MUSCATINE, Iowa — Being the school nurse for Susan Clark Junior High presents welcomed challenges and rewarding interactions with students for Wendy Donald. Born and raised in Muscatine, Donald knew that after graduating from the University of Iowa with a Bachelors Degree in the Science of Nursing, she wanted to return to her hometown to start her nursing career. When an opportunity to apply for a school nurse position with the Muscatine Community School District arose, she felt her calling. She has been providing outstanding nursing services and health education to hundreds of students each year ever since.

“I was intrigued with the idea of providing health services in a non-medical setting and doing this in a primarily pediatric/adolescent setting. It has truly been a challenging and rewarding experience for me.”

Donald is a Nationally Certified School Nurse (NCSN), a title earned by completing a bachelor’s degree and completing a minimum of 1,000 hours as a school nurse over the course of three years. Her dedication to school nursing practices and pure passion for the field was recently recognized when she was nominated to run for the Iowa Director of the National Association of Nurses. This came after presenting nationally recognized research on how to approach the challenges of students returning to school in the wake of COVID-19. Read more about her nomination online.

With no two days alike and having the opportunity to guide students as they become educated about their own health is an incredibly rewarding experience for Donald. As she puts it, “I will always be their back-up, but teaching them to be autonomous in their own care is amazing!”

To Donald, the enjoyment of being a school nurse extends beyond the walls of the school and out into the tight-knit community here in Muscatine: “As a school nurse, I see firsthand the care our community partners provide to our students in need. It can be so rewarding to see positive outcomes when our community comes together.”