10 Questions with Kari Rowland
As the summer season kicks into high gear, Urgent Care Nurse Manager Kari Rowland thrives in a fast-paced environment while juggling new staff, scheduling and increased patient volumes.
Kari Rowland helps steer the ship and makes sure all the Urgent Care Centers are running smoothly on a daily basis.
But she still enjoys rolling up her sleeves and jumping in on the clinical side when needed. “The other day, one of my nurses was running late because of traffic,” says Kari, “so I stepped in to assist another nurse with a patient who arrived with chest pain first thing in the morning. I enjoy helping and I like to keep my critical nursing skills at the top of my game.”
Kari spends most of her days overseeing staff, managing schedules and handling administrative duties at the Sandwich, Harwich and Orleans locations. “I work alongside another nurse manager, Amy Sweet, who covers the other three locations,” says Kari. “We cross-pollinate. I go to Hyannis, Osterville and Falmouth at times, too.”
Kari recently celebrated her 11-year anniversary with Cape Cod Healthcare. She has spent much of her career here working as a nurse in the Emergency Room at Falmouth Hospital (where she started at CCHC) and urgent care centers, which are staffed by board-certified, emergency room providers and nurses from Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital.
More than two years ago, a chance encounter with Executive Director of Urgent Care Joe Camelio at her local grocery store helped Kari land her current managerial role. “We worked together at Fontaine and we always casually just stayed in touch,” says Kari, who was handling clinical education in Falmouth at the time. “We hadn’t seen each other in years, and he asked if I wanted to be on his team. I was thrilled.”
Kari says working in Urgent Care is like working in the ER. “I love the fast-paced environment, taking care of people at their worst and helping them feel better.” Kari adds the most common ailments at urgent care include sore throats, urinary tract infections, tick bites, lacerations, fever and nasal congestion.
On a beautiful, blue-sky day, we sat down with the mother of teenage twins outside Fontaine to learn more about her life outside of work—her dream job, the last time she danced and where she spends most of her free time.
Kari enjoys some family time during a recent Florida trip.
1. What is the most important thing you’ve learned from your job and working with patients?
Not to take anything personally. Patients will call and complain (and share compliments). I’m the sounding board. I just need to try and help them, answer their questions and direct them to the proper care. Sometimes they just want to be listened to and feel that somebody has heard them.
2. If you had another career, what would it be?
A baker or a pastry chef. I love baking. I love watching “The Great British Baking Show.”
3. Describe your perfect day off.
Sleeping past 7 a.m., brunch, and a day at the beach with a good book. Right now, I am reading “The Women,” by Kristin Hannah. It’s about a nurse who joins the Army Nurse Corps and spotlights women who put themselves in harm’s way to help others during the Vietnam war.
4. What would your dream job be?
A stay at-home mom to my twin teenagers. They are my pride and joy.
5. What three people, dead or alive, would you like to have a dinner party with?
My grandparents—my mother’s parents and my father’s father. It would be nice as an older adult to just talk to them and share life stories.
6. Most excited about on the horizon?
Seeing my children grow. Every week, there is something new with them. My daughter is a dancer, and my son is a basketball player. Last weekend, they were hundreds of miles apart. I was with my daughter in Nashua, New Hampshire, for a dance competition; my husband was with my son in Philly for a basketball tournament. They are only 14, but they are really growing. I am so proud watching them do what they love, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for them. They spend a lot of time on the stage or the basketball court!
7. What song is stuck in your head?
Any song from the new Taylor Swift album because my daughter has it on repeat in my car. We went to the Eras concert tour last year in the pouring rain at Gillette Stadium. We were cold and wet, but it was an amazing show. She is an established businesswoman, and her songs are great.
8. Where would you like to go on the Cape?
Sagamore Beach on Phillips Road—a special place where I spent my summers growing up. My mom and dad still rent a cottage there. I’ve always loved it.
9. Where would you live if it wasn’t on the Cape?
I look at scenes from Europe, the cities, the outdoor cafes, and they have such a more laid-back environment than us. I would love Tuscany or the Amalfi Coast. My husband is from England (he moved here when he was 14). So eventually, we would like to go back and visit there.
10. Last time you danced?
I take adult jazz classes at Sandwich Dance Academy, which is where my daughter dances. Every Tuesday, we have our adult jazz class, and we perform at our recital, too. We have fun and laugh all the time.
