MILWAUKEE — A nurse at the Milwaukee VA recently hit a major milestone in his career.
Andrew Kramer has spent 50 years working in health care. He started as a nursing assistant when he was 17 years old. For the past 45 years, he’s dedicated his nursing career to the intensive care unit (ICU).
Kramer said working one-on-one with his patients is a highlight of his job.
“I enjoy the specialized care,” Kramer said. “The one-to-one. The critical nature of it. The critically ill patients, the critical thinking that goes into caring for these patients and knowing how their status could change at any minute and how to you deal with that status. It’s very exciting.”
For the past 17 years, Kramer has been working the night shift at the Milwaukee VA ICU, taking care of veterans in need. He said the job never gets old, and he enjoys the challenges that come along with it.
“It feels wonderful,” he said. “I enjoyed every minute of it. I don’t think I would have stayed 50 years in one profession if I didn’t enjoy it, and that’s why I am still here.”
Kramer said he has no plans to retire anytime soon. His manager, Scott Fisher, said he is thankful, because having Kramer’s experience on the floor during night shift is critical and invaluable.
“Being on the night shift, we have newer nurses that come to our space,” Milwaukee VA ICU assistant nurse manager Scott Fischer said. “Allowing him to share that knowledge and experience too with our newer nurses. Hopefully, it rubs off on them and they say ‘hey, I can work, if not as long or even longer.’”
Wagner said he’s proud of what he’s been able to accomplish over these past five decades. He’s now at a point in his career he never imagined he would be at. However, he said he’s thankful to be right where he is meant to be.
“It’s not a burden coming into work,” Kramer said. “It’s a challenge sometimes, especially when you are working weekends and holidays, which my entire career was. But I look forward to the challenge with my patients one on one.”