Healing is second nature to Renae Sawyer, who’s been the Heatly school nurse since May of this year. Ms. Sawyer is no stranger to Green Island, as she’s been the district’s substitute school nurse since 2016. Her educational background includes the Albany College School of Nursing, which she graduated from in 2009 before becoming a registered nurse a year later.
Ms. Sawyer began her nursing career at Sunnyview Rehabilitation Center as a neurovascular team leader. She stayed in this role for three years and was then employed by a local nursing home, followed by Albany Memorial Wound Care Center. Her final position prior to Heatly was as a health care coordinator at the Center for Disability Services. In this role, Ms. Sawyer was responsible for overseeing healthcare for residents in the community that had intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.
When asked what she enjoys most about her job, Ms. Sawyer said it’s “…seeing all of the students and getting a quick ‘hello,’ ‘Happy Friday,’ ‘have a good weekend,’ or ‘how are you’ from them.” She goes on to say that students “really brighten all of my days with a wave in the hallway.”
Being a school nurse and a nurse in a healthcare setting are completely different, which is evident in Ms. Sawyer’s experiences. When asked to recall a positive, memorable moment of being a school nurse, Ms. Sawyer described a time when a student came in to see her, and after they finished talking, the student said “thank you” and gave her the biggest hug. She also loves when students leave her office smiling, as this is her favorite part of the job.
Over the years, Ms. Sawyer has been given numerous pieces of advice about nursing, but the best advice she’s received so far is “to always remember why I became a nurse in the first place.”
When she’s not caring for students at Heatly, Ms. Sawyer can be found volunteering at her son’s baseball league or at her children’s school with the PTA. Some fun facts about Ms. Sawyer are that she loves dolphins, Christmas, watching her kids play sports and random acts of kindness.