As February begins, ASFA sadly waves goodbye to part-time nurse Theresa Lancaster. In the last few days of January, Lancaster passed the torch to a new full-time nurse Elizabeth Rochester, and ASFA welcomes her with open arms.
Lancaster began working at ASFA in the 2021-22 school year, filling in for former nurse and dorm advisor Jason Akins twice a week. After Akins left at the end of last semester, she began working full-time as a nurse while also taking care of smaller dorm necessities like checking kids in and out of the building.
“I’m going to terribly miss everybody because I have become quite attached to the school and the students,” Lancaster says.
Lancaster recalls her time at ASFA with a great sense of fondness, harboring a great love for her work and the students she’s met along the way. ASFA had always been a place close to her heart as two of her own children are alumni. This has created a sense of joy from being extroverted and surrounded by the youth.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed being here at ASFA," Lancaster says. "I had not worked in a hospital in over a year, so this was a perfect opportunity to work with young people, and I thoroughly enjoy being around teenagers and youth.”
Lancaster leaves her seat open for new hire Rochester. Rochester has a history of working with children in hospitals, but she soon realized it was time for a change, which led her to apply to ASFA.
“I realized that the hospital wasn’t going to be sustainable forever. I primarily worked at Children’s [Hospital]. We had a large variety of specialties that we cared for, so I have worked with lots and lots and lots of sick kids,” Rochester explains. “One of my favorite things about working with those kids was [that] you build relationships there, and you get to know [patients] very well.”
Rochester can mostly be found in the nurse’s office, on the first floor near the vending machines. During lunchtime, she might be at her familiar desk for easy access, but she’ll mostly be found in her office. Rochester is also not a residential nurse, meaning residential students won’t have access to her after school dismisses. Lancaster tells The Star before her departure that the school is looking for a residential nurse to tend to dorm students, though the question of when is unclear.
With her employment at ASFA, Rochester looks forward to building relationships with the students and getting to know the ASFA community.
She says, “I saw this opportunity just to work with kids who are a little bit different than your average kids in a better way. So here I am. I’m looking forward to getting to know [ASFA students] well, and taking care of you in your moments of sickness.”
As she leaves, Lancaster feels she left students' health in good hands. “I have some sadness in that I won’t be working as often here, but I think Elizabeth is going to be a good fit for this school because not anybody is just a fit for ASFA.” Lancaster says.
ASFA might not have to completely say goodbye to her, either, as she expects to pop up from time to time, whether it be to substitute or just to visit.
Similarly, Rochester has gained a ton of respect for her predecessor in her training. She happily explains, “I’ve had a fantastic teacher. [Lancaster has been] making sure I understand the people I’m about to be working with. And she’s done an amazing job already introducing me to people and making me feel so welcomed.”
As the ASFA community gets used to the changes around the school, don’t be afraid to ask Rochester for anything — a Bandaid or just some conversation! She hopes to be approachable and grounded, welcoming students with any need.
Rochester says, “It might be corny, but I am not intimidating at all, and if you need anything, I’m here to take care of [ASFA students] and keep y’all healthy and safe.”
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