Matt and Shelby Shipp both graduated from UNK before earning professional degrees in health care. (Photo by Tyler Ellyson, UNK Communications)
KEARNEY – Health care has always been more than a career path for Matt and Shelby Shipp.
It’s a shared purpose that shaped their time at the University of Nebraska at Kearney and continues to guide their lives today.
The married UNK graduates have built meaningful careers in Kearney’s health care community, where Matt works as a physical therapist at New West Orthopaedic and Sports Rehabilitation and Shelby serves patients as a nurse practitioner at CHI Health Good Samaritan.
Coming from similar backgrounds and families connected to health care, they view their jobs through the same lens – it’s an opportunity to serve others and make a difference every day.
“It’s the cliché that everyone in health care says – they want to help people,” Matt said with a smile. “That’s probably a lame response, but it’s absolutely true. That’s exactly why I think most people go into health care.”
Shelby agrees.
“I was always passionate about helping people,” she said. “I wanted to be able to make a difference in people’s lives, make people feel better and impact our community. I love the community I grew up in, so I really wanted to make a difference here.”
Both of them had examples to follow.
Matt’s older brother also is a physical therapist, a role he observed closely as he was starting college, and Shelby’s older sister is a physician, giving her an early look at the commitment and compassion the profession requires.
Those role models helped reinforce their own desire to pursue meaningful, people-centered careers.
The road to UNK
Matt grew up in DeWitt before moving to Bertrand, where he graduated from high school. A talented runner, he began his college career at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln but soon realized the large campus wasn’t the best fit.
“I’ve always been a small-town guy,” he said. “Going from Bertrand to Lincoln for a couple years was pretty uncomfortable. The class sizes were too big, and it kind of felt like you were a number rather than a student.”
Looking for a more personal environment, he transferred to UNK for his junior and senior years. He immediately felt at home, joining the Loper cross country and track teams coached by Brady Bonsall. Matt excelled athletically – setting the school record in the indoor 600 and contributing to multiple relay teams that still rank among the program’s best – while also thriving academically, graduating summa cum laude in 2012.
Shelby’s roots in Kearney go even deeper. After spending early childhood in Lexington, she moved here in sixth grade and graduated from Kearney High School. Attending UNK felt like a natural next step.
“I loved Kearney, so I wanted to stick around,” she said. “It was nice to get away from home, so to speak, but still be at home, too. UNK really feels like a bigger version of a small community, and that was appealing to me.”
She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychobiology in 2014, graduating magna cum laude. Along the way, she was active in the Alpha Phi sorority – a connection she maintains to this day – and Mortar Board honor society.
“I’m still passionate about Alpha Phi’s philanthropic focus on women’s heart health,” she said. “A group of alumni get together about once a month. It’s a great way to stay connected and support current students.”
Shelby also valued UNK’s smaller class sizes and supportive faculty.
“It was really nice because you always had access to your professors,” she said. “The class sizes were small, so you didn’t feel overwhelmed or intimidated to approach them after class and ask for assistance. You could ask for that individual time, and they were always willing to help because they wanted you to do well.”
Finding their careers – and each other
Matt continued his education at Creighton University, completing his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2015. During his final semester, he returned to Kearney for a clinical rotation at New West. That’s when he met Shelby.
At the time, she was in her gap year after graduating from UNK, preparing for nursing school through the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Kearney. She’d originally planned to pursue medicine but felt nursing aligned more closely with her passion for direct patient care.
“I knew I wanted to be in critical care,” she said. “It’s fast-paced, it’s intense, it requires critical thinking. You get to see a patient come in with a significant illness and then walk out the doors to greet their family.”
Shelby graduated from nursing school in 2017 and was hired in the intensive care unit at CHI Health Good Samaritan. She’s since expanded her role, also working at Elite Health and Wellness and, most recently, completing a master’s degree from UNMC to become a nurse practitioner specializing in infectious disease at Good Samaritan.
Her exceptional work has earned statewide recognition, including the Nebraska Nurses Association’s 2023 Positive Image of Nursing Award and Nebraska Nurses 40 Under 40 honor. She’s also received the local Health Care Heroes recognition from the Kearney Hub.
“I don’t expect honors because I went into nursing to help people,” she said. “But it’s special to be recognized. I’ve been blessed with a lot of great mentors who demonstrated so much passion and dedication to nursing, and I hope someday down the road someone can say I had the same impact on them.”
Meanwhile, Matt began his career at Family Physical Therapy in Kearney before returning to New West – his goal from the moment an opening became available. He’s one of several UNK graduates on the physical therapy staff there.
“It’s primarily sports and orthopedics, and that’s the main reason why I got into physical therapy,” he said. “Being a runner, I really enjoy that specialty. It’s also a great group of people to work with. I love my bosses and I love my co-workers.”
He recently earned his board certification as an orthopedic clinical specialist.
Serving rural Nebraska
Both Matt and Shelby feel strongly about living and working in central Nebraska. The couple – married for 6 1/2 years – are raising their two young sons in a community that feels just right.
“It’s a great community for families,” Shelby said. “There are hiking trails, outdoor activities and plenty of things to do with the kids. The schools are really great, too.”
“It’s got everything we need,” Matt added.
Professionally, they appreciate the impact they can make in a region where health care access can be limited.
“We serve a lot of smaller communities where people don’t always have access to certain specialties or doctors,” Shelby said. “It’s nice to have that hub here for people.”
Working in a close-knit community also allows them to truly know the people they care for. Matt loves the familiarity of practicing in Kearney – a place where he might run into a former patient at Menards or follow a local student-athlete’s success long after their rehab is complete.
“It’s a recognizable face,” he said. “And you might not get that if you were in a big city.”
Those relationships often grow deep enough that patients bring birthday gifts for their children.
“It’s amazing to see the impact you have on people,” Shelby said.
Passion meets preparation
For the Shipps, health care offers purpose, variety and a chance to make real change – whether that’s helping someone recover from an injury, supporting a family during a difficult diagnosis or encouraging healthier lifestyles.
“You get an opportunity every day to help someone,” Matt said. “To me, physical therapy is a huge world with different settings and different options. The possibilities are endless.”
Shelby sees her work the same way. Health care is challenging, she said, but deeply rewarding. “Each day is different. You’re going to be challenged. And you will make a difference.”
Both credit UNK with giving them the skills and confidence to succeed in this field.
“I thought I was very well-prepared to move on to a professional program,” Matt said. “I don’t feel like I missed a beat going into semester one of PT school. The location, the size, the people – everything about UNK prepared us for where we are today.”
Shelby agrees wholeheartedly.
“Kearney is a great place. UNK is a great institution,” she said. “People are lucky to have the opportunity to go to school here.”
