Karen always knew she wanted to be involved in
health care.
"I had thought of being a lab technician,
but respiratory therapy was a fairly new field
when I was in school," she says. "It was different,
and I've since learned that it offers a lot of
different opportunities."
Respiratory therapists care for people with
breathing problems brought on by a number of
conditions, such as asthma, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease, or congestive heart failure.
Karen provides respiratory therapy in the hospital,
conducts cardiac stress tests, performs pulmonary
function tests for asthma, and works in the
Emergency Department, which she says gives her
the greatest satisfaction.
Even when she's off the clock, Karen works to
bring aid to people in distress—she's pursuing
certification as a handler in canine search
and rescue.
"A few years ago, I attended a conference on
search and rescue, and it really appealed to me,"
Karen says. "You get to be outside, work with
dogs, and help people."
A native of Valley City, Karen went to school
in Arizona but returned so she and her husband
could raise their four children here. She has been
working at CHI Mercy Health since 1982.
"I like the variety of what we do," she says. "I
like helping different people, and I have great
co-workers who are fun to work with."
Karen Burchill, RRT, Supervisor of
CHI Mercy Health's Respiratory
Therapy Department, describes
her love for her job.
Imagine Better Health
INSIGHTS MERCY
Summer 2015
IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
KAREN BURCHILL