by admin on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
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Marin Koka, PharmD
Pharmacist
Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Des Moines
Why did you choose this as your career? I have always been interested in pharmacotherapy and how it affects the ways our bodies function. I was initially exposed to the profession approximately 15 years ago when my wife and I were both serving in the military. At that time, she worked as a pharmacy technician and I was training to work as a physical therapy assistant. When we were done with our military service, I decided to go back to school and, ever since, pharmacy has become a “family thing.”
What are the challenges and rewards you experience in your work? I primarily work in critical care and telemetry floors. Patient care in these areas can be extremely demanding in various aspects, and each treatment plan has its own set of unique challenges and obstacles. One of the greatest feelings I experience is seeing that same patient who, a few days ago we were literally struggling to keep alive, get better, move out to another step-down floor or go home. This is the best reward that I can get. It is also great when you get to see the training you receive on a daily basis and the hard work you put into the care you provide for your patients pay off. Also, being able to participate in various committees and having the opportunity to work alongside other healthcare professionals to improve on a broad range of policies and processes to better provide the best quality of care is definitely very rewarding for my career.
What are your plans for the future? Continuing to become more involved in the areas where I currently practice as well as be able to gain more knowledge in nutrition support, cardiology and infectious diseases areas.
How has the hospital supported your career? Iowa Health-Des Moines has supported my career by giving me the opportunity to practice in those areas that I am more interested in, providing me with the opportunity to participate in various hospital groups and by continuously providing support for my training and education.
More about Marin Koka:
Education: Drake University (Doctor of Pharmacy)
Years with hospital: 9
The 100 Great Iowa Nurses program annually recognizes the state’s outstanding nurses whose courage, competence and commitment to patients and the nursing profession stand out above all others. Throughout the year, the IHA blog will be profiling Great Iowa Nurses for 2012.
Gail Meyer
Gail Meyer retired after nearly 50 years in the nursing profession, including staff nursing and nursing administration. For 22 of those years she was vice president of nursing and patient services at IHA, where she was a strong advocate for the nursing profession in Iowa, providing the nursing viewpoint on a host of legislative and regulatory issues at both the state and federal levels.
Her advocacy was always focused on patients with the goal of helping nurses to provide the highest quality care possible. Her clinical expertise allowed Gail to communicate with policymakers about how their decisions would impact the nurses who provide care and the patients they care for. Gail has made many contributions to improving the profession of nursing throughout Iowa and across the country, and many nurses and, more importantly, patients have reaped the benefits of her work.
Gail’s role at IHA was a unique one and it took a unique individual to impact nursing in the ways that Gail did. While at IHA, her service was distinguished by outstanding interpersonal skills and tempered by special sense of humor. She carried an innate ability to bring people together to solve problems. Gail’s strengths as a leader include a collaborative style and a conscious effort to bring nursing and patient care standards to new levels. Throughout her career, she made sure that nurses always had a place at the table on any issue.
One of Gail’s roles at IHA was to serve as liaison for the Iowa Organization of Nurse Leaders (IONL). In this role, she was a leader among leaders who kept the organization informed about legislative and policy issues important to the nursing community. She was an educator and managed numerous programs for nurses across the state. Gail was informed and current on nursing issues in the state as well as the rest of the country, allowing her to assist nurses in anticipating and preparing for change. This allowed her to, in turn, lead Iowa nurses in the right direction. In 2006, she received the IONL’s Excellence in Leadership recognition that cited Gail’s lifelong passion, and ability to influence others in a positive and lasting way.
“What strikes me most about Gail is her ability to connect with people,” said IHA President and CEO Kirk Norris. “Having worked with Gail for many years I observed this in many ways, but mostly with other nurses.
“Gail is a ‘nurses’ nurse.’ She loves nursing and her fellow nurses. She relished the opportunity to meet with nurses, discuss important issues and find solutions. In attending meetings with Gail, whether it was at one of Iowa’s hospitals, with lawmakers or regulators, or a group of hospital administrators, everyone knew Gail and respected her. She doesn’t know a stranger and is happy to claim all of her fellow nurses as friends.”
by admin on Friday, May 4, 2012
The “100 Great Iowa Nurses” program annually recognizes the state’s outstanding nurses whose courage, competence and commitment to patients and the nursing profession stand out above all others. The 100 Great Iowa Nurses for 2012 will be honored during a May 6 celebration at Veterans Memorial Convention Complex in Des Moines. It’s also a great way to kick off National Nurses Week.
Nurses selected for this honor represent many sectors of health care, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, schools, public health and medical offices. More than 80 of the 100 honorees for this year are nurses at Iowa hospitals or health systems. You can learn more about some of the hospital nurses receiving the honor using the links below. In addition, IHA will continue to provide profiles of individual Great Iowa Nurses throughout the year.
Mary Greeley Medical Center, Ames
Mary Greeley Medical Center, Ames
St. Anthony Regional Hospital, Carroll
Mahaska Health Partnership, Oskaloosa
Mercy Medical Center-Centerville
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City
Mercy Medical Center-Cedar Rapids
Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa, Mason City
Mahaska Health Partnership, Oskaloosa
Knoxville Hospital and Clinics
Buena Vista Regional Medical Center, Storm Lake
Genesis Health System, Davenport
Mercy Medical Center-Sioux City
St. Luke’s Health System, Sioux City
Jefferson County Health Center, Fairfield
Sheila Baldwin
When people think of health care and hospitals, they often think of nurses, doctors and others who give direct care. But there are thousands of Iowans who work “behind the scenes” at hospitals who are just as dedicated to making sure the highest quality care is provided every day. Sheila Baldwin, assistant vice president for health-sciences development at the University of Iowa Foundation, is one of those people.
At an early age, I experienced firsthand the impact that donors to hospitals can have on people’s lives. When I was 12, I was diagnosed with stage-four cancer by physicians at University of Iowa Children’s Hospital in Iowa City. Between surgeries and subsequent chemotherapy treatments, I spent a good portion of the next year as an inpatient at the Children’s Hospital.
Many aspects of cancer treatment are uncomfortable — and several are downright painful. It was during those most painful treatments and procedures that I grew familiar with, and came to rely upon, the Children’s Hospital’s child-life specialists. These specialists are professionals who are trained to collaborate with parents, family members, and other health-care workers in meeting the unique emotional and developmental needs of children who are in a hospital setting.
For me, working with a child-life specialist meant that someone was there to hold the wand while I fiercely blew bubbles during an unbearably painful bone-marrow biopsy. Someone encouraged me to draw what I envisioned my cancer to look like — and how it looked to have my “chemo warriors” defeat that cancer. And someone role-played with me in preparation for telling my classmates why I was bald.
Child Life Specialist Racheal Niensteadt interacts with Jordyn, a patient at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital.
I learned that child-life specialists often rely on the generosity of donors to keep them stocked with the tools of their trade — bubbles, crayons, hand-held games, and character Band-Aids. As a young patient who directly benefited from such generosity, I knew that I wanted to give back in thanks for all that had been given to me.
Once my cancer went into remission, I worked with my best friend to organize dances in my hometown of Garner to raise money for the Children’s Hospital. And when I arrived on the UI campus as a freshman in 1994, I got involved in a brand-new organization: Dance Marathon.
Throughout my four years of college, I had the opportunity to serve on Dance Marathon’s executive council and to participate in — at the grass-roots level — an organization that would become a fundraising powerhouse right here on our own campus.
These experiences laid the groundwork for me to pursue a career in fundraising and I currently am the assistant vice president for health-sciences development at the UI Foundation. As the chief development officer for the Children’s Hospital, I spend each day talking about the power of private support. I listen to people’s stories of health-care challenges that they or their family members have faced — and I help them explore their aspirations for giving back and changing lives.
Generosity comes in packages both large and small, and at the Children’s Hospital, gifts of all sizes make a difference. I have seen gifts that range from a $10 million commitment from Jerre and Mary Joy Stead of Scottsdale, Arizona, to support the faculty, staff and programs at the Children’s Hospital to a $5 million pledge from Dance Marathon to help build a new Children’s Hospital to gifts made in honor of a pediatric patient whose family and friends wanted to celebrate the end of his chemotherapy regimen and ensure that child-life specialists would have a new supply of “tools” to help even more children.
Each one of these gifts is special — and each one takes me back 25 years and reminds me of my very first lessons in philanthropy.
Rebecca Burns, RN
Inpatient Director
Horn Memorial Hospital, Ida Grove
Why did you choose this as your career? Nursing offers numerous career paths. I graduated with a diploma in nursing. I never thought I would venture away from bedside care and therefore saw no need to further my education. Several years ago I decided I wanted to have more influence in changing nursing practice so I went back to school to get my bachelor’s degree. I like the flexibility of specialty, location and hours.
What are the challenges and rewards you experience in your work? Managing people is the biggest challenge. It is also the biggest reward. It is a wonderful feeling to have staff come together as a team and achieve a difficult task.
What are your plans for the future? I want to be a positive role model and change agent for the department of nursing. I am committed to Horn Memorial Hospital, so whatever the future holds I’m sure it will involve Horn Memorial.
How has the hospital supported your career? Administration is supportive of continuing one’s education. I received tuition assistance to return to school for my bachelor’s degree and the hospital is willing to work around school schedules.
More about Rebecca Burns:
Education: Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing
Years with hospital: 13
