Nursing has been Andrea W. Hunt’s life for as long as she can remember. She loves spending time with patients; beyond taking care of all of their needs, she makes an effort to talk with them about their families and interests. She’s learned a lot from them over the years, and has heard many fascinating stories. To Mrs. Hunt, getting to see these people get better after being at their worst is the best part of her job. She attributes her success to her ability to empathize rather than sympathize.
Mrs. Hunt prepared for her endeavors by completing coursework at Marshall University and by earning a paralegal certificate from the State University of New York and a diploma from the nursing school at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. She proceeded to serve as a licensed professional nurse at the hospital for the next decade, where she garnered experience in cardiac nursing, oncology, diabetes, kidney transplants, and family practice. Mrs. Hunt used those skills in her next roles as a licensed professional nurse at Community Hospice, Inc., and as the administrative director of the Medical Reserve Corps. Although she retired in 2012, she remains a health officer with ABC Emergency Management in Kentucky and the disaster committee chairman and the mass care coordinator for the American National Red Cross. She also mentors others in the field.
One of the most memorable moments of Mrs. Hunt’s career was in nursing school. Her husband was a doctor, so she often used his medical journals to study. A patient came in with lab work identical to a diagnosis in the journal, and the doctors hadn’t tested for the condition. A few hours later, they found her and told her she was right. Another notable patient was her first one ever. Mrs. Hunt was working in the neurology intensive care unit and a young boy came in with a traumatic head injury. He was the same age as her son at the time, and she cried every night after taking care of him. Twenty years later, when she was working in a nursing home, he became one of her patients again. She had never seen anything come full circle like that in her life.
When Mrs. Hunt has free time, she enjoys reading, shopping online, playing with her three dogs, traveling, and antique pricing.