Even when he was young, Evan Hohnstein, RN, CRRN, CBIS, says he’s always enjoyed meeting new people and hearing their stories. He’s a people person. It’s something he learned early on in college. Originally, Evan wanted to pursue a degree in engineering but quickly realized he wanted more interaction with people and switched to nursing.
“I didn’t even really know what Madonna was besides in my engineering program, I got to tour here with their research department, so then I became a nurse aide,” Hohnstein said.
As he worked at Madonna and learned what Madonna does for the community, Evan knew he had found his calling. He went to nursing school and told his supervisor he’d be back to apply for a job once he graduated. He stuck to his word, and now, 10 years later, he’s a night nurse supervisor for acute rehabilitation in Lincoln.
“I like the challenge,” Hohnstein said. “There’s always something new that’s happening that’s like, ‘Ok, how am I going to solve this problem?’ I want to continue to be challenged and challenge myself. I don’t want to feel stagnant.”
Encouraged to continue learning, Evan is even pursuing his Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse (CRRN) certification along with a Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS) designation. He’s also participated in Madonna’s ICAN program, which rewards staff for continuing their education.
“Going through that process, between things I’ve done, I had a lot of those points to be able to earn that clinical advancement,” Hohnstein said. “It was cool to have a path. Then, for the next year, I’ve got the next level up for the ICAN that I can work toward. There are tons of opportunities like that for growth here.”
Hohnstein’s favorite benefit of working at Madonna is self-scheduling. His wife is also a nurse supervisor on the weekends, so they can create a schedule that suits their family’s needs.
“She was a nurse aide somewhere else, and I started here, and I told her, ‘I think you should work here. We treat our people really well,’” Hohnstein said.