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Katherine Stokes

School Nurse and Wellness Coordinator M.S.N., Nursing, Western Governors University

Katherine Stokes holds a Master of Science in Nursing and is Board Certified Nationally as a School Nurse. Katherine became a Registered Nurse in 2006. Her past experience includes caring for patients in the Medical/Surgical Unit, Shock/Trauma ICU, Pediatric and Cardiac ICUs, Tele ICU, and administrative nursing. Most of her nursing career was dedicated to serving pediatric patients at Primary Children’s Hospital. There she completed four advanced education modules to become a specialist in caring for children of all ages with cardiac, metabolic, traumatic, and respiratory conditions. She also became a perfusionist, specializing in operating a heart-lung bypass machine. Additionally, Katherine worked as an Employee Health nurse for Intermountain Health. There, she enjoyed creating employee wellness and injury prevention programs such as lunchtime yoga, micro breaks, and podcast-style education dedicated to employees sharing their stories and pearls of wisdom on health and wellness at work. She was also pivotal in pandemic planning and response, creating policies, protocols, and support for the employees she cared for. At Waterford, Katherine was integral in safely leading the school community through the pandemic while prioritizing on-campus learning for our students. 

Katherine believes nursing is best practiced with emotional intelligence, coupled with strong medical expertise, compassion, and empathy. She desires to understand individuals and improve their lives through the simple acts of caring, listening, and educating. Katherine is passionate about advocacy for children and enabling them to live the healthiest lives possible through education, community, and connection. She feels her life’s work is to make each community she touches a little kinder, healthier, and happier. Some of her fondest memories are those at the hospital bedside connecting with patients and their families, volunteering to make burritos for unhoused individuals with her daughter for the Burrito Project, leading Girl Scout Troop 445, and being part of a small team that raised funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Katherine and her daughter also enjoy all things related to nature, art, food, and science. They often climb, hike, and camp along with their rescue dogs.