This year, AT bids goodbye to school nurse Judy Campbell as she embarks on her retirement after 12 years of service to AT.
At the end of her career, Campbell shares how it all began. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and in Psychology from Elmhurst College. Since earning her degree, Campbell has worked at Hines VA for 8 year, where she was on the first heart transplant team in the Midwest, and Elmhurst Memorial for 3 more before starting at District 4.
Twelve years ago, she began her career at AT because she appreciated the consistent schedule of a school nurse.
”I used to work the second shift, my husband worked days, but after I had kids, I worked the second shift so we didn’t have to worry about daycare. When I started to miss concerts and baseball games it got a little hard, so that’s when I decided I’d try school nursing,” said Campbell.
Campbell went back to school and was certified to be a school nurse, putting her on the teachers’ contract.
Since coming to AT, she recalls her favorite part of the job to be the students.
“Seeing, treating, helping kids, helping their families navigate where to get an eye exam, where to get a doctor, whatever that is. sometimes our kids might need access to the food pantry, the psychologist, and this office acts as a gateway to those resources,” said Campbell.
Campbell notes that while she loved her job, she will not miss the immense amount of paperwork she was subjected to. “The paperwork—I have to do a lot of special education stuff that is my responsibility, and it gets done. A lot of time I need to write to a lot of kids who have vision problems or who need immunizations or who have hearing problems.”
Campbell recalls the relationships she has created with staff members through her daily interactions and responsibilities.I also take care of the staff, so if there is a staff member who is taking new medication, we might take their blood pressure for a week. If there is an accident, we make sure the environment is safe for everyone,” said Campbell.
After retiring, Campbell plans to spend time with her grandchildren, travel the world, and of course, visit AT. “I have three beautiful grandchildren—one on the way—that I can visit whenever I want. my husband and i were looking into visiting all the state parks, and a lot of road trips.”
Next year, Gabby Sinatra, who interned with Campbell two years ago, will take over Campbell’s position.
