Beloved Ipswich nurse Judy Litfin retires after 45 year career

A beloved nurse has reflected on her time at Ipswich Hospital and what she will miss most about the job when she retires after 45 years.

Judy Litfin has closed the curtain on her 45-year career as a nurse at Ipswich Hospital.

Judy Litfin knew the moment she began training to become a nurse at Ipswich Hospital that it was where she was meant to be.

Forty-five years on, the beloved nurse is saying goodbye to her home away from home at the hospital.

There have many changes to nursing during her career.

She said perhaps the best change was the decision to get rid of the stiff, square nurses hats which had to be held in with bobby pins.

“They didn’t enhance the job at all, they sometimes got caught in the curtains,” she said.

Ms Litfin recalled some of the other ways nursing has changed since 1976, including the strict “fraternisation” rules nurses faced.

Judy Litfin in the early days of her career.

“Nurses had to stand when a doctor entered the room and could never use first names while on duty,” Ms Litfin said.

“We were never allowed to fraternise with the young doctors, even though our living quarters were beside each other.

“We had segregated seating in the staff dining room, as students were not entitled to sit with registered nurses.

Ms Litfin said a strict 11pm curfew was enforced and the registered nurse on night duty would check each room with a torch to make sure all nurses were in bed.

“Nursing was very labour intensive with plenty of heavy lifting back then,” she said.

“Thankfully today, with the help of modern equipment and electronically operated beds, caring for patients is less backbreaking for nurses and more comfortable for patients.”

The former Advanced Practitioner Enrolled Nurse said she would miss the rush of working in the emergency department.

“I will really miss the camaraderie, as the ED team is great to work with,” she said.

“When I started my nursing training at Ipswich Hospital at the age of 21, I knew this is where I was meant to be.’’

Nursing Director Juliet Graham said patients were in safe hands with Ms Litfin.

“Every patient who came through the ED, from children to the elderly, would receive the utmost care,” she said.

“Judy was a great advocate for patients and took great care of our community.”

Emergency Department Nurse Unit Manager Kirsty Franklin said Ms Litfin would be missed.

“Judy is a valued member of the Ipswich Emergency Team,” Ms Franklin said.

“She radiates compassion for others and many nurses over the years have benefited from her training and support.”

Ms Franklin said the team would also miss her “wellbeing” scones, served with jam and cream.

While her cooking would be missed, Ms Litfin said she planned to use her time away from the emergency department to paint, fish and travel.