Major: Nursing
Laurie Walker remembers the date: Dec. 23, 2003.
That’s the day the younger of her two sons was diagnosed with diabetes. It’s also the date that inspired Walker to change careers.
In the mid-’80s, Walker earned her bachelor’s in Mass Communications at Illinois State University and took summer classes at College of DuPage to get ahead in school while completing an internship.
Twenty-five years later, she wanted to work in medicine.
“Eight months after Brian’s diagnosis, I started working as a nursing assistant at the endocrinology office where my son was treated,” she said. “Their physicians and nurse encouraged me to go back to school to earn my nursing degree. The nurse at my son’s endocrinology office was also the mother of a child with diabetes. That combination was invaluable to our family and me. I wanted to be able to provide that same experience to other families navigating diabetes.”
So she returned to College of DuPage and started completing prerequisites for the Associate Degree in Nursing program.
Health Science Admissions at COD
“College of DuPage has the reputation of having an outstanding Nursing program,” she said. “I have heard from many sources that if two graduates are equally qualified for a job, the employer will choose the COD graduate due to how well the COD program prepares their students. Their nursing instructors are well-qualified to teach the courses and bring with them life experiences.”
During her time at COD, Walker earned the Illinois Health Improvement Association scholarship.
“This scholarship meant that others recognized my academic accomplishments and were willing to support my further education,” she said. “They saw the passion I have for helping others and educating the community on health issues, and they attached value to it. It meant my hard work paid off.
“It also made it easier for me to attend COD. I had to cut my work hours down to one day a week in order to accommodate my classes and studies. This scholarship helped fill the gap. Plus, I was paying for my oldest son to attend college at a four-year university.”
Two months after graduating, Walker was hired as an RN by DuPage Medical Group, which employs more than 400 physicians in 40 locations throughout DuPage County and the surrounding areas. She worked in family practice for one year and assisted five doctors, providing care for patients from birth to death.
She then transferred to DuPage Medical Group’s new Pediatric Endocrinology Department, which consisted of one physician, a registered Medical Assistant and Walker, the RN.
“Starting a department from scratch was both rewarding and challenging,” she said. “I was involved in every aspect of developing the department, including creating protocols, building relationships with pharmaceutical reps, providing patient care, ordering supplies, creating department manuals and much more. It was a fantastic experience.”
The instructors helped guide me toward what area of the nursing profession would be a good fit for me and opened my eyes to areas I never knew existed.
Laurie Walker
Walker also has been fortunate to follow her passion and help children with diabetes and their families. She is Certified Insulin Pump Trainer and a Certified Continuous Glucose Monitor Trainer. In addition, she passed the certified diabetes exam and is a Certified Diabetes Educator.
After DuPage Medical Group closed her department, Walker worked for Rush Copley Medical Group in family practice. However, she found her way back into Pediatric Endocrinology and currently is an RN and Certified Diabetes Educator for Advocate Medical Group in its Pediatric Endocrinology department, which has three doctors.
“I collaborate with our physicians to determine the best plan of care for our diabetic patients who have appointments each day,” she said. “That plan may include insulin adjustments, referrals to a nutritionist, behavior modification and ongoing diabetes education on a variety topics. During back-to-school time, our patients need a new diabetes medical management plan to guide their school nurse on how to care for them at school. This is an important part of my job, which helps ensure continuity and that our patients get the right care at school.”
When the pandemic hit in March 2020, Walker said everyone had to adapt to a new way of operating.
“The spread of COVID-19 turned the medical field upside down, including how outpatient office visits occurred,” she said. “We had to develop a way to see patients virtually to keep everyone safe. The medical staff quickly adjusted to the new normal of seeing all of our patients via video visits. It didn't take long for us to realize that there will always be situations where video visits are appropriate, even after the pandemic is over.
“Today we are almost two years into the pandemic and all the rules that come with it. We have returned to seeing most of our patients in person for their appointments, but we still see approximately 25% of them virtually. Medicine is always changing, as is the way we can service our patients.”
She thanks College of DuPage for helping her by offering courses that are relevant and practical as well as reasonably priced.
“The hospital clinicals exposed me to a variety of wonderful learning experiences. The instructors helped guide me toward what area of the nursing profession would be a good fit for me and opened my eyes to areas I never knew existed,” she said. “I thoroughly enjoyed taking nursing classes at COD. Although I don’t miss the studying, I do miss the experience. I made some great friends in the ADN program.”