Under 40: Luke Emerson

Luke Emerson discovered a passion for trauma nursing when his brother sustained a traumatic injury while in college.

“It was at that point when I realized how important nurses are to the overall care and treatment of patients,” he said.

Emerson is a trauma improvement coordinator at Kootenai Health and an emergency/trauma nurse with an additional skill identifier as an Army Medical Department special operations officer for the U.S. Army. He’s currently on mission as the officer-in-charge of the medical recruiting station in Salt Lake City.

In these positions, Emerson makes an impact on people. He helps make changes to improve the quality of care they receive or to assist civilians to commission into the Army Medical Department.

“When I can help someone who felt as if they were not able to do so themselves, that’s when I know I have achieved something important,” he said.

Emerson said he aims to contribute his skills and energy toward creating a better, more inclusive community for all. He emphasized the importance of coming together to shape a brighter future for North Idaho.

“Being happy every day will not develop bravery in our community,” he said. “We create a culture of courage by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity together.”