Nurse Camp Grad Lands NorthBay Job

James Parmer, R.N., is right where he wants to be—working as a nurse in the Emergency Department at NorthBay Medical Center. He is the first Nurse Camp graduate to work in one of NorthBay Healthcare’s hospitals.

His job is the culmination of a goal set in childhood when his gravely ill grandparents were hospitalized. “I was fascinated by the hospital setting and the nurses,” he remembers.

The Buckingham High School graduate sought out every opportunity to spend time in the hospital. He worked as a teen volunteer in the NorthBay Medical Center Emergency Department throughout high school and in 2006 he participated in Nurse Camp.

When I saw that NorthBay was advertising for an emergency department nurse, I was ready.

—James Parmer, R.N.

Already hooked on a career in the hospital, James wasn’t sure what to expect from Nurse Camp. “I knew from volunteering that I wanted to be an emergency nurse,” James says. “But it was Nurse Camp that gave me the overall picture of what a career in nursing could be. The personal attention the nurses gave us was incredible and they obviously loved their profession.”

James earned his bachelor’s degree in nursing from Simpson University in Redding. The newly minted nurse wanted to work at NorthBay Medical Center but he didn’t want to apply until he had some professional experience on his resume.

So he spent a year working at Vibra Hospital of Northern California, a rehabilitation and long-term acute care hospital in Redding.

“When I saw that NorthBay was advertising for an emergency department nurse, I was ready,” James says.

NorthBay Medical Center routinely gets between 75 and 100 applications for each available nursing position. He thinks his previous experience, as well as his connection with NorthBay through volunteering and Nurse Camp, made his application stand out.

“I’ve found my career in the emergency department,” James says. “I love the fast pace and opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. My patients are often in delicate situations and I feel privileged to share in the journey to restore their health.”