The Lodge at Cypress Cove Selects First AIT Program Candidate

(Fort Myers, FL – February 26, 2021) – The Lodge at Cypress Cove, one of Southwest Florida’s premier skilled nursing and rehabilitation communities, has been given approval for the appointment of Ms. Tily Sayeh as the healthcare community’s first Administrator in Training (AIT) intern.

The acceptance of Ms. Sayeh by the Florida Board of Nursing Home Administrators (BNHA) comes less than a month since The Lodge’s Administrator Matthew Lessig earned his Preceptor Certification which paved the way for the HealthPark Florida skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility to begin offering this prestigious internship program.

Troy Churchill, CEO and President of Cypress Living, the management company for Cypress Cove, praised the new AIT program at Cypress Cove saying that the acceptance of its first candidate in the program “is a tribute to quality of care provided at The Lodge and the forward thinking of our leaders to create bench strength that ensures the sustainability of our operations. The program,” he noted, “provides our growing organization with an amazing opportunity to invest back into our own talent as we help to mold and train the future leaders in our industry.”

Cypress Cove selected its first candidate from amongst its own with Ms. Sayeh, now in her ninth year as an employee with Cypress Cove, impressing management because she has shown great interest in area of healthcare administration. “We want every AIT intern,” said Lessig, “to be successful. So, knowing her work ethic, passion, and dedication, we believe she is an excellent first candidate.”

Ms. Sayeh worked her way up through the ranks at Cypress Cove beginning in 2012 with a position in the company’s Dining Services and eventually moving into the position as Health Service Administrative Assistant.  While working full-time, she became a two-time Cypress Cove scholarship recipient whose awards helped her earn a degree in Health Science/Health Care Administration from Florida Gulf Coast University.

An AIT program, run through BNHA, provides college or university students full-time training under the direct supervision of a Certified Preceptor – an experienced and qualified director who guides, tutors, and provides direction aimed at assisting one’s operational experience in a senior care and living services environments.

The program, explains Lessig, consists of either a 1,000- or 2,000-hour program of on-the-job training with the AIT spending hands-on work time in every department within a skilled nursing home facility known for its quality long and short-term care.

The selection of The Lodge at Cypress Cove as a site to administer an AIT program requires acceptance by BNHA that the facility meets criteria for eligibility, such as facility size, its standing with the regulatory Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), and having an individual with preceptor qualifications.

The Lodge at Cypress Cove is a 64-private resident suite facility featuring two restaurants, and outdoor courtyard, and multiple conveniences.  Just last year, the facility completed a two-year, multiple million-dollar renovation.  Attached to The Lodge is The Mead Therapy Center – a large, state-of-the-art rehabilitation center.

Featured Image: From left, The Lodge at Cypress Cove Administrator Matt Lessig is joined by Tily Sayeh who has been accepted and approved to become the skilled nursing home and rehabilitation facility’s first AIT intern (Administrator in Training).  The program, approved by the Florida Board of Nursing Home Administrators, begins its inaugural start on March 1.