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Wendy McCracken: A Lifelong Calling to Care, Lead, and Inspire
With over 30 years of clinical, academic, and simulation experience, Wendy McCracken brings a global perspective and unwavering passion to nursing education. A dual-qualified Registered Nurse and Midwife, Wendy’s career has taken her from frontline patient care to international simulation leadership — and everything in between.
“I always wanted to be a nurse,” Wendy shares. “If you ask my mom, she’ll tell you that even from being a tiny little girl, I never said I wanted to be anything else.”
Her journey started in the UK, where she joined the St. John Ambulance at 11 years old. There, she met Elsie, a nurse who became her first mentor and lifelong inspiration. “She taught us first aid and home nursing, and she was so engaging. I thought, ‘When I grow up, I want to be like you.’ And that’s what I did.”
Wendy’s career spans continents — including key roles in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar — and she’s known for championing multidisciplinary education and high-fidelity simulation to improve patient safety. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was part of the NHS Nightingale response team in London, where she helped train over 3,000 people in just three months.
“We turned pop concert arenas into hospitals and simulation centers. We trained flight crews, chefs, even a concert pianist — people who had never worked in healthcare — to support the NHS. That experience was one of the most rewarding of my life.”
A certified Master Trainer in TeamSTEPPS and an instructor through the Center for Medical Simulation, Wendy is passionate about using simulation to recreate the high-stakes, emotionally charged scenarios that healthcare professionals face. “Simulation helps us understand human behavior under pressure. It creates a safe space where we can practice the muscle memory and critical thinking needed for real emergencies.”
Her commitment to lifelong learning and team-based care is evident in everything she does. When asked what she would say to new or aspiring nurses, Wendy doesn’t hesitate:
“It’s a journey, not a destination. If you find a stop along the way that doesn’t feel right, get off, look around — and know that you can always get back on.”
When reflecting on her impact, Wendy says she knows she’s made a difference when she hears from former students and colleagues around the world: “People still send me photos and messages to tell me how they’re doing — and they say thank you. That’s how I know.”
Above all, Wendy remains grateful — for the career, the colleagues, and the calling.
“Nursing made me Wendy. I didn’t make nursing — it made me who I am today.