Special to Iredell Free News

Iredell Health System and Iredell Physician Network have announced the addition of Nurse Practitioner Andora Nicholson to the staff at Family Care Center of Mocksville.

Nicholson is board certified with more than 18 years of experience as a nurse practitioner, and 43 years of experience in healthcare. Before joining the Family Care Center of Mocksville, Nicholson was the Iredell Physician Network corporate wellness provider for Iredell County employees. She has worked with Iredell Health System since 1995.

Nicholson decided to become a family nurse practitioner based on her many experiences as a nurse.

“I worked for 20 years as a nurse in home health with a facility that was certified to see pediatric patients as well as general adult and geriatric care. I found this wonderfully challenging and fascinating and fell in love with being a generalist, someone who gave care across the lifespan and various conditions. It felt very natural then, as I retrained at Duke to become a medical provider, to pursue family nurse practice,” said Nicholson.

As part of her approach to medical care, Nicholson believes that patients drive their own healthcare and that the decision to improve their health is ultimately in their hands. She aims to be a resource for patients to help guide them to the best decisions for their health.

“My goal for my patients is to provide them with comprehensive information which they can fully understand, along with a wide array of choices they can use to be at their best health,” she said. “When patients meet me, I first want to know their needs and wants in regards to their health, then I will explore their medical history. Together, we will use that information to determine short-term and long-term needs and goals and make a plan.”

Nicholson received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at UNC-Charlotte before earning her Master of Science in Family Nurse Practice from Duke University. She is board certified by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and a member of the North Carolina Nurses Association and the American Nurses Association. She is a founding member and serves on the board for PFLAG Statesville.

Nicholson spent many years serving as a youth leader, Sunday school teacher for adults, youth and children, choir member, and board member and chairperson at her church. Most recently, she completed a Post-Bachelor’s Certificate in Horticulture at North Carolina State University in June 2023.

Nicholson and her husband are proud parents, stepparents, and grandparents, and enjoy being involved in their local and church communities. They also enjoy traveling, and in the past few years, Nicholson has developed a renewed love for horticulture. She is currently pursuing her Master Gardener certificate with the local extension office and a continuing education certificate in native plant studies through UNC-Charlotte.

Her favorite healthy tip is to never downplay the importance of sleep.

“Good sleep is fundamental to all good health. I often tell patients to think of their bodies as a factory. Day shift is a production shift – working, producing, using stock, breaking things, making trash, etc. Night shift is the maintenance and repair crew – shipping out what was produced that day, repairing, restocking for the next day, taking out the trash and so on. After a few years of poor or inadequate maintenance, the factory is not going to operate very well. The same thing happens to our bodies after a few years of poor sleep,” she said.

LEARN MORE

Nicholson will practice at Family Care Center of Mocksville, located at 101 Wilkesboro Street in Mocksville. To schedule an appointment with her, call the office at 336-753-0800.

About Iredell Health System

Iredell Health System includes Iredell Memorial Hospital; Iredell Mooresville; two urgent care centers; Iredell Home Health; Iredell Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center; Community and Corporate Wellness; Occupational Medicine; the Iredell Physician Network and more. Iredell Memorial Hospital is the largest and only nonprofit hospital in Iredell County. The comprehensive healthcare facility has 247 beds; more than 1,800 employees; and has 260 physicians representing various specialties. Centers of excellence include Women’s and Children’s; Cardiovascular; Cancer; Surgical Services and Wellness & Prevention. The Health System’s second campus, Iredell Mooresville, is home to the area’s only 24-hour urgent care facility, as well as an ambulatory surgery center, imaging center, rehabilitation services, and physician practices. The mission of Iredell Health System is to inspire wellbeing. For a comprehensive list of services and programs, visit www.iredellhealth.org.