Meet (more of) the faces behind Banner Wyoming Medical Center

As a regional trauma and referral center, Banner Wyoming Medical Center is the largest hospital in Wyoming and provides comprehensive heart, stroke and trauma care and more to the people of Wyoming. The hospital’s team is made up of people with a genuine desire to take care of their friends, family and neighbors and to keep that care in the state.

These are just some of the faces behind Banner Wyoming Medical Center.

Meet Marcie,

A concert-going,
movie-loving,
Crossfit-obsessed clinic nurse.

Marcie Kautz started her healthcare career as many do, as a CNA. She eventually went to Casper College and the University of Wyoming for nursing school and has now been a nurse for more than a decade. She has worked at a nursing home and in several specialty clinics in Casper, and particularly enjoys her role as a clinic nurse at the Banner Health
nephrology clinic.

“I just love the longevity of care,” she said. “We help people manage their blood pressure and medications and follow them for life.”

When she’s not working, Marcie enjoys working out at a local CrossFit gym, reading and going to concerts and movies. Her family particularly enjoys the Star Wars franchise and loves everything outdoors, especially camping.

Meet Victoria

A baby-loving,
health-conscious,
homeopathic
peds nurse.

Victoria Lanier said that she always wanted to be a “baby doctor” when she was growing up. When she ultimately decided on nursing, she knew Pediatrics was exactly where she wanted to be.

“I love it when I get to watch a kiddo in our unit get better,” she said. “Their little personalities really start to come out after they’ve been sick.”

Originally from Utah, Victoria moved to Wyoming to be closer to her husband’s two children. Family is her priority, and she enjoys family time in Wyoming and Utah. She also loves the concept of modern homesteading and tries to feed her family as much homegrown food as possible.

“I love being able to share food with our friends and neighbors; sometimes it’s eggs, sometimes it’s vegetables, it just depends,” she said.

In her free time, Victoria can be found tending to her garden, chickens and crochet projects. She enjoys expanding her knowledge in gardening, essential oils and homesteading, and her passion is nurturing her family, friends and patients.

Meet Montel,

A hard-working,
flower-loving,
power-lifting sterile
processing tech.

Montel Fernandez was born in Hawaii but has called Wyoming home for most of his life. He started working on his uncle’s landscaping crew at age 13 and has enjoyed the labor-intensive outdoor work on and off ever since. But when the time came, he decided to pursue a career indoors and became a CNA.

After a couple of years as a CNA at a rehabilitation facility in Casper, he decided healthcare seemed like a good fit, but he wanted to be closer to the operating room and applied for a job as a sterile processing tech at Banner Wyoming Medical Center. He now cleans and sterilizes devices used in medical procedures.

“I love looking at everything and taking it apart to clean it,” he said. “It’s super interesting.”

He plans to continue his education and eventually become a nurse.

Montel loves working out, hanging out with his fiancée and two dogs at home, going to concerts and traveling back to Hawaii and just about anywhere else whenever he can.

Meet Ken,

A four-wheeling,
mountain-exploring,
canine-loving
CT technologist.

Ken Phillips’s roots run deep at Wyoming Medical Center. His mother was a unit secretary at the hospital for many years and she was the one who suggested that he investigate the imaging program at Casper College. He did, and has now spent more than 20 years in the department, first in X-ray and for the last 14 years as a CT tech.

He particularly enjoys the fast pace of responding to trauma patients in the Emergency Department.

“I love leaving at the end of the day and knowing that I gave great care,” he said.

Ken was born and raised in Casper but travels back and forth to see family in Michigan as much as possible. He also enjoys camping, four-wheeling and hanging out with his three dogs.

Meet Tara,

A care-taking,
dog-adoring
fresh-air-obsessed PCU nurse.

Tara Hewitt spent 15 years as a CNA at a nursing home before deciding to become a nurse. She says that she’s always loved education and improving herself and is proud to be the first person in her family to get a college degree.

“I was always the person taking care of everyone, even when I was growing up,” she said. “So healthcare just always made sense.”

When asked what she loves about nursing, Tara quickly replies, “Everything. I love going to work every day. I love seeing people get to go home.”

No matter the season, Tara spends as much time outside as possible. She hikes in the summer, snowshoes in the winter and loves watching her two sons in their athletic and music activities.

For more information on the faces behind Banner Wyoming Medical Center, and all of the services they provide, visit the Banner Wyoming Medical Center website or follow them on Facebook.