Without nurses, there would be no doctors’ offices, hospitals or even a nurse’s office at schools. Society understands this idea because May 6, National Nurses Day, is set aside to honor the efforts of nurses all over the United States.

For the past 20 years at Livingston Manor Central School, there has been an enthusiastic, motherly figure who takes care of all the students and makes everyone feel safe. This staff member is Mrs. Mary Davis.

Mrs. Davis grew up in the Bronx and then moved to Liberty when she was a junior in high school. It took a full year for Mrs. Davis to get used to her new surroundings, but by her senior year, she was settled in. Her life was changed forever when she was called in by her guidance counselor during her senior year to plan for life after high school. When he questioned Mrs. Davis about what she wanted to do with her life, she panicked because she had no idea what she wanted to be.

When she saw a poster in the office of a nurse, she quickly said that’s the career that she wanted to get into. Even though it was a quick decision, it was the right one. Some people around her said that she would not be successful in the medical field, but they could not have been more wrong. Mrs. Davis went on to attend school at Orange County Community College, SUNY New Paltz, Sullivan County Community College and finally, Mount Saint Mary, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Not only has she overcome obstacles to prove her doubters wrong, she has also become a reliable and trustworthy nurse. Each day, Mrs. Davis is responsible for record keeping, assisting students and staff with medications, and helping to develop student health plans.

In addition to working as a nurse at LMCS, Mrs. Davis has also worked in a physician’s office, a nursing home, a summer camp and even for public health. “Nursing is a great field and there are endless options and opportunities,” she said. “It is versatile and there is job security.”

In my opinion, she’s the best school nurse in the county. Despite working multiple jobs, she is still very persistent and never lets a student down. Her door is always open to feed, medicate, talk to, calm down, joke with or save students if a medical emergency should come up. Thank you, Mrs. Davis – we are lucky to have you!

This story is excerpted from the May issue of LMCS’s Manor Monthly.