After spending three decades working in food service, Frances Adkins was both surprised and excited after initially learning of IntegraCare’s Motivational Advancement Program (MAP) earlier this year.
“This is the first company that I have worked for that offered anything like that,” said Adkins, a Cuisineur at Queenstown Landing in Maryland, one of 15 senior living communities in three states operated by IntegraCare. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years. This is the first company that offered anything to help employees advance. I greatly appreciate the ability to learn things I hadn’t already learned that will help me in my career with IntegraCare.”
For more than 15 years, IntegraCare has lived by the philosophy that its communities are both “a great place to work and a great place to live.”
The Motivational Advancement Program (MAP), introduced in February 2021, is the latest example of this approach. MAP represents an investment in IntegraCare’s team members, who in turn have an opportunity to find career growth opportunities and earn hourly wage increases.
Jessica Leonard is a LifeStages Associate who helps residents participate in a wide range of activities at Newhaven Court at Clearview in Butler, Pennsylvania. She saw MAP as a chance to learn new skills.
“I was really excited and I was the first applicant in our community,” said Leonard, who joined the IntegraCare team more than a year ago. “I always want to learn new things and get in deeper with IntegraCare as a company and learn the ins and outs of the business.
“I am learning about the different domains that are required in activities — for example, the spiritual and emotional support for our residents,” she added, referring to the nine domains of wellness. “There are different domains of residents’ wants and needs that we want to make sure we cover in the activities department.”
The Motivational Advancement Program is available to both full- and part-time team members. IntegraCare has approximately 600 hourly employees at its 15 senior living communities.
MAP consists of 2-level and 3-level programs that present the opportunity for full-time staff to annually earn an additional $5,200 to $8,275, respectively, based on performance metrics. There are two training cycles per year.
“At IntegraCare, we value each and every team member,” said IntegraCare CEO Larry Rouvelas. “We tell our team members, ‘We take the journey with you.’ This isn’t just a job, it’s a career.”
The inaugural MAP Class of 2021 assembled in February and has been learning ever since.
Each training cycle is designed to include no more than 50 participants selected from each of IntegraCare’s communities. Team members may apply or be nominated by a peer or supervisor. The first MAP cycle included 34 IntegraCare team members.
The training cycles include: One-on-one mentoring; peer support; textbook and online instruction; demonstrations and “return demonstration,” showing that the participant understood and can achieve the task demonstrated.
At the young age of 22, Julian Castaneda already has been part of the IntegraCare team for seven years. Currently, he is the Lead Cuisineur at The Woods at Cedar Run in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Castaneda appreciates the opportunities presented by the MAP.
“I just always wanted to grow in the company,” Castaneda said. “I basically chose it because I’m growing in the company and learning. I can always teach others. I was really excited when I heard about the program. It’s something different with the company, something that helps me and in the long run it helps the company. It is improving the company.”
Indeed, MAP presents plenty of win-win situations for the members of the inaugural class.
“I am learning in the first tier, how inventory is done and entered on a weekly basis,” Queenstown Landing’s Adkins said. “I am learning scheduling as well as doing the spend down reports and entering the invoices into the Excel program for the budget.
“As far as my career, I’m hoping that it will help me advance through the ranks of IntegraCare,” Adkins said. “As far as my personal life, I believe it will help me be better outside of the kitchen. Personally and professionally, it is going to help me.”
If you or someone you know would like to explore career options with IntegraCare, please visit https://jobs.integracare.com/ and start your journey. We look forward to meeting you!