By Abbey Brennan '18
Sara (Thieme) Glassley, a 2006 Concordia graduate, went to college at University of St. Francis where she got both a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and then a Master of Science in Nursing. She now lives in Huntertown, Ind., and works at Parkview Physicians Group - Mind Body Medicine as a family nurse practitioner.
She works with about 16 to 20 patients a day and treats mental illnesses, like ADHD and depression, by talking to patients about their moods and prescribing medicine.
One of Glassley’s favorite parts of her job is being able to create close relationships with her patients.
“Because mental illness is so intimate, I often am able to learn about patient's lives,” Glassley said. “I am able to see them at their worst and at their best and can help encourage them through their daily struggles.”
She realizes that it can be frustrating when a patient is not getting better, but it takes patience on both ends and the realization that there may not be an immediate result. But rewards come in the form of breakthroughs.
“I truly feel like I am able to make a difference in their lives,” she said.
Glassley believes that Concordia has prepared her well for this job. She feels that the teachers and coaches taught her to work hard every day and to never give up. She learned a lot through basketball and soccer, which taught that working hard yields successful results and how to work as a team.
She is also thankful that the school offered classes with high standards.
At Concordia, she was able to take AP Stats and AP Biology which gave her six credit hours going into college.
“Taking AP Biology my senior year with Mrs. (Crystal) Castleman prepared me for the tough nursing classes I had to take in college, and I cannot thank her enough for that,” Glassley said.
In fact, she highly advises any student wishing to go into the medical field to take AP Biology because of how well it prepares for college courses. In addition, Glassley advises students to not sell themselves short.
“I always told myself that I was not smart enough to be a doctor or nurse practitioner and here I am, a nurse practitioner. With hard work and a great support system, they can do or be anyone that they want to be,” she said.
Last, Glassley advises students to choose a career that will make them happy because it will help them be more successful in a job and be able to make a bigger difference in other people’s lives.