The Power of Passion (Gretchen Carrougher)

This episode of BCEN and Friends lets you meet our friend Gretchen Carrougher.

Gretchen J. Carrougher MN, RN, is the Research Nurse Supervisor at the University of Washington (UW) Medicine Regional Burn Center, Program Coordinator for the Northwest Regional Burn Model System (NWRBMS) and Affiliate Faculty, UW School of Nursing, Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems in Seattle, Washington.

Ms. Carrougher graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (1981) and a Master of Nursing degree (1987) in Burn, Trauma and Emergency Nursing. She has held positions as clinical staff nurse, clinical nurse specialist, and research nurse during her 40-year burn nursing career.

Ms. Carrougher has worked at three distinguished burn centers in the United States: MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington DC; the US Army Institute of Surgical Research, San Antonio; and the UW Medicine Regional Burn Center, Seattle. Ms. Carrougher is national faculty for the Advanced Burn Life Support (ABLS) course and has been a member of the American Burn Association (ABA) since 1982.

She has authored 108 peer-reviewed manuscripts and chapters concerning basic nursing care, long-term outcomes, pain and pruritus management, and employment/return to productivity for individuals living with burn injury. She is also a longstanding international nurse educator, primarily serving our Central American burn nurse colleagues.

Gretchen has served on many professional committees both within and outside of the American Burn Association to include the ABA Board of Trustees (1990-1993) but views her current position as chair of the ABA Nursing Professional Certification Committee (2018 to present) as her greatest and most important challenge to date. Through the efforts of this committee, burn nursing is now a recognized specialty by the American Nurses Association (ANA) and ultimately, with the support of the ABA, the work of the Nursing Professional Certification Committee, and collaboration with BCEN, a national Burn Nurse Certification Program will be available by 2023.

To date, Gretchen views the work to achieve professional recognition and certification as the most significant advancement with the greatest personal and professional reward of her burn nursing career.

This episode is called, The Power of Passion