Nurse Dawn Elaine Sexton holds up a student ready to pass out from pain. Sexton steadies the girl and stifles the tears, she reassures the patient that everything will be alright. Sexton gives the girl an ice-pack to numb the girl’s pain and reduce swelling. This year two new nurses, Sexton and Donna Tate, joined the school’s staff.

Nurse Sexton began as a hospital nurse and worked for various hospitals, then she began working at Parkland Hospital, first as a regular nurse, and then as a Transplant Coordinator, which put every kidney and pancreas transplant patient under her care. Nurse Sexton then became the hospital’s Nurse Director until she left to be a home nurse.

“I was way past my burn-out time,” Sexton said. “I was ready to do something different.”

According to Sexton the “burn-out period,” the time in which nurses don’t want to work as nurses anymore, is usually after two years of work. They then move on to other careers or go back to school to become a doctor. After burning out, Sexton then took a nursing job with the district and has been with Garland schools for the last six years. Last year she was at a middle school but was asked to join the North Garland staff with newcomer Nurse Tate. Sexton, along with Nurse Tate, is hoping to stay until she retires.

“We plan to die together here,” said the two together in union.

The nurses are planning on working closely with the HST department and giving the students advice for their future medical positions. Sexton believes it would be good for the students to learn from the point of view of a nurse.

“We are hoping to be an integrated part of HOSA and help out as much as possible,” Sexton said. “We just want to help as much as we can.”