Throughout the entire cold-weather season, students spend the majority of their time within DePaul Prep, meaning it’s expected for them to get sick here and there. When this inevitably occurs, the DePaul Prep nurses office is always there to help. This way, students are not forced to deal with their illness alone in class and get the care they need.

The DePaul Prep nurse’s office is run by Nurse Barbara Mulcrone and Nurse McKenzie Collier, both experienced nurses. 

Mulcrone has 44 years of experience on her resume, and it all started with earning her bachelor degree in nursing. Then, she began her career, which has had many different stops along the way.

“I worked in an acute care setting, which is a hospital, for over 19 years. I did part time home care for patients that needed visits from nurses, either for dressing or medication changes.”

Then, Mulcrone decided to switch her focus to the medication itself. 

“I worked at a pharmaceutical company for eight years doing clinical trials. That is collecting data and working with investigators who are giving medication not approved by the FDA yet,” Mulcrone added. But, her career didn’t end there. For fifteen years, her previous job before joining DePaul Prep was in a pediatric dialysis clinic. 

“Those are children ages infant to 21, whose kidneys no longer functions and need to come and get the procedure, dialysis, until they get their kidney transplant.”

This experience is part of what landed Mulcrone at DePaul Prep. She adds, “If you are working with a sick population for all of those years, it’s nice to work with a healthy population.”

Collier’s past looks a little different. “I worked in the emergency department for eleven years, and then after that, I worked at a community care clinic for a couple years.” 

Collier decided to come to DePaul Prep for a change of pace. “I wanted something new and more exciting than a clinic.”

In terms of the nurses’ positions themselves, there is a lot more involved than just taking care of the students that come into the office. Reporting mechanisms to the Illinois State Board of Education is just one of the many examples. “That involves making sure people are up to date on their required immunizations and dental exams,” Mulcrone explains. 

There is also a lot of communication between counselors and the nurses. “We meet with the counselors if we have seen a student that comes with the similar complaint over and over, to see if there is a better plan that can be put in place for them,” Collier explains. 

Making sure policies following good nursing practice are in place, checking emails and the school’s Covid reporting tool, and interacting with staff members and parents are all other actions that take up a majority of both Mulcrone and Collier’s days. These components on top of the constant stream of students visiting the office make for eventful times. 

“We see on average 75 students through this office every week that require us to do things. Basically, once school starts, it gets really busy here,” Mulcrone states. 

However, communication with students is not something that is stressful for Mulcrone. Instead, it is one of the aspects of the job that she enjoys the most. “I find teenagers very intuitive. They’re the future. There’s lots of opinions and views that someone my age would not consider.” 

Collier has a similar perspective. She says, “I love the community and feeling like I actually helped someone. I like getting to know the students, recognizing their faces and names.” 

Both nurse’s drive to grow closer to the students is definitely seen and appreciated.

Junior Lara Kabance emphasizes the individuality of the care in the nurse’s office. “Whenever I go to the nurse’s office, they are thoughtful and provide personal care,” Kabance shares.

However, students do not need to visit the nurse’s office frequently to feel the passion of the nurses present. Sophomore, Caroline Hartman, has never been to the nurse’s office but is still able to speak positively about the staff. “The nurses seem very nice. They make the school day way more comfortable, knowing there is an option to get taken care of if I feel sick,” Hartman reveals. 

Despite the office’s positive impact, Mulcrone still would like to encourage growth. “My vision would be that we have bigger visibility in the school, and that we can contribute to the learning experience in a sense of sending out new information.”

Collier wants to remind the school community of the office’s presence. “We’re here if you’re sick, or if you are just having a bad day and need a moment. Our door is always open,” she explains. 

That being said, it is promised that Mulcrone and Collier will continue working together to keep our students both healthy and safe.