Denise Hoeft, RN, Trauma Coordinator, Nurse Educator

Training is what keeps nurses and other emergency providers current so that they can provide the best care possible to patients when they need it the most.

Denise Hoeft, Trauma Coordinator and Nurse Educator, has been a nurse for 32 years with 12 of those year being at Gothenburg Health. She said in order to serve in her current capacity, she has taken an instructor course in trauma nursing, Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) and CPR. She is also currently working on training for emergency nurse pediatric and neonatal resuscitation.

“I wanted to become an instructor. I like to be able to teach other nurses some of the skills that I have learned over the years and to help them grow,” Hoeft said.

Trauma education is provided by Hoeft on site at Gothenburg Health for nursing staff and providers. In addition, she said she provides nursing education for yearly competencies, ER classes, advanced cardiac life support and pediatric life support.

“It is great to have these classes at Gothenburg Health so that we don’t have to travel to another facility and pay for the course,” Heidi Galas, RN said. “Otherwise, it costs the hospital a lot of money to pay for someone to fill the shifts while nurses go somewhere else to pay to be trained.”

Hoeft also provides the classes to the community and the EMS personnel. “If people are willing to learn, it is more convenient to have classes locally. Community Safety CPR and Stop the Bleed classes are available to provide assistance if a person finds himself or herself in an emergency situation,” she said.

In order to be an instructor, Hoeft said she has taken classes in North Platte, Kearney and through the Emergency Nurses Association in Omaha. Additionally, she is required to teach at least two classes a year to maintain her certification.

Denise resides in North Platte and has been married to Mike for 32 years. They have three children and four grandchildren.