PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A Pinellas County nurse’s sense of compassion makes her great at her job at HCA Northside Hospital.

It’s also the reason the hospital recognized Karla Pedersen for her volunteer work away from the hospital.

What You Need To Know

Karla Pedersen works weekend overnights at HCA Northside hospital in Pinellas County

The hospital recognized her for donating the most volunteer hours to the community

Pedersen grooms and walks horses and other animals at the A.R.K. in Palm Harbor

The organization provides animal therapy to special needs children

Pedersen works weekend overnights in the Nural ICU unit at the hospital. She mostly cares for stroke and brain injury patients.

“We get them where they are at the worst moment of their lives,” she said. “I’ve had bad moments in my life and I’m able to give back some of the compassion that’s been given to me.”

The hospital recently recognized Pedersen for her volunteer work. She had donated the most hours to the community of any staff member.

Pedersen volunteers a couple of mornings a week at the A.R.K-Animals Reaching Kids outreach at Live Oaks Bible Church in Palm Harbor. The organization has horses, donkeys, miniature horses and even a cow. They provide animal therapy for special needs children.

She spends most of her time grooming animals, like a horse named Gabel.

“We groom all the large animals the same way,” she said. “It keeps them healthy. It keeps them clean.” 

The grooming also keeps them calm.

“Some of these special needs kids, when they see a large animal, it makes them nervous, so we need to teach these guys to be calm.”

Pederson usually comes to A.R.K. early in the morning after she has worked all night at the hospital. It’s a great stress reliever.

“But then I come here on Monday mornings and it’s my decompress time,” said Pederson, who added that her decompression time includes taking the horses for a walk along a wooded trail.

She started volunteering at A.R.K. as a project for her homeschooled teenage son.

“It’s something that I do with my teenager. It gives us common ground. It gives us a place to do something that gives us something that we both enjoy.”