Kerrie
RN, Clinical Coordinator SICU/CCU

A Talent for Teaching, a Knack for Nursing

Ask Kerrie, a nurse and clinical coordinator at UMass Memorial, why she enjoys her job and she'll answer that it's the “close community feeling.” Even though our three campuses make up a large organization, Kerrie feels she can interact with a variety of nurses and patients while still making a difference on an individualized level. Kerrie says that she enjoys working at UMass Memorial because of the amazing people she gets to interact with on a daily basis.

From her youngest days, Kerrie knew that she wanted to be a nurse. She was constantly fascinated with the workings of the human body and taking care of people. As a student nurse, health care was everything she expected it to be and more. Working as a nurse for UMass Memorial was especially important to Kerrie because she understood the many career opportunities that would allow her to branch out and work in many different areas.

Kerrie began as a student nurse in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) and moved to a nursing unit on our University Campus after receiving her degree and passing her boards. Three years later when a nursing position became available in intensive care, Kerrie jumped at the chance to work with her former colleagues. In December 2007, she accepted a position as a clinical coordinator of the Critical Care Unit (CCU) and SICU to pursue a love for teaching other clinicians how to provide care in a fast paced nursing environment.

To summarize, Kerrie’s current role is divided into two parts—education and supervision. Her passion for sharing knowledge and working with a team gave her the confidence to accept a supervisory position at a young age. She has since worked with a skilled group of nurses who have made her transition into a supervisor role especially rewarding.

Kerrie's story at UMass Memorial includes a lifesaving experience as a young nurse. Just after her nursing orientation, Kerrie had a critically ill patient who was struggling to survive. Kerrie remained on the job, keeping the patient alive even though it meant staying with the patient well after the end of a 12-hour shift. Knowing that her hard work and dedication helped to save her patient was especially rewarding—it made everything worthwhile.

Kerrie reminds current and future coworkers that nursing has a lot to offer. She shares that when exploring a career at UMass Memorial there are constant educational opportunities and a wide range of benefits and personal experiences that can’t be found anywhere else.

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