NVC-3 Certification
ANVC Membership
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Cara Guthrie-Chu has dedicated more than 27 years to critical care nursing, serving in a variety of clinical, educational, and leadership roles. Her extensive career reflects a commitment to advancing patient care and promoting the nursing profession.
Cara began her academic journey at the University of Texas at Tyler, where she earned both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Nursing. She then pursued further specialization by completing a Post-Master's Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner certificate at Texas Tech University. In 2025, Cara achieved her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Texas Woman's University, further enhancing her expertise and leadership within the field.
Cara is recognized as a certified Critical Care Registered Nurse and holds board certification as an Advanced Neurovascular Practitioner. Her dedication to nursing excellence has been acknowledged through multiple academic and professional awards.
For over a decade, Cara has practiced at Medical City Fort Worth in Fort Worth, Texas, specializing in acute stroke, neurovascular disease, and endovascular neurosurgery. She actively contributes to hospital committees, spearheading initiatives designed to promote evidence-based clinical care and optimize the role of advanced practice providers. Her leadership extends to serving as the site principal investigator for the multi-center ZODIAC study, which demonstrated significant improvements in clinical stability for large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke patients who were positioned with a flat head-of-bed prior to mechanical thrombectomy.
In addition, Cara completed an award-winning evidence-based quality improvement project focused on enhancing clinical management for adults with catastrophic brain injury who are potential organ and tissue donors. Her work aimed to better support physiological stability and increase the chances of successful donation outcomes.
Cara has been an active member of the ANVC, contributing her expertise by serving on various committees and speaker panels. Most recently, she joined the organization’s Board of Directors, reinforcing her commitment to advancing neurovascular nursing.
Outside of her professional pursuits, Cara enjoys gardening, cooking, traveling, and cherishing time with her husband and two teenage sons.
NVC-3 Certification
ANVC Membership
ANVC Events