As nursing veterans with more than 40 years of combined experience, Desiree Shifflett and Sabrina Walker share a passion for providing quality care to the elderly and others in need. That mission forms the core of Nomad Nursing LLC and Nomad Nursing Academy, a health care staffing and education agency that the two founded together out of a small home office in 2023.

After running Nomad for nearly a year, Desiree and Sabrina connected with Central Virginia SBDC Business Advisor Rosi Beachy. That partnership proved to be transformative for their business, nursing staff, and the patients within their care.

“Rosi has been a monumental piece in our success,” said Nicole Tompkins, Nomad’s office manager and director of sales and marketing.

Spurred by the 2024 Standardsville Area Revitalization Business Pitch Competition, Desiree and Sabrina first connected with the SBDC to seek assistance writing a business plan for the competition. They ended up winning the competition — and a $10,000 grant — but the journey didn’t stop there. Rosi encouraged them to enter the QuadTank Pitch Competition in Orange seven days later, and they won that as well — along with another grant of $5,000.

“Securing those grants really gave us the ability to grow in the sense of finding a better working space,” Nicole said.

That growth also allowed the duo to launch Nomad Nursing Academy, an education center that has fulfilled Desiree and Sabrina’s vision for an all-encompassing, “one-stop shop” nursing agency. Nurses can take classes, receive certifications and then put their training into practice through Nomad’s staffing operation, which places them in care facilities in need of qualified professionals.

“There’s always a big gap for where health care providers can find classes,” Nicole said. “There are plenty of them, but they’re rarely in the area where they need to be, especially in rural areas.”

Currently Nomad offers courses ranging from entry level to advanced recertifications for practicing nurses and health care professionals. Training their nursing staff themselves provides Desiree and Sabrina the opportunity to share their own passion for providing care to those in need.

“Another reason we started the school is because we want you to learn what health care is and that you’re not walking in just to get a paycheck,” Desiree said. “You’re taking care of somebody’s family member. These are people who want to tell you their story. They want to joke with you. They want to be treated like adults.”

Desiree and Sabrina’s business has received that same level of care and attention from Rosi and the SBDC.

“Rosi really cared about us and was constantly checking on us,” Desiree said. “It didn’t feel like a job connection between us, and it was a really good relationship. She believed in us, and it really gave us the strength to keep going.”