Thanks for working here this week: Julie Shock, RRT, AE-C, CCMH Respiratory Therapy

Campbell County Health is proud of its employees, and we want the CCH family and the Campbell County community to know about the good work that they do for this organization.

Allow us to introduce Julie Shock, RRT, AE-C, a Registered Respiratory Therapist at Campbell County Memorial Hospital in Gillette, Wyoming. Julie has been with CCH for 39 years, and has been in the health care industry for 42 years! She earned an associate’s degree in science from California College for Health Sciences. For those who don’t know, the Respiratory Therapy department where Julie works provides comprehensive care and testing for patients suffering from breathing disorders caused by heart or lung disease.

Julie was inspired to work in healthcare from her father, a (now retired) Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). “He used to take me along to the hospital when he had to round. I knew at a young age that I wanted to do something in healthcare,” she says.

Julie was accepted into the Parkview nursing program in Ft. Wayne, Ind., after high school, and learned she was pregnant that summer.

“I chose the route of marriage and family, so I didn't go to college right away. My daughter was born at 32 weeks and spent a month in the hospital before we could take her home,” she says. “I didn't even know there was a difference between a nurse and a respiratory therapist at that time. When I was ready to return to work, I learned that the hospital in my hometown had open positions for on the job training in the Respiratory Therapy Department.” Her career in respiratory therapy started there in March 1980.

When asked who her health care heroes are, Julie named several. “I have had several managers in the past that I would call my healthcare heroes. Ralph Buccholz was my first boss; he really had passion for his work as a Respiratory Therapist, and he was a good teacher,” she says. “Ken Hunt, one of my managers at CCMH, really encouraged me to get my RRT. And Rod Ellison, who was also a great manager, introduced me to the world of homecare.”

When Julie isn’t at work she enjoys spending time with family, gardening, playing cards, and traveling.

We asked Julie what she likes most about working for CCH, and what excellence every day means to her. Check out her response:

"I really love working as a Respiratory Therapist. I love the variety of tasks that we do. I am lucky enough to have a lot of diversity in my job by working floor care, pulmonary rehab and visiting home ventilator patients. I love seeing the patients progress thru their illness here in the hospital and then possibly building a relationship with them after discharge in our home medical services and then vice versa, one of our home vent patients may have to come to the emergency room and it's nice for them to see a familiar face. I recently became certified as an Asthma Educator and I am looking forward to helping develop a program here.

Excellence every day is coming to work each day prepared to pull out all your tools. Our work involves patients of all ages with a variety of cardio and pulmonary conditions. We deal with several different types of equipment that we need to have a good understanding of how we can use that equipment to improve the health of our patients.”

Thanks , Julie, for taking such great care of our patients. We are proud to have you on our team.

Is there a CCH employee who went the extra mile or shows you extraordinary service? Give them a pat on the back by completing an Excellence Every Day card.

Learn more about Respiratory Therapy at www.cchwyo.org/RT.