Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Established in 2023, the College of Nursing Notable Preceptor Award recognizes exceptional preceptors who model and encourage critical thinking, compassion, curiosity, and motivation; who are knowledgeable; and who have a lasting impact on student learning. One undergraduate and one graduate preceptor are selected for the award each year.

A woman in a black scrub top with a blue shirt underneath smiles as she holds up a cake with black white, and gold frosting that reads "congratulations Amy! 24-25 Notable Preceptor.
Amy Schafer

We are pleased to announce Amy Schafer, MSN, BSN, RN, as the winner of the 2024-2025 Undergraduate Preceptor Award. Schafer is a Housing and Urban Development - Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) nurse and works at the Des Moines VA Medical Center. She was nominated by her spring 2025 Community and Public Health practicum RN-BSN student, Vea Collado.

From Collado's nomination:

Amy Schafer is an amazing and kind human being. She is a phenomenal nurse and a valuable resource for our community. She truly embodies the values of nursing by being kind, nonjudgmental, and honest with her patients. She treats her patients like family and cares for them so deeply that it hardly seems like she is working — she genuinely loves what she does. Amy is highly knowledgeable not only in nursing but also in social work. When asked if she had a degree in social work, she laughed and said she learned on the job. That’s how naturally this field of work comes to her.

She taught me that nurses are not only there to treat wounds but also to be a friend to those who need it. She chats with her patients, remembers their routines, and knows their behavior patterns — including when it’s best to walk away if they are not in a good state. She always lets them know she is available whenever they need her.

Amy is sunshine in human form and deserves all the recognition she receives. Thank you, Amy, for being a role model to everyone around you!

A woman in a black scrub top with a blue shirt underneath smiles as stands surrounded by a group of about 5 people holding black and gold pom poms and bullhorns. She holds a gift in her hands.
From left: Angela Melsa Worrell (UI-CON), Mary Tobin (UI-CON), Amy Schafer (VA), Brend Krogh Duree (UI-CON), Alicia McInteer (VA), Laura Goddard (UI-CON)

 

Interested in becoming a College of Nursing Preceptor? Contact Angela or Laura today!