A charge nurse, program coordinator, mother, and lover of travel -- those are just a handful of roles Lori Bridegroom plays each day. Whether she is in her home, the hospital, or the community, Bridegroom is making her mark in La Porte County.
Bridegroom calls herself a “late bloomer” when it comes to the start of her career in the medical field. Since she really didn’t have a set department that she wanted to work in, it was a longer job search for Bridegroom once she graduated from medical school. That was until she accepted an interview at Franciscan Health Michigan City’s emergency room in 2010.
“I interviewed in a couple departments,” Bridegroom said. “The last one I interviewed in was ER. As soon as I walked out of the unit, I had the feeling that that was where I was supposed to be.”
About a year after Bridegroom started at Franciscan Health, she found an advertisement for a class regarding treatment for sexual assault and rape victims hanging up in the hospital. Intrigued to learn more, Bridegroom signed her name on the list.
About a week later, Bridegroom’s manager told her that she was taken off the schedule in order to attend the class. Too scared to say that she was just interested in learning more, Bridegroom knew her manager was guiding her in the right direction in order to participate in the course.
“I realized what a need we had in our ER, and at that point in time we were transporting people to South Bend, which is a distance from Michigan City,” she said. “So I got involved.”
Flash forward to today, Bridegroom is now a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) with Franciscan Health and Northwest Health and coordinator for Center of Hope, a program that provides the community with knowledge and care while working closely with law enforcement.
Through her work within health networks across Northwest Indiana and Center for Hope, Bridegroom has been able to watch awareness and knowledge about aiding sexual assault patients spread, resulting in better treatment.
“We have been able to provide 24/7 coverage. We have not transferred any patients or relied on any other facility for treatment for patients,” she said.
Bridegroom also understands the burnout she and her team of nurses may face on the job. Although Bridegroom’s original class of SANE nurses have phased out of the program, she is glad to have three fully trained nurses with other nurses in the process of transitioning.
“Nine times out of 10, if my phone rings at one in the morning, it’s usually the hospital. It can be very overwhelming at times, and that’s not just for myself but for all forensic nurses,” she said.
Even with the stress, Bridegroom is grateful she is able to help patients in need within their growing program. She is also thankful for the donations to Center for Hope provided by businesses in the community in order to treat patients with “gold-standard” technology, needed supplies, and new clothing.
“We have had such a tremendous response from so many local businesses within our community with donations to our program,” she said.
When Bridegroom is not at the hospital, she loves to spend time with her family including her 26-year-old daughter, 19-year-old daughter, and two-year-old granddaughter.
“I’ve been so blessed to have such great girls,” she said.
She recalled their most recent family trip to Disney World over fall break, which Bridegroom enjoyed since she has a heart for travel.
Getting to spend quality time with family is important to Bridegroom. As a charge nurse in the emergency room, she knows how important it is to cherish moments with those you love.
“When people say ‘life can change on a dime,’ that is completely true,” she said. “So enjoy what you have. Enjoy your family and your friends because certainly, it can all change in the blink of an eye.”