NPS senior director for ancillary services shares his story.
After success as a respiratory therapist, Carl Hinkson (pictured above right with his family) sought new challenges and opportunities for career growth. With 20 years at another Seattle-based hospital under his belt, he knew it was time for a change.
When Carl’s friend from a professional organization announced his retirement from Providence Regional Medical Center Everett (PRMCE), Carl initially applied for the role to appease his friend and perhaps reduce his commute time.
Now, eight years later, Carl is the North Puget Sound senior director for ancillary services, overseeing a team of 400 caregivers in diagnostic imaging, respiratory therapy, physical therapy and outpatient rehab.
Carl and his family have also set down roots in Snohomish County. He and his wife, who is a nurse educator at PRMCE, found a great community to raise their two teenagers and move Carl’s aging parents. Their connection to the organization became even more personal when Carl entrusted his father’s care to the very team he and his wife work alongside.
When the first known COVID patient in the US arrived at PRMCE in early 2020, Carl was in a unique position to care for his work community and the community in which he lives. Carl’s background as a respiratory therapist and experience working on earlier pandemics (Ebola and the H1N1 swine flu) were invaluable. Knowing many caregivers may be afraid to care for COVID patients in the early weeks and months of the pandemic, he was not only managing resources but also contributing to national discussions on COVID-19 treatment guidelines as part of an NIH panel.
“The respiratory therapy teams, true to their profession, stood up and said, ‘no, we’ll stand toe-to-toe with COVID.’ We took on the task,” he said. “But my Yelp review for the pandemic is pretty bad.”
For Carl, PRMCE isn’t just where he works—it’s part of the strong community he and his family call home.
