Nora Vandagrifft, RN, Registered Nurse with Assured Nursing, Inc.

Get to know Registered Nurse Nora Vandagrifft, who serves patients in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Nora is a registered nurse who has been in practice for over 23 years. At present, she is the CEO of Assured Nursing, Inc. in Indianapolis, Indiana. Nora opened Assured Nursing, Inc in 2001 with an aim to provide nurses with a balance between work and family — the flexibility to live a more fulfilled life. Her practice provides staffing for all hospital positions, Long Term Care Facilities, Surgery Centers as well as staffing in healthcare facilities throughout the United States. 

In 1990-1993, while living in Malawi, Africa, Nora was driving behind a bus loaded with families when the bus tragically slipped over the edge rolling over and seriously injuring many of the passengers. From there, she was asked to help out in one of the local hospitals in Malawi. She even delivered her house employee’s son to the world. When she returned to the United States, Nora made the decision to become a nurse to help others in a time of medical need. She immediately enrolled in nursing school. 

Nora’s decision to become a nurse was also inspired by her grandmother, who was a nurse. She ran the surgical department of one of the local hospitals in Indiana, so Nora got to hear a lot about her experiences growing up. 

Nora earned her nursing degree from Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in 1997. 

After graduation, Nora began her career as a medical surgical nurse. After a year, she was asked to become a part of the oncology team. Later on, she took on a pediatric team position, serving as an OB nurse. She was one of the nurses who instructed new mothers on successful breastfeeding procedures, which was fitting since Nora had so many children herself. 

Nora’s prenursing experiences in the medical-dental world evolved into the oversight of 6 different dental offices. Her dental experience, in turn, led her into managing the finances of those offices and helping to turn them into a positive return on investment. 

Nora attributes her success to her life experiences, strong family support (particularly her parents), strong religious background, and dedicated employees. 

In June of 2000 at 1am while working for an agency, Nora received a call from the County Coroner saying that there had been a shooting and she needed to come and identify the body. That night, Nora’s 13-year-old son was spending the night with his cousin. The two boys, unbeknown to Nora, decided to spend the night with a friend of the cousin. Nora called the night shift supervisor at the hospital and asked the supervisor to cover the balance of the shift. The supervisor agreed to finish Nora’s shift. Nora then called her agency employer to inform them she would be leaving. However, before Nora could leave the unit, she received a call from the owner of the agency saying that she could not leave and that the shift was the agency’s shift and they would lose the money for it. Regardless of the death, she was expected to stay. Nora told the owner she was leaving and it would be her last day with the agency. “Instead, I started my own agency with the premises that all nurses will be treated with respect and dignity no matter what the situation! The end of the story- my son did not lose his life but unfortunately my nephew did. A feeling one never forgets to remember” as stated by Nora. 

When asked what motivates her at the start of each day, Nora stated that she still feels inspired to help others find a better work/life balance. “We are family at Assured. We work together, play together, and genuinely care about each other and their families.”

Nora strives to make a difference in the lives of her patients by offering happier, more content employees who genuinely care for them. She always advocates to her employees to treat patients the way that they would want to be treated. At the end of the day, her advice is to do your best so that when you go to lay your head down on the pillow, you have no regrets. 

Nora’s research interests include cancer, particularly multiple myeloma. It is a disease that has been passed down in her family. For this reason, Nora strives to remain up to date on any new drugs or procedures that may help to address the horrible disease and cancer in general. She also has a keen interest in diabetic research, stroke interventions, and healthy living in general.  

The things that Nora enjoys reading outside of the new effects discovered with pharmaceuticals is the nursing articles that hone in on what is happening in hospitals and how nurses are impacting the lives of others. 

Nora supports the blood banks, as she has a son who is a pilot in the Navy and it is always an ongoing need for those in the field protecting us all.

In addition to English, Nora speaks some ChiChawa (African language) and French

Nora was born in Tipton, Indiana. She was raised in a small God fearing farming community where strong values and good character defined a person. God/Family/Work and in that order took precedence over everything else in life. Nora still tries to follow those guidelines today.

Nora is married. She has four children of her own, 3 boys and one daughter. Her husband has four girls and one son. Together, they have raised 8 children and now have four grandchildren. 

In her spare time, Nora enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, and traveling. Her favorite place to vacation is Marathon, Florida. Her favorite movies include Moneyball, Good Will Hunting, and Pretty Woman. Her favorite music is country – she loves John Denver, Randy Travis, and George Straight – to name a few. She also enjoys some 70s-80s music, as it is from her “time”.

When asked who she would like to meet, Nora answered “Leaders of all the Nations!”. 

Learn More about Nora Vandagrifft:

Through her online profile, https://todaysnurse.org/network/index.php?do=/4144190/info/