06 Dec Meet Audra Luanne Rhinehardt

Meet Audra Luanne Rhinehardt

Audra Luanne Rhinehardt, an Interventional Radiology Physician Assistant, began her journey with Carteret Community College in 2001. Originally from Davis, North Carolina, Rhinehardt began taking courses as a dually enrolled Cape Lookout Marine Science High School student.  She completed her Associate of Arts degree in 2005 before gaining acceptance into the Radiography program at Carteret CC.

Three days after graduating from the program in 2007, Rhinehardt began her career as a Radiographer at the New Hanover Reginal Medical Center Orthopedic Hospital where she spent 13 years between the radiology department and cardiac catheterization lab, all while also working part-time at Medac Urgent Care in Wilmington.

Rhinehardt’s ambition did not stop there. At age 29, she decided to begin her journey towards becoming a Physician Assistant. “To put it simply, I wanted to keep learning,” said Rhinehardt. “I wanted to advance my skillset and be the one making the decisions about my patients and their care.”

To be accepted into a PA master’s program, Rhinehardt first had to complete her bachelor’s degree. She attended Adventist University of Health Sciences online and 18 months later received her Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Science, all while still working full and part-time jobs! Rhinehardt took the necessary pre-requisites and did well on the GRE in preparation for the year long process of applying to PA programs. In August 2021, at the age of 37, Rhinehardt graduated from High Point University’s PA program where she was also class president. She is now employed with the University of Rochester as an Interventional Radiology Physician Assistant at Noyes Memorial Hospital in Dansville, NY.

Rhinehardt contributes much of her success to her time at Carteret Community College. “I always appreciated the small class size and personal relationships students have with their instructors at Carteret CC,” said Rhinehardt. “Compared to the auditorium type classrooms of a university, this is something I personally needed and believe helped me do well in subjects like math, that don’t come as naturally to me.” During Rhinehardt’s time at Carteret CC, Hurricane Isabelle wreaked havoc on her home and her community. “This left me, my family, and many others in my community displaced,” she recalls. “I’ll never forget the compassion shown by my instructors during one of the most challenging times in my life. Their support allowed me to continue my education when it would have been so easy to quit. I simply would not be where I am today without Carteret Community College.”