Meet an awesome mother-daughter CRNA duo bringing smiles to children

Partnered Content

Not many people can say they’ve worked with their mother or daughter—and even fewer people have major work milestones with them. That’s why we’re celebrating Karen and Caroline, a mother-daughter duo who work as Children’s of Alabama CRNAs. Keep reading to see why they love it.

A family legacy of caring for children

When Caroline was in elementary school, her mother Karen spoke at her school’s career day about her job as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) at Children’s of Alabama. Seeing her mother’s dedication to her job sparked a passion in Caroline.

“I always knew that she liked her job. I got to meet her coworkers, and they always had a really good relationship. I would go visit her at work and every thing was colorful and happy.

It was impressive to me that she was always in her blue scrubs—you could tell she did something important that day. I’ve looked up to her and it’s always been a goal that I wanted to achieve.”

Caroline Norris, CRNA, Children’s of Alabama

When Caroline graduated from nurse anesthesia school in 2016, she joined her mother as a Children’s of Alabama CRNA. Now, they’re celebrating exciting milestones in their careers, together: five and 35 years at Children’s.

Strong support systems lead to friendships in + out of work

When Caroline was a child hearing about her mother’s job, the long-term friendships stood out to her.

“The people that I’ve worked with through the years are my family. They know me, they know my husband, children and grandchild. It’s a close-knit group. We have each other’s backs, we work together and we’re a team.

Some of my dearest friends are from work who I’ve had between 30 and 35 years. There are a lot of us long-time employees here because Children’s has always taken care of its employees.”

Karen Amdall, CRNA, Children’s of Alabama

Now, Caroline is able to experience that strong support system on her own.

“It’s a great group that we work with—my coworkers are great and I love my boss. I really can’t imagine myself going anywhere else.

Everyone’s pretty upbeat most of the time. The kids honestly put you in a better mood because they’ll giggle and you’ll giggle, and you can play with them.”

Caroline Norris, CRNA, Children’s of Alabama

While Karen works at an outpatient Children’s facility, and Caroline works in the downtown Birmingham Children’s location, both of their jobs involve the same day-to-day processes. As Children’s of Alabama CRNAs, they administer anesthesia to patients for surgeries or medical procedures. Alongside administering the medicine, they observe the patients before and after surgery to make sure everything is on track.

National CRNA Week is January 23-29 to celebrate the over 57,000 nurse anesthetists throughout the country. Of course, Children’s is always looking for reasons to celebrate their awesome staff, too. Children’s of Alabama CRNAs join the amazing staff at Children’s who work hand-in-hand to keep patients happy and healthy.

If you want to make a difference and do something you love, check out the available careers at Children’s of Alabama today.

Creating a lifetime of memories + learning from each other

When I asked Caroline if she’s learned anything from her mom, the answer was a resounding yes.

“I always ask her for advice when things will arise, but mostly what I’ve learned is treat everyone with kindness and be a friend to everybody.”

Caroline Norris, CRNA, Children’s of Alabama

At Children’s, it doesn’t matter if you’re related to your coworkers. You’ll be surrounded by people who have the same goal you do—taking care of patients to give them the best outcome possible.

“It’s a job I’m happy to go to work to every day, and I’ll leave feeling like I’ve done something good for other people.”

Caroline Norris, CRNA, Children’s of Alabama

Want to work at Children’s of Alabama? Follow them on Instagram or Facebook or visit their website to apply for a job today.

Partner