A little about me. I was born and raised in Iowa City, Iowa, by my parents Ted and Alicia Werch. My dad was in Vietnam when I was born and returned the next summer to meet his first-born. He was a mechanical engineer in the construction business, owning and operating Iowa Building Systems, where I had my first real job as a teenager. I learned both the value of hard manual labor and the value of an education. Both my parents taught me to treat people the same, from the janitor to the CEO. My mom was a Special Education teacher at the University of Iowa Hospital Schools where I would occasionally help with projects. She eventually went back to school and earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work.
After high school, I attended Kirkwood Community College where I earned my Associate in Science Degree. I studied at the University of Iowa, then graduated with my Bachelor in Science in Nursing from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1999. While attending nursing school at Coe College, I also earned my State and National Paramedic certification from Mercy / St. Luke’s Prehospital Education Center.
I started my professional career as a critical care nurse in a small hospital in Portland. I started working at Asante Three Rivers in Grants Pass in 2012.
In 2014 I had an opportunity to pursue a full-time position as a flight nurse. The learning curve was immense, but the office views were just as big! Since then, my flight career has changed slightly, but it’s still my first love. I’m currently working for a regional transport company in Northern Nevada. I have also worked as a flight medical provider for international and trans Pacific flights, and I maintain a position in a local hospital to keep my skills and my income up.
I have two daughters, ages 122and 15 that have been homeschooled their entire primary education. The older daughter has been duel enrolled in a charter school and at Rogue Community College to work towards her high school diploma and her college degree. As my parents instilled in me, I have tried to instill in my daughters equal respect for all humans. I have also tried to teach them that if things aren’t the way you believe they should be, do something about it.
Silent No More