Celebrating Excellence: Nita Hauschildt, AdventHealth Shawnee Mission

There’s a certain kind of person who finds purpose in carrying for others when life feels uncertain. For Nita Hauschildt, pharmacy supervisor at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission, that realization came early in life.

“Even volunteering in hospitals back in high school, I recognized a kind of ‘laugh in the face of adversity’ attitude in healthcare workers and knew I had found my people,” Hauschildt said. “Taking care of humans at their sickest is hard work, but being part of the care that gets them well again is incredibly rewarding.”

That conviction took deeper root when Hauschildt was in pharmacy school. One evening, her mother was hospitalized after a car accident. When Hauschildt arrived after class, she discovered that one of her classmates, a pharmacy intern at the hospital, had stopped by to check on her mom.

“She answered my mom’s questions with patience and warmth,” she said. “In that short visit, she completely transformed my mom’s mood. I realized that’s exactly who I wanted to be; someone who shows up, who listens, who makes a difference, not just in charts and dosages, but in someone’s day, in someone’s life.”

That moment shaped the way Hauschildt approaches every patient and every colleague. It’s also been the steady heartbeat that has carried her through 14 years at AdventHealth, where compassion and teamwork guide her every decision.

“I’ve stayed because AdventHealth feels like family,” she said. "We’ve watched each other’s kids and pets, attended weddings and covered for one another when life gets in the way. I get to laugh out loud every single day, not just with pharmacy, but with nurses, doctors, social workers, everyone. Trust and joy run deep here.”

Her sense of purpose and joy carried her through the hardest days of the pandemic.

“The best day I’ve ever had at work was the day the COVID vaccine arrived,” she said. “After months of exhaustion, fear and heartbreak, that moment felt like the sun breaking through the storm. We finally got to deliver something different: hope.”

Hauschildt was named an Outstanding Team Member for 2024 (recognized in 2025), an honor that caught her by surprise.

“People always tease me about how calm I am in situations that would make others panic,” she said. “But I didn’t realize how much they appreciated it. My coworkers taught me to care for the patient like they were my own family. I’m surrounded by people who inspire me to be better every day.”

Her pharmacy team, she says, makes that calm possible.

“The team is filled with people who do the right thing, even when no one is watching. I know that as long as I’m doing my best for the patient, I’ll be supported.”

For Hauschildt, being calm is her way of showing care. A steady reminder that even in the hardest moments, we are never alone.