Gerontological Nurse Pioneer Recognized at CON Celebration

Sherry McKay began her career as a diploma prepared nurse, graduating from Saginaw General Hospital. After McKay completed her BSN at Iowa Wesleyan College, she subsequently obtained her GNP from UI’s College of Nursing in 1998. 

Over her career, McKay’s clinical and administrative experiences have included Staff Nurse/Head Nurse at Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka, Kansas; Director of in-service and Staff Development in several community-based hospitals in the Midwest; and Manager Long-Term Care Field Staff for the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care. 

Following completion of her GNP, she embraced the gerontological nurse practitioner role in the Department of Family Practice at UIHC. She joined the faculty of the College of Nursing in 2004 and quickly assumed leadership of its Gerontological Nurse Practitioner Program.

“It can be said that Sherry has had a hand in preparing the vast majority of GNPs currently practicing in the state of Iowa,” noted Rita Frantz, dean and professor at the College of Nursing. “Reflecting on Sherry’s career, a big part of her legacy in the College of Nursing is the creation of House Calls within our Faculty Practice. Moved by her desire to make high quality primary care accessible to older adults in long-term care facilities, Sherry set about creating her ‘dream’ of having a Faculty Practice focused on providing nurse practitioner services to residents of local nursing homes.”

McKay’s efforts lead to the establishment of formal affiliations between the college and long-term care facilities as well as the birth of “House Calls.” The benefits to nursing home residents were significant. Unnecessary hospital admissions were avoided because of the rapid response by the NPs to changes in a residents’ status, and costly ambulance trips for clinic appointments were eliminated because the NPs came to the residents to provide ongoing monitoring of their chronic conditions.

While the literature has only recently begun to describe the positive outcomes derived from having NPs provide primary care services in nursing homes, McKay was ahead of her time in bringing this model of care delivery to Iowa’s nursing home residents. In the eight years that McKay has been a faculty member at the College of Nursing, she has taken House Calls from an innovative idea to a viable practice with 10 nursing homes across Eastern Iowa. Because of her efforts, untold numbers of older adults will continue to receive high quality, patient-centered care well beyond McKay’s transition into retirement.

“It has been said that every great dream begins with a dreamer. Your dream has been an inspiration for us all, Sherry. As we bid you farewell and best wishes, we pledge our continuing commitment to your dream of providing exceptional primary care to older adults. Congratulations, and we wish you all the best in your retirement,” added Frantz.

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