Jennifer L Schmitz, APRN

Jen Schmitz, APRN, fell in love with medicine thanks to an early fascination with science and the influence of two important people: her father, a surgeon, and her best friend, a labor and delivery nurse.

“They always had the best stories,” Schmitz said. “I decided to give nursing a go – and somewhere along the way, I found my passion for wound care by accident.”

After working in family practice and urgent care settings, she was encouraged by a friend to explore a role in wound care. She quickly discovered what made the specialty unique.

“There aren’t many areas of medicine where you can physically see improvements. In wound care, you can. And it can completely change someone’s quality of life.”

Schmitz, a nurse practitioner providing wound care at Methodist’s Wound Center at West Dodge Medical Plaza, has a special interest in pressure injuries because they require creativity, persistence and problem-solving to treat. But treating a patient’s wound, she said, is only half her mission.

“I want to better their life, not just fix their wound.”

And there’s nowhere she’d rather do that than at Methodist, a place that has always felt like home. Her father spent more than 30 years practicing within the health system, and she worked as a Methodist nurse before becoming a provider.

“Being part of Methodist is like being part of a big family,” she said. “And patients can feel that.”

Outside of work, Schmitz and her husband enjoy life with their two kids and three dogs. She loves being outdoors – running, hiking, fishing and cheering on her children at their sporting events.