aspire to live the words of Mother Teresa: ‘The fruit of love is service, which is compassion in action.’”
