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The Art of the IV Start - December 2014 - Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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2 0 O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 C onnie Callahan, LPN, worked her first case on Sept. 21, 1964, at the age of 19. She retired in October, 50 years after her career began and ended at Lima Memorial Hospital in northwest Ohio. Love of medicine didn't draw her to the operating room a half-century ago, but a love of surgery made it tough to leave. "I originally wanted to be a teacher," says Ms. Callahan, now 69. "But I was dating the gentleman who would become my husband and didn't want to wait 4 years, until after college, to get married." Her high school guidance counselor told her she could become a licensed practical nurse in a year, so off she went to the Lima School of Practical Nursing. After she earned her degree, she learned of an opening in the surgical department at Lima Memorial. The problem was, she had never set foot in an OR during her schooling. "Some things in training made me feel a little faint, so I was a bit leery and never figured I'd be able to do surgery," says Ms. Callahan. She could do it. For 50 years. "It seems like younger people are con- stantly looking for some type of advancement or something new," says Ms. Callahan. "But I loved my job, so I stuck with it." FOND FAREWELL Connie Callahan, LPN, says goodbye to Lima (Ohio) Memorial Hospital. CELEBRATED CAREER : Ohio Nurse Retires After 50 Years in the OR SURGEONS' Lounge THE

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