Brett Vaughn grew up in the small town of Mount Vernon in Southwest Missouri, where both of his parents were teachers. He was heavily involved in sports, starting on an All-State basketball team and achieving All-State in track and field. He also enjoyed extended camping trips and canoeing rivers throughout Missouri. Brett’s favorite river is the remote Eleven Point River in the Mark Twain National Forest. Brett continues to utilize the outdoors and running as a way to clear his mind and think through complex cases.
Following high school Brett graduated with honors from Missouri Southern State University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. While in college, Brett was a substitute teacher for grades K-12. After obtaining his nursing degree, Brett worked as an RN at St. Johns Mercy Hospital on the rehabilitation floor in Joplin, MO. During his time at St. John’s Mercy Hospital, Brett supervised the implementation of the EPIC computer charting system, identified flaws in the system, and trained his fellow nurses on how to best transition from paper charting to computer charting. Brett’s extensive knowledge on proper medical charting and the back end of computerized charting systems has enabled him to better understand his client’s cases and maximize their case value.
Brett Vaughn’s last day as a nurse was on May 22, 2011, when an F5 tornado hit Joplin, MO and destroyed the hospital he was working at. Within minutes of the tornado hitting, Brett organized and led mass triage in a Home Depot parking lot. Pictured is Brett transporting his first patient to the Home Depot parking lot. As a result of Brett’s actions the day of the Joplin tornado and the weeks following it, he received the Community Leader Award from the Missouri Southern Nursing Honor Society.