Title: Registered Nurse
Company: Crossing Rivers Health
Location: Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, United States
Cheryl McCune, RN, registered nurse at Crossing Rivers Health, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Nurses for dedication, achievements, and leadership in health care.
With 20 years of experience in nursing, Ms. McCune has demonstrated a commitment to excellence and a passion for helping others. She has amassed a diverse and enriching work history in the medical field. Her journey began following a divorce in 2002 and being unable to find secure employment in small-town Iowa in her previous career as a commercial artist. She saw an advertisement in the local newspaper for a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) and inquired how to become one. Following a 6 weeks class at Northeast Iowa Community College, she became a CNA. During the class, the instructor, feeling that she was well suited for the nursing field, suggested she should become a Registered Nurse. Again, she inquired how to become one. Over the next 2 years, Ms. McCune supported herself as a CNA while attending Southwest Wisconsin Technical College to become a Registered Nurse. Since her graduation in 2004, she has been employed for 20 years at Crossing Rivers Health Hospital in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin as a Registered Nurse. After gaining foundation experience, she was later advanced to head of the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) in 2013 at Crossing Rivers Health to the present day. She worked 1 year full-time in 2006 in Intensive Care at Skemp Mayo Hospital in LaCrosse, WI, while continuing to work as needed for Crossing Rivers Health. Due to the 60-mile drive for work, Ms. McCune returned to just working full time at Crossing Rivers Health Hospital, but gained valuable knowledge and experience working in a large hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.
Laying the foundation for her subsequent career, Ms. McCune received a Bachelor of Arts degree in commercial art and advertising from Upper Iowa University. Combining the two careers, she designs all of the patient education materials that are now used to teach patients on their diagnosis. These colorful placemat-sized “Fact Mats” are created in-house by her and used instead of purchased brochures to cut down on the hospital’s costs. Her innovative approach to nursing education, combining art and nursing, has garnered recognition from hospitals across Wisconsin and underscores her commitment to making a meaningful impact in the field of healthcare.
Throughout her career, Ms. McCune has received numerous accolades, including being named Nurse of the Year in 2013 and Service Appreciation Awards for 10, 15, and 20 years of service. She attributes her success to her hard work, self-belief, and persistent efforts, as well as the unwavering support of her parents. Her dedication to her profession is evident in her diverse experience and commitment to providing quality care to her patients.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Ms. McCune’s creative pursuits, such as playing saxophone in a band and painting barn quilts, highlight her multifaceted interests and passions. Looking ahead, she envisions herself continuing her career in nursing while exploring new hobbies and interests. She plans to remain available as a PRN nurse to assist during staff shortages and hopes to travel, engage in theater, pursue her love for barn field painting and spend time with grandchildren and family. Despite anticipating retirement from full-time work in 2024, she remains enthusiastic about the opportunities that lie ahead and looks forward to embracing them with an open heart and mind. Ms. McCune’s advice to young nurses, or anyone actually, is to “find what you can and love to do and do it the best you can.”
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