Truth be told, Jaymie Budler, Madonna’s Director of Business Development for Workers’ Compensation, said she wasn’t sure she even wanted to be a nurse growing up.
“I was in college trying to figure out what I wanted to do and while I was in there, LPN was a year program,” Budler said. “I did that and I thought, ‘Well, I’ll get into the hospital and see what I really want to do, and I fell in love with nursing. I went on and got my RN and then I ended up going for my masters.”
While in nursing school in 2006, Budler started working at Madonna as a nurse on the spinal cord injury unit. From there, her nursing career took her to a variety of positions at different companies, from a surgical hospital to case management and into the world of workers’ compensation. In a full-circle moment, that path brought her right back to Madonna in January 2023.
“Madonna has always been near and dear to my heart,” Budler said. “I have always loved what Madonna does in rehab care, and being part of that really made me want to come back here. You never know where your career is going to go. I’d known Linda [Sullivan, VP of Referral Development] for years and she’s the one that brought this current role to my attention.”
Now, Budler is able to travel the United States meeting with injured workers and insurance companies, highlighting the incredible rehabilitation Madonna has to offer. She does presentations and has a booth at several workers’ compensation conferences.
“When I was in nursing school, I didn’t even know work comp existed, let alone that nursing was a huge part of it,” Budler said. “It’s a lot to balance and it’s never the same, which makes it fun. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this was where my career would take me.”
Now, her career is inspiring the next generation of caregivers. Her daughter, Bella, who Budler used to bring as a baby to meet Madonna patients, is in nursing school and is currently a CNA.
“I told her, ‘You can go anywhere with a nursing degree,’” Budler said. “There’s so many different specialties and things to do with a nursing degree.”
Budler’s advice for young nurses is simple. “Always be mindful, always be polite, always work hard, and your career can take you anywhere,” she said.