Essential Professionals
Kandace Boyd, LPN
Pediatric Surgical Nurse, private practice
January 9, 2023
In 2002, Kandace Boyd began working in the medical records department of University Surgical Associates. She had considered a career as a radiology technician, but found surgery very interesting. She trained as a medical assistant and began working for breast and colorectal surgeons in the same practice. Nine years later, she entered nursing school while still working as an MA. In 2014, she graduated as an LPN and joined the division of pediatric surgery.
• How did you decide to be a pediatric surgical nurse?
When I saw the position with the pediatric surgeons become available in the practice I had grown to love, it was a natural place for me to begin my nursing career. I have two children, and I love working with children and helping to improve their lives through the power of surgery.
• What is the best thing about your current position?
I am able to enjoy time with my children, making time for special events with them as well as being available for my surgeons. I think it's hard to be a mom plus a full-time anything else. This practice values family, so it is work-life balance-friendly.
• What is your best advice for someone who is interested in healthcare but is not sure which area is for them?
Start with something, anything related to what you see your future self doing. Taking a job in the medical records department of this practice allowed me to experience and see what the different people in a surgical practice office did. I learned there that surgery was interesting to me, and that I enjoyed taking care of the surgical patients. The rest all fell into place.