Donna Richards

I've been in nursing for 30 years, and what inspired me to get into this field was my passion for working with people and supporting my community - I really wanted to make a difference. For the past five years, I've been working as a nurse at a K-8 school, where I provide skilled nursing care but also handle social support, case management, and coordinating care for students. Before moving into the school system, I did community work and home health visits. One of the accomplishments I'm most proud of is the work I did in a clinic with young people and families in the community who had complex medical issues and social issues. I provided group care where I did education for parents, young parents with children, and pregnant women. This is my last year in the school system, and I'm going back to doing case management and clinical education. During the summers and when I'm not at school, I work with agencies at long-term care facilities or independent facilities doing skilled nursing and case management work. I earned my bachelor's in nursing from Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts, and I'm currently in the process of completing my master's in Leadership and Nurse Management from WGU. I'm a member of AONL, and I believe in always keep learning and moving forward - not getting stuck and trying to be fearless.