"I've actually felt very appreciated here. In a nursing career, that's a hard thing to come by."
NAME: Mary Carter
Role: Nurse Case Manager (Missouri Mentor)
TENURE: Oct 1, 2025
Mary: I’ve been with the company a short amount of time. But I'm very, very happy I made the move. I actually got my best friend to join a couple weeks after me because I liked it so much. So I got a bonus for working with my best friend!
My background is in pediatric emergency medicine. So prior to this, I had been on the floor in the ER working 12-hour shifts, mostly at night, which was tough. I have a sweet spot in my heart for pediatrics and especially emergencies—I loved it. But I wanted something that was going to give me a little more work-life balance, so I didn’t have to work nights and holidays and be away from family. I went from the hospital to a clinic for a couple of months and it wasn’t the right fit.
Role: Nurse Case Manager (Missouri Mentor)
TENURE: Oct 1, 2025
Mary: I’ve been with the company a short amount of time. But I'm very, very happy I made the move. I actually got my best friend to join a couple weeks after me because I liked it so much. So I got a bonus for working with my best friend!
My background is in pediatric emergency medicine. So prior to this, I had been on the floor in the ER working 12-hour shifts, mostly at night, which was tough. I have a sweet spot in my heart for pediatrics and especially emergencies—I loved it. But I wanted something that was going to give me a little more work-life balance, so I didn’t have to work nights and holidays and be away from family. I went from the hospital to a clinic for a couple of months and it wasn’t the right fit.
What is it that you do as an RN Case Manager?
Monthly I go into ISL homes, which is individual supported living. So that's where individuals are living in a house and they have caregivers that are there around the clock, helping them with their daily life, taking them to their appointments, giving them their medications, doing all the things that they can't do themselves. So as the nurse, I make sure that they're getting all the support in the health and wellness area that they need. I check in on the individuals, look at their doctor appointments and their consults from the month prior. I check in with them one-on-one and see how they're doing, and what's going on in their lives.That's a big change from working in emergency pediatrics...
Yes.I didn't realize how this population that I'm serving is underserved. They haven’t had consistent relationships or people in their lives that have been there to support them. We have a lot of individuals that have complex health needs, so I’m able to educate staff on what an emergency would look like for that person because they might not recognize it right off the bat. That's been really rewarding.
Please describe your typical work week.
It depends on the week. In this role we have work that we need to get done within a monthly period.
I had no clue that this kind of career even existed in the nursing field. There's just a lot of flexibility to your schedule. This is a self-paced job in a way. You really do get to make your own schedule. And if you have things to do throughout the day and you want to do all your charting at night time, that is totally up to you.
There are three days a month where you're required to be in the office. Everything else is up to you. You can go into the office and work whenever you'd like, or you can work from home. I like working from coffee shops. That's my favorite place to get stuff done.
I feel like most of being a nurse is educating people about what and how to do something. That's one thing that I get to do a lot of in this role is educate about health issues, medications, emergency situations, how to handle them.
It’s just a nice working environment. Nobody really feels stressed out or overwhelmed. It's just a good feeling. All of my nurse co-workers told me this is the best place and the best job they’ve ever had. I agree. I really do.
And I've actually felt very appreciated. In a nursing career, that's a hard thing to come by.
I had no clue that this kind of career even existed in the nursing field. There's just a lot of flexibility to your schedule. This is a self-paced job in a way. You really do get to make your own schedule. And if you have things to do throughout the day and you want to do all your charting at night time, that is totally up to you.
There are three days a month where you're required to be in the office. Everything else is up to you. You can go into the office and work whenever you'd like, or you can work from home. I like working from coffee shops. That's my favorite place to get stuff done.
I feel like most of being a nurse is educating people about what and how to do something. That's one thing that I get to do a lot of in this role is educate about health issues, medications, emergency situations, how to handle them.
It’s just a nice working environment. Nobody really feels stressed out or overwhelmed. It's just a good feeling. All of my nurse co-workers told me this is the best place and the best job they’ve ever had. I agree. I really do.
And I've actually felt very appreciated. In a nursing career, that's a hard thing to come by.
What are some ways your team makes you feel valued and supported?
Anytime I need something, I can reach out to either one of my coworkers or one of my superiors and I get an answer right away. I don't feel like I'm ever on my own. Even though I have my own caseload, I don't feel alone.
What advice career advice would you give your younger self?
I wish I would have known that the transition from hospital to out of hospital is such a good move. Even though I am not doing most of the hands-on, life-saving stuff, and I'm not knee-deep in it, I feel like I am still a nurse. I'm still making a difference in a population that needs me.
I still get to interact with colleagues, doctors, pharmacists, and I still get to discuss things with them, but I have to call them. You're still learning and getting able to work with the people that you worked with in the hospital, just in a different setting, which is really nice.
But I didn't know that this kind of role existed. When I thought of a nurse case manager, I thought of somebody in a suit and going into the hospital or visiting terrible homes. But none of that is true.
It's stimulating and keeps your mind going.I'm learning new things about behaviors that I've never encountered before, learning new things about medical issues and how they're managed.
And to know that sometimes it's little things. It's not big changes or medicines. Sometimes it's just that little adjustment that only you can see.
What is a career well-lived?
I still get to interact with colleagues, doctors, pharmacists, and I still get to discuss things with them, but I have to call them. You're still learning and getting able to work with the people that you worked with in the hospital, just in a different setting, which is really nice.
But I didn't know that this kind of role existed. When I thought of a nurse case manager, I thought of somebody in a suit and going into the hospital or visiting terrible homes. But none of that is true.
It's stimulating and keeps your mind going.I'm learning new things about behaviors that I've never encountered before, learning new things about medical issues and how they're managed.
And to know that sometimes it's little things. It's not big changes or medicines. Sometimes it's just that little adjustment that only you can see.
What is a career well-lived?
I’ll know that I've had a career well lived if I've made a lot of friends in the workplace. I truly think that the people around you shape your day and it's hard to be around people that bring you down. So being around people that make you happy and support you, that’s when you have a well lived career.
I'd also think feeling accomplished at the end of every day, feeling like I'm doing something and making an impact on people. Even in my short time here, I've definitely felt like I've made a significant impact already.
Little happy moments, they stick with you. I've only been here for a couple of months and I'll remember those forever.
I'd also think feeling accomplished at the end of every day, feeling like I'm doing something and making an impact on people. Even in my short time here, I've definitely felt like I've made a significant impact already.
Little happy moments, they stick with you. I've only been here for a couple of months and I'll remember those forever.