Lindsey Brockman is following in her family’s footsteps

Story by Eric Baker

Lindsey Brockman is a Springfield, Missouri native who grew up surrounded by the health care professions. From an early age, she remembers making “the rounds” with her father, Dr. Don Brockman. Starting their day at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), they would peer through the windows at the smallest of patients before making their way to the Pediatric floor, grabbing graham crackers and grape juice along the way. While her dad was seeing patients, Lindsey would pass the time by sitting at the nurse’s station, pretending to chart or schedule patients for her dad. Her grandmother, Darlys Shelton (an alumnus of Burge School of Nursing class of 1963), was a nurse at the hospital and would teach Lindsey various medical terms until she had them memorized.

Lindsey graduated from Glendale High School as Valedictorian in 2013. She pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and graduated Magna Cum Laude in just three years. With her faith being at the forefront of her life, she decided to attend the Kanakuk Institute in Branson, Missouri. The Institute offered an 8-month graduate discipleship program, teaching biblical knowledge and leadership skills. It was there she felt God calling her to become a nurse. She knew this would be her ministry.

In addition to her family’s medical heritage, Lindsey has also been on the receiving end of extensive medical care. She was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disorder, and has undergone two bowel resections and hip surgeries. In both situations, she experienced the depth of caring nurses bring to their patients. Knowing how much nurses influenced her life, and because of the spiritual calling she received at the Kanakuk Institute, she made the decision to go to nursing school.

Choosing Cox College was easy for Lindsey because she wanted to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps. Lindsey remembers a favorite story her grandmother would tell about how she met Lindsey’s grandfather. He was a new Missouri State Trooper who came to the hospital to investigate a fatal accident during one of her grandmother’s shifts. After only six weeks of being acquainted with one another, the pair became engaged and married six months later. Today, they have enjoyed 54 wonderful years together.

Lindsey loves the virtual hospital and the simulation lab at Cox College, where students feel like they are in a real hospital setting, not a classroom. She is grateful to the staff and faculty, stating they all “make students feel like they genuinely care for them and want them to succeed.” She also appreciates the flexibility in the health care programs.

“My grandmother and I both agree that Cox College is a great institution. They have been teaching health care providers for over a century, and its students graduate at a high rate. The staff is excellent and eager to work with each student to help them in their health care journey.” In May of 2018, Lindsey and her dad traveled to Haiti on Cox College’s medical mission trip. Lindsey stated, “I love how Cox College offers real-world cultural and clinical experiences for their students.” She finally had the opportunity to work alongside her dad as a nurse.

Lindsey will be graduating with the BSN-Accelerated cohort in the Spring of 2019. Her goal is to become an NICU Nurse.