Woman launches her second career

Cara Kelly, RN, BSN, started her first nursing job in June at Providence Medical Center, but she is not new to the business world.

Kelly, 43, decided to make nursing her second career a few years ago. She received a bachelor of science in nursing degree from the University of Kansas School of Nursing in May.

New grad keeps focus on success

Christian Fancher, RN, BSN, just finished her orientation week at Menorah Medical Center but has already received recognition for her ideas about quality improvement.

Fancher started as a nurse intern in 2008. This spring she received an HCA Innovators award for a proposal she wrote about the COAT Method.

Heart of Healthcare program honors nurses

Nurses are at the heart of health care, and the University of Kansas School of Nursing plans to honor those who go above and beyond.

The school will host its Heart of Healthcare awards ceremony Oct. 22 at the Hyatt Regency at Crown Center.

Nurse inspires son to go into medicine

When Clarke Lewis started taking classes centered on the medical field, he got “stuck on” the idea of a career in medicine, he said.

“I think it is the fact I am helping people as a medical professional or I could be doing research that would benefit society,” Lewis said. “It seemed like a great way, and for lack of a better word, I became addicted to it.”

Hospitals boast hand hygiene

Area hospital administrators said they work hard to improve staff adherence to Center for Disease Control and Prevention hand hygiene recommendations.

Proper hand hygiene is the most effective way to prevent health care associated infections.

St. Luke's opens human milk depot

Olathe resident Amanda Marsh said she feels blessed to be able to breast-feed her two children.

Marsh knows that some mothers are not able to produce enough milk to meet their child’s needs so she recently donated her excess milk through St. Luke’s Hospital’s human milk bank depot.