Sandra Lynne Heine was born in Dillon, Montana. After graduating from Beaverhead County High School in Montana, she ventured to Wisconsin. Her compassion for others drove her to become a CNA. Because of her work ethic, she was highly encouraged by her supervisor to become a nurse. She embraced the challenge and began her nursing career in the fall of 1978 at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
In 1983 after giving birth to her first child, she graduated with her BSN. In the midst of starting a family and working long weekends at Beaver Dam Community Hospital as an RN, Sandi found her passion serving in the ER. She continued learning and growing as an ER nurse in both public and private hospitals for over 20 years. Her wealth of experience compelled her to teach, so she attained her Master's at the University of Phoenix in 2008. She taught nursing at Moraine Park Technical College and Maranatha Baptist University.
Over the years, Sandi has taught and lectured in many nursing classes, developed curricula, monitored students and faculty, developed testing and simulations to augment learning and test knowledge. She continues to work with local high schools and colleges to positively influence and encourage students to understand and seek healthcare careers.
Sandi departed the cold winters of Wisconsin and moved to Round Rock, TX and joined the Cedar Park Regional Medical Center family as the education coordinator in 2015.
Sandi is driven by equipping nurses with the tools to provide intentional, professional, and quality care for each and every patient they serve. Because of her experience as a compassionate nurse, fruitful professor, and an amazing mother, she is a dynamic human who genuinely cares for others more than herself. She has become a well-respected member of our leadership team, and the go-to person for any questions our staff may have. Upon her arrival in Texas, Sandi totally revamped our orientation program for staff and students. She has worked tirelessly with TOSA (Texas Organ Sharing Alliance) to promote organ donation and education. Sandi led the effort for us to receive the Platinum Recognition award in 2018 from TOSA. She personally organized the first Virtual Dementia Tour with a local memory care facility to allow our staff to experience the overwhelming tasks a patient with memory issues must perform on a daily basis. She also reestablished the monthly hospital newsletter, The Cedar Park Chatter.
In her off time, Sandi loves spending time with her family (soon to include a grandchild!), enjoys cooking, and hosting parties for her friends. She always gives and thinks of others over herself. She is a hard worker, but she is humble in everything she does.