Attached are the bio's for our two candidates for NASN Director position. Please watch for a link to cast your vote.
I have been a school nurse at heart since I was 5 years old and my school nurse and neighbor drove me home when I was ill. The reality began when I lived in Turkey and was able to volunteer at a Department of Defense school as their school nurse. Upon reentry to the states, I attended SIUE for a course of study earning me a certificate in school nursing and jettisoning me into a school for children ages 0-21 years with special needs. Since then I have worked in a variety of settings from childcare to high school, sole RN to supervisor of 28 RN’s, and research participant to authorship. I am a Johnson and Johnson Fellow and currently work in a Charter school and an Early College and Career Academy in Henderson County.
I have been a member of NASN since 1992. I have benefitted form the peer support, position statements and joined in their advocacy. I have served in the Western Region as Practice and Standards, Secretary, Vice and Chair. I am currently in my second term as Secretary for SNANC.
My reason in applying for this position is to be able to give back to the organization that has supported me through the years. Having held diverse experiences and positions, I can approach positions from various perspective. I truly enjoy scholarly research and ensuring school nurses are working on the highest level of evidence-based practice their license allows. It would be an honor to serve as NASN representative for North Carolina.
Amy Widderich is currently the lead nurse for Alamance Burlington School System. She has been an active member in SNANC since joining the Alamance Burlington School System in 2011. She first engaged with SNANC by serving as president for the NW region. Her exposure as a regional president on the executive board gave her the opportunity to serve as president of SNANC in 2019. She continues to serve as past president. During her time as president, she had the opportunity to advocate for school nurses via Nurse Night at the Legislature by meeting directly with state legislatures.and writing an article for Tarheel Nurse. She actively engages with our school nurse consultant team when addressing needs of nurses in her district. She also had an opportunity to present at the NC School Nurse conference at a round table break-out session on quality improvement. She is passionate about advocating for the role of the nurse in schools, as well as addressing the needs of students and families in the educational setting. Amy is excited about the potential of connecting with other school nurses across the country and to continue to serve NC school nurses through the NASN Director position.