The American Health Council recently elected Candice Connette, BSN, ADN, CHPN, RN to its Board of Nurses for her outstanding contributions to the nursing field. Currently a hospice clinical manager at Liberty HomeCare & Hospice Services in Durham, N.C., Mrs. Connette provides high-quality care to every patient she treats in a leadership role. While she has spent the last four years in hospice care — and nine years in nursing — Mrs. Connette immersed herself in the healthcare industry 14 years ago. Since then, she has expanded and perfected her skills and knowledge in hospice and patient care.

Mrs. Connette’s professional aspiration was influenced by her grandparents, both of whom were involved with the hospice care process. When she saw the support that a nurse — “Nurse Judy” — lent her grandparents, Mrs. Connette decided that she, too, wanted to become a caregiver. Being directly involved with the hospice care process inspired her to become a hospice nurse. After earning an Associate’s Degree in Nursing from Gaston Community College in 2008, she served as a registered nurse at the Cleveland Regional Medical Center in Shelby, N.C. until 2011. Later that same year, she transferred to the Durham Regional Hospital in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., where she provided comprehensive nursing care until that October. For the remainder of that year, she served as a registered nurse at Duke Raleigh Hospital, where she planned and managed the care of patients from admission to the emergency unit until their discharge.

In 2012, Mrs. Connette enrolled at the Winston-Salem State University’s nursing program, while simultaneously working at Duke Raleigh Hospital. That October, she began working at WakeMed and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing in 2013. After leaving WakeMed in 2014,  she became a family care coordinator at 3HC — Home Health & Hospice Care, Inc., where she served as an advocate for patients with terminal illnesses including cancer, respiratory failure and various illnesses. After leaving the latter, she began working at Liberty HomeCare & Hospice where she now supervises the hospice care team, including nurses, medical social workers and volunteer coordinators. She assumes a leadership role and promotes team growth, education of different aspects of patient care, disease process education and team building.

Mrs. Connette is a certified hospice and palliative nurse, and belongs to the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association. She donates to the Teen Cancer of America and the Alzheimer’s Foundation. During her free time, she enjoys going on mini road trips, spending time with her husband and caring for her three dogs.

With a successful career at hand, Mrs. Connette attributes her success to her mother, who was a single parent and always taught her to reach for the stars. She plans to maintain her success by possibly pursuing a master’s degree in nursing or a Master of Business Administration. She also plans to pursue a position as a clinical director of hospice where she can make a larger impact.