In the fall of 2014, after attending school in Sutherlin since kindergarten, Michala Carpine eagerly entered the halls of Sutherlin High School. The next four years were filled with activities and friendships that helped mold her into who she is today. As a high school student, she competed all four years in cross-country, basketball, and softball and participated in FFA. Competing in sports, while fun, kept her physically fit and taught her to work as a team member, build relationships with peers and others, and develop skills in leadership, which are important components of the career she is in today.
As a freshman, Michala thought she would like to have a steer as her supervised agriculture experience (SAE) project. However, Ag advisor Wes Crawford, upon learning she lived in town and had never had a large animal, suggested she start with an animal a bit smaller, such as a lamb, which she did. She continued to have lambs as her project for all four high school years. She learned how to keep her lambs healthy, creating a plan for exercise, bedding, and feeding while working in the greenhouse, competing in speaking and ag sale competitions, and learning to drive a tractor. Participating in FFA, Michala became adept at speaking, financial management, record-keeping, responsibility, and time management. Participation in sports and FFA assisted in attaining accountability, self-discipline, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities, all attributes she uses today.
During high school, Michala found math to be her most challenging class, but she persevered and studied trigonometry. Her favorite classes were English with Mark Wiley and Spanish with Ransom Bodine. Michala knew she wanted to go into nursing as a career and took classes that would help prepare her for that field: anatomy, physiology, and medical terms with Pam Doyle and chemistry with Beth Yarbrough. These classes gave her a good foundation to build upon once she started college (after Michala graduated high school, those high school classes became available as college credit classes).
Michala graduated in the spring of 2018 and immediately began working at Chantel’s Loving Touch Memory Care. In the fall of 2018, she enrolled in Umpqua Community College. Michala continued to work at Chantel's for the next two years while attending college, completing all the prerequisites for nursing and receiving an Associate of Arts Degree in 2020. She immediately applied for admission to the nursing program at Umpqua Community College. She was accepted, attending UCC for an additional two years and graduating in 2022 with an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing Degree. As part of the nursing program, she volunteered/worked for ten weeks as a surgical and day surgery nurse. Upon receiving her nursing degree and passing the Nclex-RN test, she officially became a registered nurse in Oregon (which allows her to be a travel nurse). She immediately began work at Mercy Hospital as a surgical day nurse.
Michala’s responsibilities include assisting patients preparing for surgery: getting dressed, starting IVs, giving pre-meds, prepping the surgical area of the patient, monitoring vital signs, and checking for allergies and medications taken. During surgery, she may assist the doctor in monitoring, biopsy materials, and other items in aftercare: she provides nausea meds, ice packs, and pain meds as needed, instructions for care, and assists in discharging the patient either to the surgical floor or home. Michala has learned to be a patient advocate and applies her teamwork skills as she is part of a very close-knit unit. As a nurse, she loves being able to help others and be there for their families. Her workday is ten hours; she usually works four days at a time and then has off days, although she is on call for emergencies.
When not at work, Michala enjoys watching sports (she is a Duck and Celtics fan), hiking, kayaking at Cooper Creek and Ford’s Pond, working out at the gym, and reading. Michala’s future goal is to obtain her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, which will allow her to become a nurse in states other than Oregon. Currently, her free time is spent planning her wedding, which is scheduled for July 20th, to Skyler Harrington, another Sutherlin graduate, and working on plans for a home that they are having built.