Farewell to Janice Bartos
As a young woman, HFC Nursing Program Coordinator Janice Bartos loved being a caregiver. So, becoming a nurse was a natural fit for her.
“I’ve always had this desire to help,” said Bartos. “I come from a large family [she’s the fourth of six children]. I babysat a lot during high school. The summer I graduated from high school, I worked in a nursing home.”
It was working in the nursing home that cemented her career path.
“I enjoyed the connection I made with the residents. You have to be comfortable with the level of intimacy and vulnerability when it comes to the elderly,” she said. “I’m very driven by the connection to my patients – I love that part of being a nurse. I love patient care. That is important for my role here at the College as a teacher.”
A career spanning nearly 40 years, 20 at HFC
For nearly 40 years, Bartos has been a practicing nurse, working at the original Sinai Hospital in Detroit and what is now the Detroit Medical Center, Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit, and ProMedica Toledo Hospital. For more than 20 years, she has taught in HFC’s renowned nursing program.
On Dec. 31, 2021, Bartos retired from HFC (as did HFC Dean of the School of Health and Human Services Dr. Susan Shunkwiler, her fellow nursing professor and administrator).
“At this point, 39 years is a fair amount of time in any career. My husband has been retired for 10 years now. It’s time to take a break. I may do part-time work or volunteer in the future, but I feel now is the right time to step away from full-time work.”
A native of Streator, IL, Bartos is an alumna of Streator Township High School. She began her education at Northern Illinois University, then transferred to Wayne State University in Detroit, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing. She went on to earn her master’s degree in nursing and certification in nursing midwifery from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Additionally, she is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse through the state of Michigan.
Bartos currently lives in Plymouth with Michael, her husband of 39 years. They have two daughters and one grandson.
“I also plan to spend time with my family,” she said.
Hospital preferred HFC nurses due to reputation
“Being a nurse is very profound,” said Bartos. “What we do is necessary, important, and personal. I loved my role in the hospital and as a midwife. Nursing students have always been a part of my practice. Early in my career, I created and managed new hire orientation in my unit and assisted with hospital skill verification, such as BLS and IV insertion. In my role as a midwife, I precepted midwifery students, so teaching was a key part of all my nursing roles.”
Entering teaching at an entry level program seemed a natural fit for Bartos as well. Retired HFC nursing instructor Carole Vial recommended that she consider joining the faculty at HFC.
“She spoke very positively about the students in the College’s nursing program,” said Bartos. “When I was a manager at Sinai Hospital of Detroit, we preferred hiring nurses who were HFC graduates because of the nursing program’s stellar reputation. Our direct experience was that those nurses we did hire from HFC were also quality, sound nurses.”
During her time at HFC, Bartos worked weekends at Ascension Health to keep up with the latest techniques, therapies, technologies, treatments, policies, procedures, and protocols – all of which she would draw from for classroom and clinical instruction.
“I love learning. I’ll miss that stimulation. I’ve always given everything my all. I’ve always fully committed myself to do the best I can do and strive to be better,” she said. “I will miss my colleagues and students when I retire. I’ll also miss the collegiality and pursuing best practices.”
“Teaching allowed me to have a significant impact on future nurses”
For Bartos, the best part of teaching has been showing the students just how profound and valuable nursing is.
“I enjoy helping students realize the wonder and awe, the respect and profound nature of what nursing is,” she explained. “It enriches the life of a person because of the multitude of people they interact with. It’s such a cool journey to see first semester students begin the nursing program with such passion and enthusiasm, and then to see where they are at the end of four semesters. It was quite gratifying, seeing what they learned. That’s my primary reason for teaching.”
Another reason is she feels she has an obligation to improve the profession for future generations of nurses.
“We must guide and mentor whose who come behind us. We care about the quality of the profession and those in the next generation. We must embed in them foundationally what it means to be a nurse, not just in skills but in character. Teaching allowed me to have a significant impact on a large number of future nurses and help begin their careers with sound guidance.”