Dawn Steinman, a nurse practitioner at Jewell County Rural Health Clinic, has been in nursing since 1992 and has been a nurse practitioner since 2016. She went to school for her nurse practitioner degree at Caplan University and Perdue Global University.
Steinman's first real job after graduating and getting married was as a nurses' aid at Hebron, Neb., a nursing home. "I like helping people and I'd see what the nurses were doing. I said 'well I could do that,' so I went to nursing school," Steinman said.
Steinman is at the clinic usually from Monday to Friday. If she were to retire tomorrow, Steinman said she would stay in the Kansas-Nebraska area because it is where she grew up. Steinman plans to practice as a nurse practitioner for at least five more years, if not longer.
Steinman enjoys reading, walking her dog and doing crafts, like crochet. She has made crochet afghans for her grandchildren. Steinman and her husband have four children. She is inspired by people. "I think most people in the midwest are unique," Steinman said. "Most people in the midwest are tough, the stuff they put up with and they never complain until there's really a problem."
To learn about a condition she doesn't know much about, Steinman will use all of the resources available to her, such as talking with other providers she works with and checking the various medical websites that list medications, disease process, and symptoms. She will also refer a person to a specialist. "If I can't figure it out, but have an idea on where to go, I'll send them to someone who knows more about it than I do," Steinman said.
Steinman wants aspiring medical professionals to rlisten to their patients. For patients, Steinman said, "Be open, be honest. If you have any concerns, share them, because how are we going to fix it if we don't know what's going on."
When asked what she wanted the community to know about her, Steinman replied, "I'm a midwest girl just like them. Small farming community, so I know what a lot of them are going through. I try hard to not judge people, I'm not going to say I don't, but I really try hard not to."
Steinman ended the interview by quoting an unknown author, "Do your best to see the best in others."
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