Advocate Condell nurse celebrates 40-year mark at hospital

Advocate Condell Medical Center recently celebrated its long-time Associates. Among the 5-, 10- and 15-year honorees was Wauconda resident Jane Brown, a staff nurse at Advocate Condell Medical Center, who celebrated her 40th year as a nurse at the hospital.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median number of years a U.S. worker has been in his or her current job is just 4.4 years. Tell that to Brown, and she chuckles.

“I know, people don't stay in one place like they used to,” said Brown, whose career at Condell began in 1972 as an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurse. “You become a family when you work with a team that long. I was in the ICU for 36 years, and I watched many of my co-workers' families grow up together.”

Brown also grew professionally at Condell, moonlighting in the Oncology unit while her kids were in college, and holding numerous management positions.

Deborah Spiewak, Manager GI and Perioperative Services and Brown's supervisor added, “Jane has successfully functioned as Manager, Supervisor, educator and staff nurse. She cares for each and every patient as if they were her family. It's such a pleasure to have her on our team.”

Brown, who works in the pre- and post-surgical areas, doesn't have plans of retiring anytime soon. “Even if I do retire, I'm sure I'd come back and do nursing work on an as-needed basis,” said Brown. “I need to be at the patient's bedside. I can't see myself in any other role.”