02/12/2026
We’re proud to share that one of our amazing team members, Joy Stuckert, was recently featured in WNCC Alumni Association! It’s always inspiring to see our employees recognized not only for their hard work, but also for the impact they continue to make beyond the workplace. Way to go, Joy!
Joy Stuckert has been in nursing for more than 30 years and she still loves it. A Scottsbluff native, she first went to Nebraska Wesleyan thinking she’d become a teacher, like many in her family. But life took her in a different direction. After marriage, having a daughter, and then a divorce, she found herself back home wondering what to do next. That’s when she finally decided to chase a dream she’d carried for years: becoming a nurse. The decision felt even bigger because someone had once told her she wasn’t smart enough to do it.
Starting at WNCC at 28, as a single mom, was intimidating. She remembers sitting in class, feeling nervous about whether she could handle it all. But things quickly started to feel different. She met classmates who became close friends, and instructors who genuinely cared — not just about grades, but about how she was doing. Having people in her corner, plus the hands-on learning, made a huge difference.
After graduating in 1993, Joy began working at Regional West Medical Center. She juggled multiple jobs just to pay the bills, all while trying to learn everything she could in the operating room. Over the next two decades, she grew into a certified scrub nurse, took on leadership responsibilities, learned new procedures, taught others, and even got opportunities to travel along the way.
For nearly 10 years now, she’s been at Morrill County Community Hospital as a Surgery Coordinator and Scrub Nurse. What she appreciates most, she says, is how people treat each other there. Leadership listens, and she feels respected as a person, not just a name on the schedule. Teaching has always been part of her story too, mentoring students at the hospital and working as an adjunct CNA instructor at WNCC. She’s a firm believer that you don’t need a BSN to have a meaningful, successful career in nursing.
Looking back, Joy says WNCC didn’t just prepare her for a job, it helped her believe in herself. Her advice to anyone thinking about going back to school? “Just go. Explore. You might surprise yourself."
