Her Story
About Nancy
Nancy Brandt serves as a nurse at Dickinson County Home Health and Hospice in Abilene, Kansas. She has been in this role for five years and brings a total of 12 years of experience in the nursing field. Nancy earned her LPN in 2013 and her RN in 2014, completing both through Hutch Community College. Prior to nursing, she worked for 20 years in dentistry following her dental assisting program at Salina Bow Tech. Her decision to pursue nursing later in life stemmed from a deep passion for the elderly and a desire to support the baby boomer generation through home health and hospice care, allowing families to keep loved ones comfortable at home during end-of-life journeys. She values honesty, integrity, and patience in both her professional and personal life, and she encourages others entering the field to pursue their RN and BSN credentials to maximize their knowledge and opportunities.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Nancy
01What do you attribute your success to?
I just have a passion for the elderly. I went to nursing school with the intent of doing home health and hospice with the baby boomer generation coming. There are not enough long-term care facilities nor beds to take care of that generation, and my mom is [AGE]. My husband is [AGE]. Just knowing that that generation needs extra love and support and guidance, and that a lot of families will be starting to care for their loved ones at home through end of life versus a long-term care facility was the main reason why I went to nursing school. I've wanted to be a nurse since I was a little girl, but after I got my kids through high school, I thought, you know what? I'm just gonna go do that.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Make sure you work where your passion lies, and then it's not work. You will enjoy what you do, and you won't feel like you're going to work. If you don't love what you do, it's work and you kind of dread it and drag your heels going in in the morning.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I encourage them to pursue nursing, and the LPN was the first step in nursing that I did in my 40s, and then I just went on to the following year and got my RN. You're may as well go ahead and get your RN, because you do the same work, whether you're an LPN or an RN. It's just an added layer of knowledge and ability. So I always encourage them to go all the way through and get their RN, and then the younger girls especially, I encourage them to get their BSN, because that seems to be the way things are going now. Most businesses prefer to hire BSN nurses versus ADN nurses.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty, integrity and patience are pretty important.
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