Nurse/firefighter Wins Olympic Silver Medal!

[Brian, ASN, RN]

NURSE/FIREFIGHTER WINS OLYMPIC SILVER MEDAL!

Congratulations to Lea Ann Parsley for winning her Silver Olympic Medal in Women's Skeleton!

At age 33, Parsley has many accomplishments under her belt. Here is a brief synopsis:

Parsley became a firefighter at age 16. In August 1999, the Ohio Firefighters Association named her the "State of Ohio Firefighter of the Year." The award was for helping to rescue a handicapped teenager from a mobile home, then going back inside to rescue the youth's unconscious mother.

Parsley's 11 years in school have produced three academic degrees and she is working on a fourth. In 1990, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in adult health from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. In 1992, she received a B.S. in nursing from the University of Virginia. And two years later, she earned her masters in nursing from Ohio State University. She is currently working on her doctorate in community health at OSU's College of Nursing. Her thesis? Critical Incident Stress Management how emergency and rescue personnel cope with what they have seen during disasters. She put her academic work on hold until March 2002 to focus on training for the Olympic Winter Games.

Parsley was also one of eight U.S. athletes chosen to carry the flag that was recovered from the World Trade Center.

Here are some links that you can find more information on Lea Ann Parsley:

NBC Olympic Athlete Profile: Lea Ann Parsley

http://www.nbcolympics.com/r/3/bio/SN_PARSLEY_Lea_Ann.htm

Transcript and video of interview with Katie Couric

http://www.msnbc.com/news/713008.asp

Olympian made of fire and ice

http://www.msnbc.com/news/690280.asp

10 Questions for Lea Ann Parsley

http://www.usolympicteam.com/10_questions/121001skeleton.html

Parsley juggles skeleton, school and firefighting

http://www.usolympicteam.com/news/051501skeleton.html

Lea Ann Parsley Photo Gallery

http://www.usolympicteam.com/photo_gallery/parsley-leaann/index.html