Born in Keokuk, Iowa and raised in Ursa, Illinois, Carrie Parker learned a lot from her mother.

“Growing up I knew I wanted to help people. I originally thought I’d be a teacher - but my mom, who is also a nurse - persuaded me to give nursing a try. My mom has always been in my corner.”

Carrie has been with Blessing since 2011, if you count her time as a Blessing-Rieman College student, but she learned her work ethic long before that.

“My first jobs were detasseling corn and working at HyVee floral. I would detassel corn in the morning, take a nap, shower, then go to HyVee and work in the floral department. Detasseling taught me my work ethic - it wasn’t a pleasant job but because of it I was able to buy my first car. I loved working at HyVee floral, making beautiful arrangements. It was a stress relieving job.”

As a nurse, her passion is improving the experience and lives of surgical patients. 

“Surgery is such a vulnerable time for people. I love being there to care for them, provide comfort and give them education on optimizing their recovery process.” 

Certifications

• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)