MONROE - There are people who spend their lives never really figuring out what they want to do for a career.
And then there's Carrie Schwartz.
She has never hesitated after deciding as a child to become a nurse and then shortly after became a driving force in the Monroe EMS. She has now spent most of her life caring for others. With more than four decades of experience, she's seemingly always ready for whatever a call might bring to help out in her hometown.
Schwartz was born in Monroe and grew up in town as the daughter of Joanne and Bill Gyure. Like so many, she recalls running around the neighborhood with friends and siblings. She lived by the old East School and attended there until sixth grade with a younger sister and grandparents in town - which made the entire community feel like home.
She could often be found riding her bike to the swimming pool and attended Cheese Days regularly. Schwartz recalls family summer vacations in Minocqua where she created lasting memories. She was involved in scouting, becoming a Girl Scout First Class, another enjoyable experience.
Her father ran a business in town he purchased from her grandfather, Solomon Auto Parts, and Schwartz spent time there, often working voluntarily. She said as her father's oldest daughter, she knew how to do it all. The self-proclaimed tomboy could change a tire, her own oil and drive a stick shift.
In high school, Schwartz said she was an involved but average student. She was in choir and helped out behind the scenes in the school plays. She earned the Citizenship Award, an achievement given from teacher nominations.
Schwartz was always drawn toward involvement throughout her life. She knew she wanted to become a nurse one day, and volunteered as a candy striper at the hospital in Monroe, directed by nuns. She also earned her Lifesaving and First Aid Certifications. She didn't really need them, but she said the topics, for some reason, drew her in.
"I was interested in nursing, even then," Schwartz said.
After her graduation from Monroe High School in 1971, Schwartz followed in her father's footsteps and headed for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her career path was never questioned.
"I guess I was one of the lucky ones," she said. "I just always knew what I wanted to do."
She said UW-Madison was an eye-opening experience for her during a time when riots and marches were in full-swing. She spent her college years volunteering for Central County, a place for mentally disabled individuals. She worked with grade-school-aged children.
"I wanted to try it, and I enjoyed it," she said. "I learned a lot about caring for kids who couldn't care for themselves."
She finished college in May 1975 with her bachelor's degree in nursing and was soon married to her husband, Randy, also a Monroe native. Although she hadn't planned to return to her hometown, Randy was settled in a job. She started working at St. Clare Hospital in June 1975 on the surgical floor.
She said it was a job she loved immediately.
As a nurse for 37 years, Schwartz saw many changes at the hospital, clinic and in the profession. But her dedication to caring for others never waned. She eventually made her move to her dream job - a nurse in the emergency room.
The same year she was married and started her career in nursing, Schwartz also started with the EMS. It was new in Monroe, and many she knew from the hospital were getting on board. She said it was also a benefit for her while she worked on the surgical floor to keep up with her medical knowledge.
Mostly nurses served on the EMS when it first began, Schwartz said. She enjoyed the work and continued her education to keep up. She took on several roles, feeling comfortable because of her background.
Over the years, EMS changed and although nurse involvement dwindled, Schwartz stuck with it. She became an EMT Intermediate, or an I/99, around 2008. Green County EMS then chose to have Advanced EMTs, or paramedics, and she put in the work for that title as well.
Two years ago, she began a bridge program to become a paramedic. It requires 1,200 hours of class time.
"I just tell people it's in my blood," Schwartz said. "Nursing is in my blood. EMS is in my blood. I've just always done it."
Her three sons were also used to their mom being partially dedicated to the community. EMTs only get paid if they're on a call. Despite that, Schwartz has been part of more than 43,300 hours of call time and has taken more than 3,400 EMS runs through the years. These numbers don't reflect classroom time, meetings and additional training.
Schwartz has also held almost every office on the EMT board. She's served as president, vice president, training officer and both chair and secretary of the board of directors. Many of those posts have been held by her more than once.
Monroe's accomplishments through the years when it comes to its EMS services are something that gives Schwartz a strong amount of pride. She was the committee chair when the EMS built its first building and she was involved during the second building. She was part of several ambulance purchases and served as president while the EMS hired its first and second chief.
Having her hand in the organization has meant a lot, and she sees how special it is to the community.
That doesn't mean it's always been easy.
One of her first calls was a suicide, she said, and it was difficult. She's been to several calls for people she knows personally. She's seen car accidents she would prefer to forget. To deal, she said she talks with Randy, who acts as her sounding board.
"Randy's a good listener," she said.
She also has been called out during important events, like holidays, dinners and in the middle of the night. She said the inconvenience has been worth it.
"The number of calls you have that are bad are low," she said. "A lot of ambulance runs are just to help somebody."
In August of 2012 Schwartz left Monroe Clinic. She never stopped nursing and spent a year caring for her father-in-law. In 2014, she continued her career as an emergency-room nurse at Edgerton Hospital & Health Services.
Keeping up with trainings, certifications and other continuing education courses is second nature. Schwartz now helps teach EMS/EMT courses at Blackhawk Technical College and assists with testing. She's been a CPR instructor since the early 1980s. She's also part of the American Heart Association's affiliate facility through Blackhawk Tech, where she helps instruct their instructors. She has been an advanced cardiac life support instructor and a pediatric advanced life support instructor since 2012, and she teaches at St. Mary's in Madison and in Edgerton. She is also a BLS instructor and works with disaster drills at the schools.
She earned the Green County Quality of Life award in 2003. In April 2004, Schwartz was nominated and won the BLS Instructor of the Year award through Blackhawk Tech.
While she was working as a nurse in Monroe, Schwartz became involved in EPIC, became a "super user" and taught new employees EPIC classes monthly and was one of three people who wrote programs special to the emergency room's needs.
Somehow, while her boys were young, she found time to coach their little league and soccer teams in the late 1980s.
Schwartz is now an empty-nester, but each day she still looks forward to doing the work she has loved for decades.
She and Randy enjoy getting together with their children, four grandchildren and other family in the area. They also enjoy traveling, taking trips to places like the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu in Peru, climbing the 26-mile trail through the Indies. They also went whitewater rafting in Costa Rica and enjoy visiting islands on the Caribbean, even taking the boys when they were younger, along with several other family trips.
Schwartz is involved with her church choir, committees and other activities at Monroe United Methodist Church. She gets involved with the bloodmobile and donates often, helped with the food pantry distribution and was part of the Party Program while her boys were in high school to prevent trauma-related injuries in youth.
When Schwartz does slow down, she can be found gardening or crocheting. She's part of a book club and loves to watch Packer and Badger games. She's a member of the Stateline Women, a Christian women's group.
And in a job where many experience burnout, she's more than four decades in and doesn't yet see an end in sight. When the calls come in, she knows what to do.
"My Dad used to say: 'You never quit learning,'" Schwartz said. "He was right."
And then there's Carrie Schwartz.
She has never hesitated after deciding as a child to become a nurse and then shortly after became a driving force in the Monroe EMS. She has now spent most of her life caring for others. With more than four decades of experience, she's seemingly always ready for whatever a call might bring to help out in her hometown.
Schwartz was born in Monroe and grew up in town as the daughter of Joanne and Bill Gyure. Like so many, she recalls running around the neighborhood with friends and siblings. She lived by the old East School and attended there until sixth grade with a younger sister and grandparents in town - which made the entire community feel like home.
She could often be found riding her bike to the swimming pool and attended Cheese Days regularly. Schwartz recalls family summer vacations in Minocqua where she created lasting memories. She was involved in scouting, becoming a Girl Scout First Class, another enjoyable experience.
Her father ran a business in town he purchased from her grandfather, Solomon Auto Parts, and Schwartz spent time there, often working voluntarily. She said as her father's oldest daughter, she knew how to do it all. The self-proclaimed tomboy could change a tire, her own oil and drive a stick shift.
In high school, Schwartz said she was an involved but average student. She was in choir and helped out behind the scenes in the school plays. She earned the Citizenship Award, an achievement given from teacher nominations.
Schwartz was always drawn toward involvement throughout her life. She knew she wanted to become a nurse one day, and volunteered as a candy striper at the hospital in Monroe, directed by nuns. She also earned her Lifesaving and First Aid Certifications. She didn't really need them, but she said the topics, for some reason, drew her in.
"I was interested in nursing, even then," Schwartz said.
After her graduation from Monroe High School in 1971, Schwartz followed in her father's footsteps and headed for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her career path was never questioned.
"I guess I was one of the lucky ones," she said. "I just always knew what I wanted to do."
She said UW-Madison was an eye-opening experience for her during a time when riots and marches were in full-swing. She spent her college years volunteering for Central County, a place for mentally disabled individuals. She worked with grade-school-aged children.
"I wanted to try it, and I enjoyed it," she said. "I learned a lot about caring for kids who couldn't care for themselves."
She finished college in May 1975 with her bachelor's degree in nursing and was soon married to her husband, Randy, also a Monroe native. Although she hadn't planned to return to her hometown, Randy was settled in a job. She started working at St. Clare Hospital in June 1975 on the surgical floor.
She said it was a job she loved immediately.
As a nurse for 37 years, Schwartz saw many changes at the hospital, clinic and in the profession. But her dedication to caring for others never waned. She eventually made her move to her dream job - a nurse in the emergency room.
The same year she was married and started her career in nursing, Schwartz also started with the EMS. It was new in Monroe, and many she knew from the hospital were getting on board. She said it was also a benefit for her while she worked on the surgical floor to keep up with her medical knowledge.
Mostly nurses served on the EMS when it first began, Schwartz said. She enjoyed the work and continued her education to keep up. She took on several roles, feeling comfortable because of her background.
Over the years, EMS changed and although nurse involvement dwindled, Schwartz stuck with it. She became an EMT Intermediate, or an I/99, around 2008. Green County EMS then chose to have Advanced EMTs, or paramedics, and she put in the work for that title as well.
Two years ago, she began a bridge program to become a paramedic. It requires 1,200 hours of class time.
"I just tell people it's in my blood," Schwartz said. "Nursing is in my blood. EMS is in my blood. I've just always done it."
Her three sons were also used to their mom being partially dedicated to the community. EMTs only get paid if they're on a call. Despite that, Schwartz has been part of more than 43,300 hours of call time and has taken more than 3,400 EMS runs through the years. These numbers don't reflect classroom time, meetings and additional training.
Schwartz has also held almost every office on the EMT board. She's served as president, vice president, training officer and both chair and secretary of the board of directors. Many of those posts have been held by her more than once.
Monroe's accomplishments through the years when it comes to its EMS services are something that gives Schwartz a strong amount of pride. She was the committee chair when the EMS built its first building and she was involved during the second building. She was part of several ambulance purchases and served as president while the EMS hired its first and second chief.
Having her hand in the organization has meant a lot, and she sees how special it is to the community.
That doesn't mean it's always been easy.
One of her first calls was a suicide, she said, and it was difficult. She's been to several calls for people she knows personally. She's seen car accidents she would prefer to forget. To deal, she said she talks with Randy, who acts as her sounding board.
"Randy's a good listener," she said.
She also has been called out during important events, like holidays, dinners and in the middle of the night. She said the inconvenience has been worth it.
"The number of calls you have that are bad are low," she said. "A lot of ambulance runs are just to help somebody."
In August of 2012 Schwartz left Monroe Clinic. She never stopped nursing and spent a year caring for her father-in-law. In 2014, she continued her career as an emergency-room nurse at Edgerton Hospital & Health Services.
Keeping up with trainings, certifications and other continuing education courses is second nature. Schwartz now helps teach EMS/EMT courses at Blackhawk Technical College and assists with testing. She's been a CPR instructor since the early 1980s. She's also part of the American Heart Association's affiliate facility through Blackhawk Tech, where she helps instruct their instructors. She has been an advanced cardiac life support instructor and a pediatric advanced life support instructor since 2012, and she teaches at St. Mary's in Madison and in Edgerton. She is also a BLS instructor and works with disaster drills at the schools.
She earned the Green County Quality of Life award in 2003. In April 2004, Schwartz was nominated and won the BLS Instructor of the Year award through Blackhawk Tech.
While she was working as a nurse in Monroe, Schwartz became involved in EPIC, became a "super user" and taught new employees EPIC classes monthly and was one of three people who wrote programs special to the emergency room's needs.
Somehow, while her boys were young, she found time to coach their little league and soccer teams in the late 1980s.
Schwartz is now an empty-nester, but each day she still looks forward to doing the work she has loved for decades.
She and Randy enjoy getting together with their children, four grandchildren and other family in the area. They also enjoy traveling, taking trips to places like the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu in Peru, climbing the 26-mile trail through the Indies. They also went whitewater rafting in Costa Rica and enjoy visiting islands on the Caribbean, even taking the boys when they were younger, along with several other family trips.
Schwartz is involved with her church choir, committees and other activities at Monroe United Methodist Church. She gets involved with the bloodmobile and donates often, helped with the food pantry distribution and was part of the Party Program while her boys were in high school to prevent trauma-related injuries in youth.
When Schwartz does slow down, she can be found gardening or crocheting. She's part of a book club and loves to watch Packer and Badger games. She's a member of the Stateline Women, a Christian women's group.
And in a job where many experience burnout, she's more than four decades in and doesn't yet see an end in sight. When the calls come in, she knows what to do.
"My Dad used to say: 'You never quit learning,'" Schwartz said. "He was right."