Family Ties: Ryan and Katie Carnahan believe Methodist’s staff, culture and teamwork are ‘second to none’

A common sentiment of Methodist employees is that their coworkers feel like family. For some employees, that's a reality because their spouse, sibling, child or other relative also works for the health system. 

In this feature, you'll learn more about the Carnahans, who both got their start at Methodist as nursing assistants while attending Nebraska Methodist College. 

How long have you been married? Tell us more about your lives outside of work.

We’ve been married for 13 years. We’re blessed to have four beautiful children. We enjoy family time, camping, fishing, traveling, hiking and gardening. Katie loves to stay busy cooking and canning fresh fruits and veggies in the summertime. Ryan enjoys doing yard work and projects around the house. 

How did you meet?

We met while we were both attending nursing school at Nebraska Methodist College. We were in the same nursing classes throughout school and didn't realize how much we had in common until the summer before our senior year when we started dating. We both graduated with our BSNs in May 2010 and got married the following year on June 11.

Tell us about your current roles at Methodist.

Katie has been a palliative care nurse at Methodist Hospital since September 2018, helping patients with chronic medical conditions and those nearing end of life. Her focus is helping patients achieve the best quality of life possible through educating and managing symptoms, providing resources, and being an extra layer of support and listening ear. She helps patients and their loved ones during some of the most difficult and challenging times in their lives and enjoys building relationships with them. Her goal is to make an impact, even if small, to improve their lives.

Ryan is currently a nurse coordinator on the cardiac unit at Methodist Hospital, helping manage the flow of daily operations and being a resource to peers.

How did each of you find your place at Methodist?

We both started as nursing assistants at Methodist Hospital while we were in nursing school, and we knew we wanted to continue our nursing careers at Methodist after graduation. Katie worked on the General Medical Unit – now known as the Acute Care for Elders (ACE) Unit – as a CNA and transitioned to an RN role upon graduating. She worked on that floor for 11 years.

Ryan worked as a CNA on the Ortho/Neuro Unit before graduating from nursing school and starting his RN career on the cardiac unit, where he has been for 14 years.

What is it about Methodist that keeps you coming back?

The staff, culture and teamwork at Methodist are second to none. Everyone is so friendly and respectful. You can tell everyone truly exudes The Meaning of Care when helping their patients or assisting a colleague — and that’s the kind of environment we really enjoy being a part of. 

At Methodist, we truly care about our patients as individuals and will treat you like family. We will never stop trying to improve on providing the best quality care.