New Family Medicine Clinic Provider Is Coming Home

JEFFERSON, Iowa – Dawn Tingwald, ARNP, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC is both a certified nurse practitioner and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and will officially become a member of the medical staff at Greene County Medical Center in early July.

Tingwald, who has spent a total of 21 years working in healthcare, said her new position as a provider in the Family Medicine Clinic is like coming home. “I previously worked here as a registered nurse for 12 years, gaining experience in almost all departments. I returned to do some of my training for my nurse practitioner certification and worked with Heather Wilson in mental health rotations,” she explained. “During those times I realized how much I missed it and knew I wanted to come back.”

The desire to pursue a career in medicine arose from incidents that occurred when Tingwald was only 15 or 16 years old. “My sister was in a car accident and in the hospital for a few days and then my mother had surgery. Those experiences kind of just drew me in to an interest in that field.” Tingwald originally thought she would pursue a career as a physician, but really wanted to focus on family first, so she began researching options and decided that becoming a nurse practitioner was a great fit for her.

Tingwald treats patients of all ages and her additional training in behavioral healthcare will be a benefit to residents of the Greene County Medical Center service area. Other medical interests include diabetes, obesity, COPD, preventive care and pediatrics. Tingwald is excited about building long-term relationships with those in her care. “I want to develop open lines of communication, and I like to treat patients like they’re family members,” Tingwald said. “I want to help meet their needs in every way possible, whether it is physically or emotionally, and work with them on their healthcare decisions.” She adheres to an open-door policy and strives to make all patients as comfortable as possible in their healthcare interactions.

Tingwald received an associate degree in nursing from Iowa Central Community College and bachelor’s, master’s and post-graduate degrees in nursing, family nurse practitioner and mental health nurse practitioner fields from Clarkson College. She currently serves as treasurer of the Iowa Nurse Practitioner Society and is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Originally from Rippey, Tingwald and her husband Garrett now live on a farm near Woodward with their two children, Evelyn who is nine and Colton seven. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, her horse and her pets.

Tingwald will begin seeing patients at the Family Medicine Clinic in mid-July. Appointments can be scheduled by calling the clinic at 386-0500.