Curiosity and commitment are two qualities that drive Casey Green in her career, one marked by professional achievement as well as a personal touch when it comes to sharing knowledge and supporting other nurses.
Green started her career less than a decade ago in an ICU and soon moved into emergency department positions. Along the way, she trained as an EMT, was a volunteer firefighter and taught at Howard Community College and Towson University in Maryland before relocating to the Chicago area in spring 2024.
Green’s desire to keep learning fueled her mission to earn all five emergency nursing BCEN certifications, which she completed in 2021. But she doesn’t consider her education complete by any means. She is now working as a critical care transport nurse while studying to be a certified registered nurse anesthetist.
“You become a nurse and you never stop learning,” Green said, and that’s something she wants to encourage in other nurses. “I’m inspiring people to be curious learners.”
One of the ways she inspires that curiosity is through her Critical Care Casey social media presence, where she shares tips and information aimed at encouraging other nurses who are moving forward in their own careers.
“I love weird things and fun facts about nursing,” she said, and she figured if she finds something interesting, chances are another nurse will as well.
Green also uses social media to inspire nurses as they pursue their professional goals. She said that as she was pursuing her certifications, she often met people who told her they wanted to do the same but were unsure how to go about it or lacked the confidence, so she shared what worked for her. She also reviews resumes or college applications.
“I come from a resource-scarce family. I lived on scholarships and people helping me knowing I couldn’t give them anything in return,” Green said, so she happily pays it forward.
Green’s interest in health care started when she was about 4 years old. Her grandmother, also an emergency nurse, gave her a medical book, which she carried wherever she went and still has today. Her interest in emergency nursing was cemented as a high school senior when a classmate suffered an allergic reaction to peanuts. As others ran to get the nurse, Casey hurried to her classmate, grabbed the EpiPen and administered the life-saving injection.
“I realized I feel like I can help people,” she said.
As her career progressed, though, Green said she didn’t always feel included in the emergency nurse community.
“I never felt I was represented in that. I started to think, ‘If you want to be part of the solution, you can’t just complain about it. You have to be a part of it,’” she said, and she looked into joining a committee within ENA.
She is a current member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Committee. Green said an injury a few years ago that left her in a cast for six months prompted her to think about inclusion from a mobility issue as well.
Casey is also one of three editors for the new Early Career Emergency Nurse section of the Journal of Emergency Nursing that will feature articles relevant to the growth and education of new nurses who or nurses who are new to the specialty.
“It’s been really nice to feel included. I want other ER nurses to feel they’re included too,” she said. “They are part of ENA. We all look different. We all have a different story.”