Brandy Terrell
U.S. Air Force Veteran and Graduate of Concorde
Brandy Terrell began serving in the Air Force at the age of 18, where she maintained and repaired cargo aircraft. While a medical career always was on Brandy’s mind, as her mother was a nurse, she was willing to put aside her own aspirations for a while to serve our country. “Halfway through serving in the military, I found out about the Nurse Enlisted Commissioning Program available through the Air Force.” Brandy said. “However, when I started pursing pre reqs for a BSN, the rules changed. I would have to re-enlist and stay in the military for an extra 15 years.” Instead of pursuing that option, Brandy served for 10 more years until she could retire, then revisited her interest in the medical field. At that point, she and her husband, who also is an Air Force veteran, looked into Concorde Career College-Aurora.
“After my husband retired from the Air Force as well, he decided to pursue a degree in dental hygiene,” Brandy said. “He showed me a Concorde pamphlet and this piqued my interest. Concorde offered so many different career paths.” Brandy, who lived in Aurora, Colorado, researched different programs offered at Concorde’s Aurora campus. Thinking surgical technology would be her niche, she called a Concorde advisor. After listening to Brandy’s experiences, the advisor introduced her to the respiratory therapy program. In 2019, Brandy applied to Concorde-Aurora’s respiratory therapy program and started shortly thereafter.
“I liked the fact that I could start my education right away. I didn’t have to wait until the fall or spring to enroll,” Brandy said. “Additionally, with Concorde being a yellow ribbon school, I was able to use my G.I. Bill.” When Brandy enrolled in the respiratory therapy program, she knew it would be fast-paced, but never expected the challenges she faced from the coronavirus pandemic. Once education moved to a digital platform, some course materials were difficult to grasp without being in a live clinical environment. “After most hospitals kicked out students, Concorde-Aurora bent over backwards to make sure we got the hands-on training we needed,” Brandy said. “With simulation clinicals, we didn’t miss a whole lot. We just needed human interaction and Concorde-Aurora provided that.”
Despite her challenges, Brandy’s determination to succeed was unparalleled. Her peers leaned on her for advice and tips on how to learn and retain classwork material. Brandy’s hard work was recognized by Concorde when she was invited to join the Lamplighter Student Ambassador Program. “Because of where I came from in the military, my perspective on things are different,” Brandy said. “I am a firm believer that you get out what you put in.”
After graduating with a 4.0 in December 2020 and passing two certified respiratory therapy exams, Brandy began working at the Medical Center of Aurora, where she is on the night shift respiratory therapy team. Each shift, Brandy examines patients with breathing problems, performs diagnostic tests, manages ventilators, and helps develop patient treatment plans. With the current shortage of respiratory therapists and the increase in coronavirus patients, Brandy often works more than 12 hours a night. Although Brandy works long shifts with critical patients, she strives to radiate positivity. She believes the pandemic has solidified her career switch as respiratory therapists are essential to coronavirus patient healthcare. “I love the patient interaction and being able to care for critical patients,” Brandy said. “I’m always on my feet and learning something new every day.” Brandy is especially grateful for Concorde-Aurora’s faculty, as she wouldn’t be where she is today without their guidance and support.