Carolyn L. Strimike, MSN, RN, CCRN, APRN, BC, Advanced Practice Nurse-Cardiology at the Women's Heart Center at St. Joseph's, was recently selected to receive the St. Joseph's Healthcare System 2006 Employee of the Year Award. Additionally, in recognition of her outstanding efforts to educate women about heart disease and risk reduction, she received the Woman of Vision Award from William Paterson University and the William C. Gates Health and Human Services Award from the Paterson Rotary Club.

Ms. Strimike was selected from more than 6,000 employees from throughout the St. Joseph healthcare system to receive the hospital award where she provides comprehensive cardiac risk assessment screenings to women that enables them to know their risk for heart disease and adapt heart healthy behaviors to reduce their risk. She also offers a one-hour presentation on Women and Heart Disease to women's groups and organizations throughout Passaic, Bergen and Essex counties. She has given more than 100 of these community presentations in the last year.

"I initially went into nursing because I wanted to care for people who were critically ill and wanted the personal interaction that nursing provides," Carolyn said. "I have spent the last 16 years working in cardiology and critical care nursing. Over the last several years I have developed an avid interest in women and heart disease. I believe that nurses can have a major impact on improving outcomes in women with heart disease. We provide educational programs and health screenings to help women identify their individual risk factors and empower them to actually prevent heart disease and stroke" she said. Carolyn said that the screening process takes around 45 minutes to complete. Part of the screening entails targeting risk for metabolic syndrome and many of the women meet this profile, she said, yet the women are totally unaware. "We're following newer guidelines for metabolic syndrome, such as measuring neck circumference (above 34 cm places you at risk). We're also looking at body mass index, body fat analysis, and bloodwork." Carolyn believes that women are pleased with their cardiac risk assessment. "It's through this personal connection, customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth that our center continues to grow."

Ms. Strimike has been a nurse for almost 20 years. She received her both her Bachelor of Science and Master's degrees in Nursing from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the international honor society of nursing as well. She is a national member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the Cardiovascular Nursing Council of the American Heart Association, the Preventative Cardiovascular Nursing Association, the American College of Nurse Practitioners and an Associate Member of the American College of Cardiology. She has published extensively in professional journals and has given more than 60 papers and poster presentations throughout the United States.