Diane Hoffmann, Mid-Plains Community College Director of Nursing and Health Occupations Division Chair, recently retired after 39 years of service to the college.
A native of Fremont, Neb., Hoffmann graduated from Bryan Memorial School of Nursing in Lincoln as a Diploma Registered Nurse in 1967. She began working at the college part-time in 1975 and took a full-time position teaching in the Licensed Practical Nursing program and teaching Pediatrics two years later.
“I had a rewarding career in Omaha at that time, however my husband was transferred to the North Platte area and we decided this would be a good place to stay and raise a family,” she said.
Although Hoffmann found it somewhat challenging to adjust to a smaller hospital, she quickly found her niche in both the community and the college. As her career progressed, she became involved in the development of MPCC’s Associate Degree Nursing program. She is credited for writing the initial curriculum for the ADN program and has been instrumental in creating and implementing ideas for curriculum improvement.
Hoffmann has served as the Director of Nursing of the ADN and LPN programs since 2000 when she was named Health Occupations Division Chair. She also served as co-chair for the internal fundraising campaign for the Health and Science Center at North Platte Community College, a role she found extremely rewarding.
As Hoffmann advanced in her career, she also recognized the importance of maintaining her credentials in order to continue teaching within the nursing programs. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Nebraska College of Nursing in 1983; a Master of Science in Education degree with major in counseling and educational psychology from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 1989; and a Master of Science in Nursing with a major in education from Bishop Clarkson College in 1991.
She also served on numerous councils, boards and organizations, including the Nebraska Center for Nursing Board which addresses the nursing shortage.
“Time management has been my ally,” she said. “At one time I was raising my family, driving to Omaha for classes, and working on developing curriculum for the ADN program all at the same time. I did it the hard way, so when I see nursing students who are trying to juggle things I can certainly sympathize with them.”
Hoffmann said that at one point her husband had the opportunity to transfer to Lincoln, but her progressing career and their love of the community kept them in North Platte. She is proud of the fact that not only were her children raised here, they both attended MPCC.
Another “family” that Hoffman is proud of is the simulation lab at the NPCC Health and Science Center.
“Through a supportive board and administration we’ve been able to fully equip our high fidelity simulation lab with a family of simulators that includes an adult, mother and baby, and a child,” she said.
The simulation lab and the Health and Science Center itself are at the top of the list when Hoffmann was asked about the highlights of her career.
“MPCC has grown tremendously and I’m so happy to have been a part of that growth,” she said. “I find great satisfaction in knowing that we are now educating the children of our graduates. I also like the fact that we have grown our own health care professionals. For example, three of our nurse educators are MPCC graduates who went on to get their masters and are now teaching.”
The quality of education and instructors is so important to Hoffmann that she’s often said she would not retire until there were “qualified, capable people to take over the nursing program.” Those wishes were fulfilled in January when Kathy Harrison was named Director of Nursing and Marina Makovicka became the Division Chair for Health Occupations.
“I am proud of the choices that the administration made during the selection process. We could not find more qualified and committed educators than Kathy and Marina,” she said.
To help ease the transition, Hoffmann continued to work at the college through the spring semester. She will serve as an advisor in the Dental Assisting Program and Nursing Program in the coming year in preparation for national accreditation site visits.
Although she plans to continue her involvement with nursing and education, Hoffmann said she is looking forward to spending more time with her family, as well as traveling and visiting their home in Manitoba, Canada.
“I am grateful for the opportunities that MPCC has provided to me over the years,” Hoffmann said. “We feel fortunate to have been able to raise our family in North Platte and take advantage of excellent educational opportunities that the community provides.”