Brandi Holcomb, RN, MSN, APRN, CCRN, AGACNP-BC
By Erin Flynn Jay
Brandi Holcomb decided to become an adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner (AGACNP) because she wanted to elevate her practice as a registered nurse and take the next step in advanced practice nursing.
Now a board-certified AGACNP for two and a half years, Holcomb chose to certify with the ANCC, although the AACN also certifies adult-gero acute care nurse practitioners.
Preparing for Certification
For Holcomb, the most challenging part of certification was the preparation. The content was vast, so she turned to an audio review course on CD that she purchased a year before graduation. She listened daily and also participated in a live review course.
She tested almost immediately after completing the review, which she found beneficial since the material was still fresh. “There was nothing I wished I had done differently,” she said. The process—from graduation, review course, certification, and Texas APRN licensure to hospital credentialing—took about two months.
Holcomb credits her AGACNP program at the University of Texas at El Paso, under the direction of Dr. Kathleen Cox, for preparing her well. “The review course was just that—a good review of what I had already learned.”
She plans to recertify with CME credits and has been diligent about meeting continuing medical education requirements.
Life as an AGACNP
Holcomb works in a busy cardiothoracic surgical practice at a community hospital in Tyler, Texas, managing a daily census of 20–35 patients. She primarily oversees patients in the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU), but also covers other hospital units, preoperative admissions, and discharges.
Her day starts early:
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4:00 am: Reviews charts remotely
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6:00 am: Arrives in the CVICU for rounds with three cardiothoracic surgeons
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After rounds: Discharges patients ready to go home, ensuring smooth patient flow and preparing for new admissions and surgical recoveries
She participates in interdisciplinary rounds with nurses, case managers, and pharmacists, provides advanced practice oversight of the CVICU, mentors nurses, and helps solve barriers to care.
Her workweeks are intense—12- to 14-hour days, four days a week—but highly collaborative, shared with CV surgeons, NPs, and PAs. She also responds to hospital emergencies.
What She Loves About Her Role
Holcomb’s favorite part of being an AGACNP is the continuity of patient care.
“I have the opportunity to provide care to a very complex cardiothoracic surgical patient population and watch them get well and regain quality of life. These are ill patients with multiple comorbidities, and on occasion illness prevails. I have had the privilege of caring for these individuals and their families.”
Her years of critical care RN experience provided her with the foundation to deliver high-quality, compassionate care.
Academic and Professional Engagement
Holcomb is pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree at the University of Texas at Arlington. She is also active in professional organizations, including the Texas Nurse Practitioner Association (TNP), American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS).
A Unique Patient Experience
Her hospital offers a freestanding heart hospital funded by a generous local family gift, designed around the universal bed model:
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Patients check in the day of surgery and remain in a private patient suite for the entire process—pre-op, surgery prep, immediate recovery, and post-op care.
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Care is delivered in one place by a highly skilled team, including Holcomb and her advanced practice colleagues.
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The average stay is 4–5 days, and patients are discharged from the same suite where they started.
Holcomb helped implement this model as a CVICU RN and now oversees it as an AGACNP. It remains one of her proudest accomplishments.
Related Resource
👉 Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP Certification Overview
