Meet HCA Healthcare's Mandy Ellestad, RN

"It takes much more than a degree to be a nurse. Lots of love, sweat, compassion, tears, joy, pain, sorrow, and patience is what it takes to be a nurse."
– Mandy Ellestad, RN

HCA Healthcare is pleased to introduce and spotlight nursing colleague, Mandy Ellestad, RN. Mandy is a clinical nurse leader at affiliate West Valley Medical Center in Caldwell, Idaho.

Please take a few moments to read about her nursing career and the pathway she took to become a nurse leader.

Why did you choose to be a nurse?

I have a heart for people and helping them get better.

When and where did you begin your career with HCA Healthcare?

I took my first job as an RN at West Valley Medical Center 11 years ago on the Med/Surg floor.

Have you taken on new roles since being hired?

Clinical Nurse Leader

Which national certification (if applicable) did you choose and why?

Medical/Surgical. It is my area of expertise.

What have you learned about nursing during your career?

It takes much more than a degree to being a nurse. Lots of love, sweat, compassion, tears, joy, pain, sorrow, and patience is what it takes to be a nurse.

If you weren't a nurse, what would be your profession?

Stay-at-home mom

What does caring for and improving life mean to you?

Being the best nurse that I can. Not only to my patients but to their family members as well. I want to make a difference in each of my patients' lives. I want them to return to West Valley and say, "I want that nurse Mandy again."

Tell us about a significant moment that made you proud to be a nurse.

Just recently we had a patient on the floor that I took care of 9 to 10 years ago when I was just starting out as a new nurse. He said that he received such good care back then that he knew that West Valley was where he wanted to go back. That is what being a nurse is about — making a difference that someone remembers.

What's your advice to nurses starting out?

Being a nurse is the hardest thing I have ever done, but it has been the most rewarding to be able to serve other people. Even after being a nurse for 11 years, I fret about what didn't get charted or what I forgot to get done. I even go home and cry over a patient that made an impact in my life. It's okay to do that! It is okay to cry. It is okay to lean on your co-workers and boss. I recommend you lean on your team and build that trust…they are who truly understand what you are going through.