Natalie Lovato Interview

1. Name and Title as you would like it presented: 

Natalie Lovato, RN, BSN District Lead Nurse

2. School name where you work:

 Maricopa Unified School District 20

3.  How long have you been a school nurse?

 5 years as school nurse, 8 years a school nurse supervisor

4. Nurses have a lot of options when deciding where to work. How did you choose to work for a local school and what has kept you in school nursing so many years?

 I always wanted to be a school nurse, I used to help the health assistant when I was in Elementary school. I enjoy working with children and adolescents, they make you look at life a little differently. 

5. What motivates you to make a difference for your students and community?

 I am driven by optimizing student health, safety and learning so students can succeed in the educational environment. 

6. What is one thing you’d like the community to know about school nurses? 

School Nurses work very hard, we are looked at as a person just putting on a bandaid, we are much more! We are providing free health care in an educational setting that can be resistant to our purpose.  We enjoy this career because we focus on the students' well-being. Yes, the work hours play a role but this is one of the lowest paying nursing careers and many school nurses stay in this field because of students. We build a relationship with students, parents/guardians, staff, local providers and the community. It's a very hard job mentally and we are not rewarded instantly or not at all. We deal with many illnesses, medical conditions, mental health conditions,  living situations, parent/guardian concerns, environmental conditions, diverse backgrounds, homelessness, foster care, emergencies and community concerns. School Nurses helped develop large-scale immunization programs, creating AIDS programs and drug prevention programs during the 1980s and continue to advocate for students' health and academic needs.