Carey began her tertiary education at the Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Occupational Therapy (BAppSc(OT)) in 1987.[1] In 1993, Carey became the first person in Australia to complete a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Occupational Therapy through La Trobe University.[2] Her PhD thesis investigated training effects and quantitative measurement of tactile and proprioceptive discrimination loss after stroke, which was successfully passed without revision.[2]