January 9, 2006

Regions Hospital Nurse Named Twin Cities Critical Care Nurse of the Year
St. Paul, Minn., - Mary Steding, RN, BSN, CCRN-CMC, who has worked in the coronary intensive care unit (CICU) at Regions Hospital since 1997, was recently named the Critical Care Nurse of the Year for 2005 by the Twin Cities Chapter of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (ACCN). Steding has worked in critical care for 13 years.

Steding chose to become a critical care nurse while a student at the University of Iowa. "I enjoy caring for critically-ill patients because I know I can make a profound difference in their lives," she said. "Critical care nurses help people through the worst crises they may ever face."

"Mary was recognized for her enthusiasm and dedication to clinical excellence," said Mike Cannon, director of cardiovascular services at Regions. "She leads by example and inspires others to pursue opportunities that will help them grow professionally." Regions employs more than 300 critical care nurses in its intensive care units and in the Emergency Center.

In her role as a clinical educator at Regions, Steding develops orientation programs for new critical care nurses and continuing education programs for the CICU staff, incorporating evidence-based practices that will increase their knowledge and improve their skills.

Steding was among the first 60 nurses in the nation to sit for and pass the AACN's cardiac medical certification (CMC). Past studies by the ACCN indicate that certification can be linked to fewer medical errors, increased job satisfaction and confidence.

Regions Hospital is a Level I Trauma Center and teaching hospital serving Minnesota and Western Wisconsin for more than 130 years. Regions is a premier, full-service, private hospital providing outstanding medical and surgical care with special programs in heart, women's care, cancer, orthopedics, neurology, burn and emergency care.Thehospital is part of the HealthPartners family of health care organizations.Additional informationis available at www.regionshospital.com.