Lindsey McDavid

After working in the cardiac department as a nurse at Texas Health Fort Worth and subbing in as a school nurse for seven years, Lindsey McDavid is the new school nurse on campus. Graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington, McDavid has two bachelor’s degrees, including one in nursing. Wingspan sat down with McDavid to learn more about her journey so far and what she wishes to accomplish this year.

Wingspan: What did you do before coming to campus?

McDavid: “I have been a substitute nurse for six years. And then I was a cardiac nurse at Texas Health Fort Worth for a couple years before that.”

Wingspan: What aspects of this campus drew you here?

McDavid: “I have subbed here a lot in the past for the previous nurse, when she was here, and I always really liked being here and the atmosphere and the kids.”

Wingspan: Why did you choose to become a school nurse? Have you always wanted to be one?

McDavid: “Not necessarily. When I started nursing, I wanted to be in cardiac for nursing like when I started and now I like it because I have kids so this schedule of the school so I can be off during summer breaks. So there’s like it’s kinda like a little urgent care clinic we have over here. We don’t really know what is coming in, and we don’t know what’s gonna happen next and it keeps it exciting.”

Wingspan: What do you enjoy about the medical field?

McDavid: “I have really always liked science so like how the body works and just learning more about it because it’s something I can always continue learning about.”

Wingspan: What difficulties do you face especially now with COVID-19?

McDavid: “COVID definitely takes up a lot of time, it’s not taking time necessarily from being with other kids because I’m still taking care of all the kids here, but I think it’s just that time what we have to do extra things because for COVID and just the extra precautions we have to take. I mean I feel like it’s a lot. I mean it’s great to wear a mask but sometimes it can be difficult to talk to people and even you know just assessing people, and so I just think higher risks and things like that with sickness.”

Wingspan: What’s your number one fear about your job?

McDavid: “Well I don’t really want to do anything wrong. So that would probably be my number one fear. You know we’re all human and people can make mistakes and when you’re a nurse that’s not what you want to do that’s not…there’s a lot less room for error with nursing, so probably that.”

Wingspan: What’s your favorite aspect about being a nurse?

McDavid: “Taking care of people.”

Wingspan: So do you like taking care of students?

McDavid: “I do. I like pediatric younger nursing versus adults.”

Wingspan: What do you like to do in your free time?

McDavid: “Tennis. I play a lot of tennis. I used to be on six tennis teams, now I’m on three.”

Wingspan: What’s the biggest piece of advice you would give to any students looking for a career in the medical field?

McDavid: “Get involved as early as you can. Volunteer or come as you get older or even if you’re in college you can become a patient care technician or anything you can do to get you involved in a hospital or a doctor’s office or anything in that field early on. Because it really helped me getting me my first job because I was already working in a hospital and I just got hired right on so that was definitely that.”