Spencer Hospital Nurses Honored As “Great Iowa Nurses”

posted on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 in General

Four Spencer Hospital nurses are among the 78 nurses across the state who are being recognized as 2023 Great Iowa Nurses.

“We’re very excited to congratulate Roxanne Warburton, Lindsey Kelleher, Kylee Zinn and Jessica Dirks who are being honored by the Great Iowa Nurses Program,” said Brenda Tiefenthaler, Senior Vice President of Patient Care and Operations at Spencer Hospital. “Each of these nurses are outstanding clinicians, exceptional caregivers, and also serve as leaders and mentors within our organization. I’m so proud of each of them and grateful for their many contributions.”

The program, formerly 100 Great Iowa Nurses, annually honors Iowa nurses for their contributions to the nursing profession. Great Iowa Nurses are chosen on the basis of demonstrated service to patients, leadership, and mentoring or serving as a role model. Below are excerpts from the nominations letters for each outstanding nurse.

Roxanne Warburton, Birth Center

Roxanne is the most fun loving, energetic OB nurse that you could ever meet. Roxanne always has a smile on her face and has the most contagious personality. She can turn a bad day into a good day just by her presence in a room. Roxanne is always willing to work extra and help staff, even if that means floating to other departments within the hospital. She remembers every detail about every patient and patients remember her as well. Patients are always excited when Roxanne walks into their room and find out she is their nurse. One patient remembered Roxanne because they delivered their child 20 some years ago. She has a personality that everyone LOVES. Patients and staff always have something nice to stay about her because of the type of person she is. Positivity is contagious and spreads to patients and staff when she is working. She is truly the most compassionate nurse I have ever met.

Lindsey Kelleher, Med/Surg

Lindsey goes above and beyond for her patients by making each one of them feel special. For example, she makes her patients a personalized birthday card if it is their birthday. She willing to stay late, even after a night shift, to help the oncoming staff. Lindsey is a great resource for new or current staff if questions arise during their shift. She has been in the preceptor program here at our hospital. She enjoys orientating new staff and sharing her knowledge. If there is something that Lindsey does not know, she will research best practices to share with her coworkers. She also has taken the leadership role of charge nurse within her department and does an exceptionally job of it. Lindsey is a problem solver and always thinking out of the box to improve the care her patients receive.

Kylee Zinn, Clinical Educator

Kylee is a wonderful critical care nurse educator with a ton of experience working in ER and ICU. She loves to take new staff under her wing to make sure they are knowledgeable and succeed in the nursing profession. She strives to keep up to date with healthcare changes, which helps ensure the patients at the hospital have the best care possible. She is easily approachable with any question one may have. She is always up to take on a challenge and helps pick up extra shifts on the floor if needed. Kylee has helped provide the best possible care to patients in the worst-case scenarios while working in the ED. She remains calm and does everything possible to ensure the best outcomes for her patients. Her knowledge in the nursing profession has helped many new nurses feel comfortable. She is a great role model and educator to have on the team at the hospital.

Jessica Dirks, Clinical Informatics

Jessica demonstrates teamwork and collaboration by always willing to help or pick up extra shifts when departments are short staffed. She works as a clinical informaticist now, but is always helping by responding to codes in the hospital or in urgent situations, even if it means staying late. Her past experiences of critical care nursing makes her a great team leader in stressful situations. She makes sure each patient receives care and knows policies and processes like the back of her hand. Jessica has taken many leadership roles at the hospital, such as clinical informaticist, SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) nurse, and TNCC (Trauma Nurse Core Course) instructor, to name a few. Being a SANE nurse takes a special person and she takes this role very seriously, even if it means responding to a call in the middle of the night. She always is willing to sit and work with nursing, providers, and other staff to train them on the computer system or help with patient care.

A virtual ceremony featuring videos from award recipients will be held on a date to be announced.

100 Great Iowa Nurses was established in 2004 and hosted by the University of Iowa until 2020. In 2022, with the support of Mary Greeley Medical Center, the program was revived and renamed Great Iowa Nurses. For more information, contact the Great Iowa Nurses program greatiowanurses@gmail.com.

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