BROOKHAVEN — It was a sunny warm Friday morning as the staff at Brookhaven Ears, Nose and Throat worked at their nursing station close to where The Dart landed. Most of the nurses declined to speak for The Dart but they pointed to a new staff member. 

She wore pink scrubs, had a Monster Energy Drink in her hand and was working on the computer. It is now her second week with Brookhaven ENT but she is a 28 year resident of Brookhaven and grew up in the school district. 

Her sophomore year of high school emissaries from the Mississippi School of Math and Sciences in Columbus visited Brookhaven High School. They told her she would do good at MSMS so she decided to go, Carrie Fernald said. 

“It was a different experience. I got to leave home early,” Fernald said. “I met a lot of different people and it was an exciting experience. I would do it again, it was an excellent experience.” 

After graduating from Mississippi School of Math and Science, she went to Mississippi State University, Co-Lin Community College and graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelors in nursing. 

She went to work in North Mississippi before moving back home to Brookhaven with her husband after he graduated from Mississippi State. Fernald said she first met him in Brookhaven when they were in seventh grade but were just friends at first. 

For the past 15 years, she has worked in the ICU, on the telemetry and med surg floor at Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center in McComb. She also worked as a hospitalist for a few years. 

Five years ago, she went back to school and earned a master’s degree at Auburn University. Brookhaven Ears, Nose and Throat had an opening in February and she applied for the job. 

“I wanted to come back here and I’m excited to be here to serve the community,” Fernald said. “I’m really excited to be home. I have two girls and we live here. I wanted to be close to my family too. Ears, nose and throat is an interesting speciality. You see so many different things and you will see something different each day.” 

Outside of healthcare, Fernald spends her time playing tennis and being involved with her kid’s athletics. She is also a member of Brookhaven Junior Auxiliary. Fernald attends First United Methodist Church with her family. Being active in the community is important to her. 

“I’m just excited to be back here. It is a family. All of the community is family, not just my family,” Fernald said. “It is a home seekers paradise with a lot of support.”