St. Luke’s nurses among Iowa’s 100 greatest

03/16/2012

Sioux City, IA - St. Luke’s nurses have been named among the greatest in Iowa. Pam Banks, Linda Kalin and Priscilla Stokes were recently honored as three of the 100 Great Iowa Nurses, a recognition program of the Iowa Nurses Association, for their commitment, competence and courage in the field of nursing.

Banks is Assistant Professor in the Department of Nursing Education at St. Luke’s College. With over 30 years of experience, she began her career at St. Luke’s in 1980, working as a registered nurse in the hospital’s emergency, infection control and performance improvement departments. She went on to serve in other clinical coordinator and management roles before joining St. Luke’s College in her current role in 2005. Banks has been involved in various leadership committees and is active in community service, presently serving as a member of Siouxland District Health Department’s Nursing Advisory Committee.

Banks received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Morningside College and earned a Master of Science in Nursing from Briar Cliff University.

Kalin is Director of the Iowa Statewide Poison Control Center, a partnership between Iowa Health System and its affiliates including St. Luke’s and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. She has over 25 years of experience in poison center activities and clinical toxicology. Kalin began her career as an emergency room nurse at St. Luke’s. In 1989, she became Iowa’s first Certified Specialist in Poison Information and was instrumental in the development of the statewide poison control center in 2000. Kalin is currently an adjunct faculty member and preceptor for the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy and Drake College of Pharmacy. She has been honored as Preceptor of the Year at both universities. Kalin has held leadership and service positions in many national and local professional organizations. She is active on numerous community boards and a frequent lecturer and speaker on the topics of general poison management and drugs of abuse.

Kalin holds a Bachelor of Science from the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota and is a graduate of the Johnson & Johnson/UCLA Health Care Executive Program and UCLA’s John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management.

Stokes is Vice President of Patient Care at St. Luke’s Health System. Employed with St. Luke’s since 1985, Stokes has held a variety of past nursing and leadership roles with the health system including Executive Director of St. Luke’s Home Care. Under her leadership, St. Luke’s Home Care was named as one of the Top 100 HomeCare Elite Agencies in the U.S. by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She has also held numerous leadership roles in the community, currently serving as Secretary/Treasurer District A Iowa Association of Nurse Leaders and Crittenton Center Board Member.

Stokes received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Mankato State University in Mankato, Minnesota and a Master of Science in Health Care Administration from the University of South Dakota.

The 100 Great Iowa Nurses program recognizes outstanding nurses whose exceptional contributions to patients, colleagues and the profession are truly remarkable. Over 500 nominations were collected this year from colleagues, patients and others. Those selected among Iowa’s top nurses have advanced the nursing profession, demonstrated excellence in patient care and continue to lead through mentoring and education.

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About St. Luke’s:

St. Luke's Regional Medical Center is a community hospital serving the tri-state Siouxland area. Our focus is - and will always be - patient-centered care to improve the health of the people of Siouxland. With 1,200 employees and nearly 85,000 patients cared for annually, St. Luke’s is an anchor of support for the Siouxland community.

St. Luke's offers full-service healthcare with a range of inpatient and outpatient services, specialty and family healthcare clinics, and healthcare screenings and community benefit programs. St. Luke's is also planning for the future of healthcare through its affiliation with St. Luke’s College. With a strong focus on safety and quality, St. Luke’s has built a long-standing reputation of improving lives through advanced treatment and health education.

For more information, visit www.stlukes.org.