Sarah Carson, LPN
Sarah Carson, LPN, began her nursing career during one of the most challenging periods in modern healthcare. She obtained her emergency LPN license in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and earned her permanent license in 2021 after graduating from Craven Community College, where she simultaneously completed her Practical Nursing program and an associate’s degree in general education. From the start, Sarah demonstrated resilience, determination, and a deep commitment to serving vulnerable populations. Currently, Sarah works in psychiatric nursing at a veterans medical center, where she has served for the past year and a half. She provides care to veterans facing complex mental health challenges, including PTSD, undiagnosed schizophrenia, and acute psychiatric crises. Her responsibilities include medication administration, comprehensive head-to-toe skin assessments, detailed mental health evaluations, facilitating therapeutic groups, and maintaining constant patient safety monitoring. A significant part of her role involves crisis intervention and de-escalation, particularly for veterans experiencing suicidal or homicidal ideation. She collaborates closely with physicians, behavioral health therapists, and physical therapists to ensure holistic, team-based care. Prior to her current role, Sarah served as a clinical liaison at Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, where she, along with providers and RN’s assessed patients in acute crisis and coordinated immediate psychiatric treatment. She holds certifications in PTSD care, suicide prevention, BLS for CPR, and SAFE trauma care. As the spouse of an active-duty service member, Sarah feels a personal calling to serve the veteran community and give back to those who have sacrificed so much. She is currently applying to RN programs and plans to continue her education toward becoming a psychiatric nurse. Her long-term goal is to work in emergency departments, where she can combine trauma-informed care with acute psychiatric intervention, continuing her mission to advocate for and protect patients in their most critical moments.
• Associate's Degree in General Education, Craven Community College, 2021
• Licensed Practical Nurse Program, Craven Community College, 2021
• Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
• PTSD Certification
• BLS Certification (CPR)
• Suicide Prevention Certification
• SAFE Certification (Trauma)
Areas of Specialization/Expertise
- PTSD
- Veteran Mental Health
- Acute Crisis Intervention
- Suicide Prevention
- Trauma Care
What do you enjoy most about practicing medicine?
What I enjoy most is being able to make a real difference in someone's day. I realized that I am the difference between someone having a bad day and helping improve that day, or someone having a bad day and talking about their bad day with no one listening to them, and their day just getting worse. These people are just like me - there is no difference. It just takes one bad day, and when I realized that, it became clear this is something I'm passionate about. I've struggled my whole life with anxiety, and had personal trauma along with postpartum depression, so I have my own mental health struggles. When I realized these patients were my age or younger, serving our country and needing to be as mentally healthy as they are physically healthy, that really motivated me. It has been phenomenal to watch patients follow through programs and become the best version of themselves. I get told quite often, 'Thank you, you've saved my life, you don't understand how much you've helped me, you pointed me in the right direction' - all because I sat and listened. That's it. I want to be that one nurse who helps someone and listens to them, versus someone who is just burnt out and coming in because that's their job. If someone just needs a nurse to sit and listen, I am absolutely available to do that.
Locations
Kernersville VA
1795 Kernersville Medical Pkwy, Kernersville, DE 27284