Kellie Bamford

By Davi Stuhlsatz

ANDOVER – Kellie Bamford took second place in the west region of the Positive Promotions 2011 “I Make A Difference Nurse of the Year” contest. 

Bamford, an R.N., is unusual – according to Carrie Gayne with Postive Promotions, she was the only school nurse nominated and selected out of thousands of nominations.

Bamford is lead nurse for the Andover Public Schools and is a school nurse at Sunflower Elementary and Prairie Creek Elementary in Andover.

“It’s fun being lead nurse,” she said. “It’s a logic problem, interviewing, scheduling and handling nursing questions. I keep very busy.”

According to the contest, nurses who make a difference “set the standard of excellence for their profession. They provide inspiration to their peers by exhibiting skills and dedication that go above and beyond the call of duty.”

Bamford worked in pediatric intensive care at Wesley when she first joined the Andover school system in 1988.

She has a bachelor of science degree in nursing, and went back to school for a masters in education.

“I thought since I worked in the schools, and I do some teaching, it would strengthen my skills,” she said. “We’re occasionally called on to teach, such as about reproduction, the importance of showering in middle school and other health lessons.”

Bamford said she knows a lot about children and is a Jack of all trades.

“There are 5,000 kids in the district, and we have to take care of immunization records for every student, including eCademy students,” she said. “We handle everything from shots to cuts and scrapes to monitoring diabetes. It’s a big job.”

Bamford said the best part of receiving the award was that it was a nursing staff member who nominated her – Pami Acker.

“I’ve worked for her for five years and I thought she deserved the award,” said Acker. “She’s just amazing.”