Cathie’s Career Path
Reflecting on Cathie's career, she has held various jobs throughout her life. At age 14, she started in a salon washing hair. She has worked as a waitress, program mechanic at a factory, truck driver, bartender, and a certified nursing assistant (CNA) in a nursing home. All these experiences led her, at 28 years old - a little later in life than most - to pursue a career in nursing. She never thought higher education would be possible since she had dropped out of high school. It was not easy, but she graduated with her nursing degree from Weber State University.
Cathie knew she wanted to work in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NBICU) after an inspiring rotation during her nursing program. After a premature baby was pronounced deceased, a nurse placed the baby in another room while taking care of the grieving mom. When the nurse picked up the baby to take him to the morgue, he was found moving and trying to cry. The healthcare team successfully resuscitated him and reunited with his mom. After this experience, Cathie knew, “This is what I want to do. I want to make a difference in someone’s life.”
After becoming a nurse, Cathie first worked in the NBICU at Ogden Regional for two years. Then, she started her career at the University of Utah Health NBICU while working part-time at Davis Hospital and Primary Children’s Hospital as a local resource staff nurse. Cathie then worked full-time in the Emergency Room (ER) at the University of Utah and then onto the Utah Poison Control Center (UPCC), from which she is retiring. But of course, Cathie still worked part-time in the NBICU, transfer center, and ER over the years while working at the UPCC. Some of her coworkers thought Cathie would never be willing to retire and that slowing down would finally just be working in one place.
Career Highlights & Memories
In her 35-year career at the University of Utah, Cathie has worked for the UPCC for the last 18 years as a Certified Specialist in Poison Information (CSPI). Cathie remembers starting in 2006 with the UPCC in the Research Park building on Komos Drive and how excited she was that she didn’t have to pay for campus parking. Her excitement didn’t last forever as the UPCC moved back to the health sciences campus in the College of Pharmacy L.S. Skaggs Pharmacy Institute building in 2013. Cathie has always been excellent at finding the technology problems with UPCC equipment, or maybe the technology problems have always been great at finding Cathie. Still, either way, she persevered through them all!
Cathie has been involved with several toxicology conference posters and has enjoyed attending the North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology (NACCT) conference several times. Cathie has always been willing to take opportunities to connect with Utah nurses on behalf of UPCC. She has represented UPCC at countless events, including tabling at nursing conferences and giving presentations to nurses. The healthcare professionals she has connected with have appreciated her insight and peer-to-peer education. We will miss her ability to uniquely reach nurses based on shared experiences in the nursing field. We will miss Cathie’s willingness to always to help out. Her perspective of ‘you just do what you’ve got to do’ has helped us overcome some tough times.
Character Traits & Professional Strengths
Cathie’s background as a nurse with hands-on experience and years of poison control knowledge provides an irreplaceable, unique perspective. Cathie is known for the compassionate, patient-centric way she approaches her patients. Her calm and patient demeanor has benefited countless frantic callers as she has eased their minds and helped them through difficult situations. Cathie’s husband once asked her why she never uses her “work voice” at home. She has a calming presence on the phone, which our patients will miss. As a nurse, Cathie has made a difference in countless patients' and families lives. Her coworkers will very much miss her experience and expertise, not to mention the heart and soul she has brought to the poison control family. Cathie has a warm, kind smile that we’ll miss seeing.
Retirement Plans
In retirement, Cathie plans to spend the summer with the grandkids, playing at the water park, boating, and camping. After that, she and her husband are thinking about serving a mission. Everything else is up for debate.