CU Nursing - Commencement Spring 2021 - 16

G R A D U AT I O N

Military Legacy
Pays Off

By Dana A. Brandorff

oming from a military family, it's
no surprise that Andre Pacho,
MS, RN, AGCNS-BC, CEN, TCRN,
joined up as soon as he graduated from high school. The surprise is that he chose the Army,
while his father, uncles, and
brother are career Navy men.

Originally from the Philippines, Pacho's father
" saw an opportunity to do something bigger and
joined the U.S. Navy, " said Pacho. That decision
allowed the family to become American citizens.

BENEFITS OF MILITARY LIFE
Born in Hawaii and raised in San Diego, Pacho saw
the " benefits and stability that the military could
provide. " In high school, he joined the Junior
Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) and during
his senior year he started talking to recruiters.
Interested in medicine, he envisioned himself in
healthcare. His father suggested applying for an
ROTC scholarship and he was offered one in nursing, which allowed him to attend the University of
San Francisco. After earning his bachelor's degree,
he was commissioned into the Army as an officer
in 2005. As one of only three men graduating with
a nursing degree in a class of 50, he felt part of a very small club. But once out
in the field, he discovered that " there are a greater number of male nurses in the
military than in civilian practice. "

TAKING THE NEXT STEPS IN PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE
During his 16-year career as an Army nurse, " I have truly developed a passion for nursing and made it a priority to mentor young nurses. " In 2018,
Pacho decided he was ready to take the next step in his personal life and
career. He moved to Colorado from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to pursue a
Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in the Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse
Specialist track at CU Nursing. He chose the degree because he felt " it
would maximize my abilities as a leader, mentor, and clinician. " Excited to
learn with and from his peers in the civilian sector, Pacho embraced the
opportunity to expand his knowledge and gain new skills.

CU College of Nursing | May Commencement 2021

Andre Pacho (right)
and his husband
Alex McGhee are
both Majors and
nurses in the Army.
Courtesy of
Susan Baggett.

After moving, he married his husband,
Donald (Alex) McGhee who is also an
Army nurse. Fortunately for the couple, there is a program in the Army that
focuses on coordinating assignments
to ensure that married couples remain
together and are not separated. The
two - both Majors - have landed positions in the D.C. area. McGhee will be
a head nurse at Walter Reed National
Military Medical Center and Pacho has
a position as a Clinical Nurse Specialist
at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital
lined up. Hooah!

CU Nursing - Commencement Spring 2021

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