Nick Nilest, PT, DPT, MBA
Regional VP of North Texas
In his role, Nick serves as CEO of New Braunfels Regional Rehabilitation Hospital and oversees Ernest Health’s hospitals across North Texas in his RVP role. He supports hospital CEOs in advancing patient care, strengthening operations, and building community partnerships.
Nick earned both a bachelor’s degree in health sciences and a doctorate in physical therapy from Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky. He earned a master’s in business administration from Western Governors University.
Nick began his career as a traveling physical therapist, working in diverse care settings across the country. He joined Ernest Health in 2010 as Director of Therapy Operations at Laredo Specialty Hospital. In 2014, he advanced to CEO of Corpus Christi Rehabilitation Hospital, and in 2019, he became CEO of New Braunfels Regional Rehabilitation Hospital.
“I was always taught to leave things better than I found them. This could not be truer in healthcare and what we strive to accomplish every day.”
Outside of work, Nick and his wife enjoy cheering on their five children at sporting events. He also enjoys traveling and reading.
Recognized Nationally
Ernest Health’s rehabilitation hospitals have been ranked by Netsmart Technologies, Inc., the administrator of the world’s largest database for rehabilitation outcomes. Netsmart uses a program evaluation model (PEM) to determine the rankings, which includes a case-mix and severity-adjusted tool, providing facilities with a composite performance score and percentile ranking drawn from more than 80 percent of inpatient rehabilitation facilities in the country. Each hospital follows a patient-centric model, incorporating advanced rehabilitation techniques and technology to achieve clinical outcomes that exceed industry standards.
America’s Greatest Workplaces in Health Care
For the second consecutive year, Ernest Health has been named one of America’s Greatest Workplaces in Health Care by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group. The 2026 ranking is based on an independent study of more than 400,000 reviews from more than 100,000 health care employees, evaluating factors such as leadership, integrity, compensation and work-life balance.
This recognition belongs to our team members, the passionate patient caregivers whose dedication shapes the care we provide in every community we serve.
