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When Judy Myers, Buyer in Supply Chain Management, began working at Trinity Health, it was in a part-time role doing inventory. That only lasted a few months before she returned to the family farm near Berthold. After her family left the farm, she decided to come back to Trinity Health, where she began working in Central Supply. Little did Judy know that this time it would be the start of a 50-year career with the healthcare system.

At 19, Judy began her career in Central Supply, where she says she was the “young kid on the block” after replacing a retiring team member. From there, she worked as a Nursing Assistant in surgery before ultimately finding her permanent home in Supply Chain, where she started in 1980 when a team member went on maternity leave and has been with the department ever since.

A career that long requires a lot of dedication and passion for the role, qualities Judy developed early on and always demonstrated. “I get a lot of satisfaction from my role. I know I’m not on the front lines helping patients, but I know we contribute to patient care,” said Judy.

She added, “There have been times when I had to work diligently to get a supply here for a patient. I’ve gotten in the car and driven to Bismarck to get supplies, or I’ve arranged for someone to meet halfway to obtain what we needed. That was a challenge but rewarding when accomplished.”

That passion is something Judy feels has been shaped by each phase of her career, where she used her experiences in different departments as opportunities to learn as much as possible about the entire process, from buying supplies to understanding what was needed on the front lines of patient care.

From day one to day 18,250 at Trinity Health, the work has evolved, and departments have changed, but the reason Judy has stayed for 50 years has remained constant. “I love my job, and I love the people I work with. We are like a family. We have shared many memories, both personal and professional, over the years.”

Looking back over five decades, Judy says she now sees how far she’s come and what she wishes she could have told her younger self: “It will all work out. Things were hard at first and it seemed like maybe some people felt intimidated when I was the ‘young kid on the block,’ because the younger generation is more familiar with the newer technology.”

After 50 years, that once “young kid” now stands at a milestone few reach—a milestone she set her sights on long ago. Reflecting on what it means, Judy said: “I wanted to stay until the new hospital. That was one of my goals. Once we got out to the Healthcare Campus and Medical District, I knew I was close to 50 years, so I told myself I wanted to have at least 50 years in. It felt like I could accomplish something not everybody gets a chance to.”