Kelsey Carter
Lives in San Angelo, TXOriginally from Sedalia, MO
Works as a vascular access and ER nurse at Shannon Medical Center, was also a former volunteer firefighter
Kelsey Carter is in the business of saving lives — as a current ER nurse and former volunteer firefighter, she thrives under pressure and is thoroughly committed to helping her community.
What drew you to this kind of work? What do you enjoy most about your work or volunteer service?
I think the biggest thing is being there for others in their time of need and in their worst moments. I also love being part of a team — we’re very team-oriented and rely on each other to help with patients or gain knowledge. It’s really about being part of something bigger than myself.
Can you share a moment or experience that made you especially proud?
After I graduated from nursing school, I worked at a level one trauma center in Kansas City. We had a patient come in with a gunshot wound to the chest who ended up losing his heartbeat and we had to do CPR and major surgery on him in the ER before transferring him to the OR, once we got him stable enough. Three weeks later, he came back to the ER to thank us — to be a part of the team that saved his life was the coolest experience I’ve had as a nurse.
What and/or who has influenced or inspired the way you serve others?
My dad is a huge part of what inspires me to give back. He has been in the volunteer fire department for over 30 years and is now the chief of the department — he and my mom, who’s on the board for the local food pantry in my hometown, have instilled in me that it’s really important to give back to your community.
My dad [and the volunteer firefighters] raise money to help other firefighters who have medical problems — every Christmas they dress up as Santa and the Grinch and go around to different neighborhoods, and last year they teamed up with my mom’s food pantry and encouraged the community to donate food [as well]. They were able to donate 1,600 pounds of food last year.
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about the work you do or the people you serve?
I think the biggest thing is that we are humans and have feelings, too — in a patient’s time of need or when a family has lost [their] patient, we have to compartmentalize to carry on with our work day or to help the next patient.
I think it’s important to note that a lot of situations stick with us for months or years to come and that goes for a lot of people too.
If you could give one message of encouragement to your community, what would it be?
We need to support each other and go back to the old days where we were neighborly and kind to each other. The town I live in now was affected by the [Central Texas] floods this July, and that showed how well the community came together — it’s just unfortunate that we come together in times of disaster, and it would be great to see us continue to do that every single day.
If you were a piece of furniture, what would you be — and why?
I would be a bed because I’m a night shift nurse — I love to sleep, and especially now that I’m pregnant, sleeping has become my favorite activity. That’s where my husband and I talk about our days, and he talks to the baby every single morning — it’s been a great memory maker.
Do you have any “core furniture memories”? (For example, a special chair only your dad sat in, or those famous plastic-covered couches!)
For me, it would have to be the dining room table — my parents were pretty old-fashioned and no matter how hectic our schedules were with sports or school, they always made it a point for us to sit down and eat together as a way of connecting and sharing — phones weren’t allowed. And even to this day, where we’ve grown up and we have families of our own — when we go back and visit, it’s very much a point that we all sit together for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My husband and I have carried that dinner tradition on in our house — no phone, no TV — it’s about connecting.
In your opinion — what’s the best way to build a furniture fort?
We always used tall chairs and one of my mom and dad’s king size comforters [to build the fort] and put it up against the couch and put comforters and pillows on the floor!
