Marine, respiratory therapist, cybersecurity expert: Geoff Carr's unique St. Luke's journey

Geoff Carr's journey is a testament to versatility and resilience.

From serving as a Marine, then working as an EMT, paramedic, phlebotomist, and for the past eight years, a respiratory therapist at St. Luke’s Nampa, Carr is now embarking on a new career path. This year, he graduates from Western Governors University with a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity and information assurance, marking his transition into the field of cybersecurity with an internship in St. Luke’s Integrated Health Technologies department.

“I love for both things,” said Carr, Nampa’s 2025 winner of RT Excellence. “But I'm really enjoying this, like a new chapter moving from one thing to the other. It is quite the change.”

The St. Luke’s Cybersecurity Internship Program is designed to provide interns like Carr with a comprehensive, hands-on learning experience while offering meaningful exposure to a variety of roles within the cybersecurity field, said Flor Perez Martin, IHT Cybersecurity program manager. In addition to developing technical skills, interns gain insight into real-world work environments and the collaborative, fast-paced nature of the industry — all within a constructive and supportive setting.

“Interns often approach the opportunity with a growth mindset, positive energy and a strong passion for learning, bringing creativity, fresh perspectives and confidently leveraging modern tools and technologies,” she said.

Carr's unique blend of clinical experience at St. Luke's and his education in cybersecurity offers significant advantages. His deep understanding of health care systems, combined with his technical expertise, positions him to effectively address security challenges in the medical field.

“My clinical background also provides valuable soft skills for cybersecurity, such as how to talk to people and how to deal with stress,” Carr said. “Understanding how hospital systems like Epic work is invaluable.”

During his internship, Carr is working on St. Luke’s Downtime Project. The Downtime Project is designed to enhance preparedness and ensure greater continuity for patient care during ransomware attacks and extended outages.

“By combining expertise from both health care and cybersecurity, the project fosters a unique and effective approach to resilience,” Flor said. “This kind of cross-disciplinary knowledge is rare, making it an excellent opportunity to involve a health care professional from our very own St Luke’s family. Through this internship, we’re thrilled to have found someone like Geoff to contribute to the project, and we’re proud to support his career development while strengthening the project's impact.”

Carr's interest in working hands-on with technology started in middle school during the 1980s when computers were new in households. He and his brother loved tinkering with them, he said. While his brother pursued a computer science degree, Geoff joined the Marine Corps and lost touch with that early passion.

However, it eventually found him again and led him back to cybersecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges faced by respiratory therapists. Cybersecurity also appealed to him because it aligned with his background in physical security and his desire to help people.

Although a higher degree isn't necessary, Carr plans to pursue a master's.

Despite facing significant challenges, particularly with learning technical skills without prior experience, Carr credits the unwavering support of his wife, family, friends and his St. Luke’s manager, whom Carr said “has been amazing."

Carr's advice to those considering a career shift is simple: don't give up. If there's something you want to do, just go for it. Time will pass regardless and you'll either be in the same spot or will have achieved something new, like a certification or promotion, he said.

“Whatever it is, just keep going,” Carr said. “If I can do it, anyone can.”