Lauren McCready

Class of 2008

Posted on August 5, 2019

Lauren McCready is a flight and ER nurse with St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis. She previously worked in the ICU and in the ER at a Level 1 Trauma Center, but after doing a “fly-along” with one of her mentors, Lauren fell in love with flight nursing.

Flight nursing can be intense, but Lauren loves being a voice for her patients when they have none.

“A lot of the people I come into contact with are having the worst day of their lives, so being their advocate is a very special position,” said Lauren. “I also love when I work with a doctor who will let me direct, critically think, and bounce ideas off of them.”

Lauren found her drive to persevere in part because of her teachers at Heritage. Having struggled through several high school classes, Lauren says some of her teachers took the time to sit with her one-on-one and support her -- something she didn’t experience once she got to college.

“They knew I was capable and gave me the extra tools to get the job done,” she said. “Having those teachers’ voices in the back of my head telling me I could do things spurred me to push through.”

Lauren is working to become an EMT and will sit for her flight nurse certification (CFRN) at the end of the year.