November 09, 2021

Meet Corri Payton, MSN, APRN, BC

Nurse Practitioner in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Where are you from?

I am from St. Louis, Missouri, and moved to Columbia, Illinois in 1996. I've lived there since.  

What brought you to Washington University Orthopedics? How long have you been with the department. 

I worked as a nurse in cardiology for 17 years and returned to college for my Masters in Nursing with Adult Nurse Practitioner certification. I completed this program in 2000. While back in school, I found my interest of orthopedics growing. My initial plan was to practice in primary care after becoming an adult nurse practitioner. I did work part-time in primary care for a short time, and then returned to cardiology for a few years. I spent six years working with anesthesia in a preoperative assessment center. During this time, I decided I wanted to pursue orthopedics and began attending the Washington University Sports Medicine Conferences and studied to make this transition. I have worked with physiatry now for 11 years.

What type of patients and conditions do you treat?
I see patients adolescents and adults with a variety of conditions; many have spinal conditions.  

What’s the best advice you ever received and who/what was it from?

The best advice I received was from Dr. Prather during my training with her. She told me to evaluate the whole person. This includes the area of pain and the surrounding areas, along with the emotional aspects that may be contributing to the condition. 

What’s your favorite thing to do outside of work?

My hobby and exercise is riding and caring for horses. My daughter competes and I love watching her ride. I love camping, hiking and traveling. I have three grandchildren and cherish the time I spend with them. 

If you weren’t a nurse practitioner, what would you like to be doing?

If I was not a nurse practitioner, I’d likely be doing something with horses. I have loved horses as long as I can remember. I had a pony at age seven, but unfortunately this did not work out. I purchased my second and a third horse in my mid-twenties and kept them for about seven years. I then started a family and did not have horses for 17 years. When I turned 50, I decided it was time to get another horse as my daughter was interested as well. We now have two and I will likely have a horse for the rest of my life.

Corri sees patients at the Center for Advanced Medicine - South County and the Washington University Living Well Center®. Learn more about Washington University Orthopedics and why patients choose us for their care.