Professor Barzditis has been with Olivet since October of 2013, as a clinical instructor at our main campus in Bourbonnais. In spring of 2017, he started teaching Pharmacology in the ABSN program at Oak Brook. Since that time, he has served as a Level Coordinator in both levels I and II. He has taught not only pharmacology, but also Fundamentals of Nursing and Health Assessment. He came to us after 20-years at the Cook County Trauma Unit at Stroger Hospital in Chicago, and 25 years serving as a firefighter/paramedic for the Northwest Homer Fire Prevention District in Homer Glen, IL. Professor Barzditis obtained both his BSN and MSN from Olivet, finishing his MSN in January of 2015. Both degrees were obtained in the online environment, so he is aware of the many challenges facing our students.
Before nursing, Professor Barzditis worked as a firefighter/paramedic for 22 years. Since 2005, he has been a member of the Illinois Medical Emergency Response Team (IMERT). In that role, he was part of the Hurricane Katrina disaster response team in 2005. He has also worked as a photojournalist and a commercial advertising photographer.
“Providing Olivet students with a quality, faith-based education is a responsibility I take seriously,” he says. “This is a calling for me, one with great frustrations and even greater rewards. Helping nursing students reach their goal of becoming practicing professionals is a joy for me.”
Professor Barzditis lives with his wife, Maria, in Homer Glen, where they have lived since 1983. Their two daughters are married and live nearby in Joliet.
One of his favorite Bible verses is Micah 6:8, "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."