Diane Gleeson has been an RN for 32 years. She has spent the past seven years working at St. Jude Medical Center, and has been a Nurse Practitioner for the past five years.
As a Stroke Nurse Educator, Diane responds to almost every Code Stroke that is paged, approximately 30 calls per month. In her role, she often serves as a liaison between staff and patients, and their families, providing emotional support as well as answering questions. Diane also collects data and presents a monthly Stroke Review of all cases to improve performance. With Diane’s assistance and expertise, St. Jude recently completed its first recertification as a Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center. There were no findings or recommenda¬tions for the medical center, a very rare occurrence.

On a daily basis, Diane advises physicians on which order sets to enter for best practice and collaborates on patient care with neurologists and the interventional radiologist. She also educates employees about the “Stroke Pathway” at St. Jude.
As part of St. Jude’s community education, Diane addresses the Regional Paramedic Advisory Committee (RPAC) quarterly to provide emergency medical responders and local hospital representatives with current stroke information and education. Internally, Diane is involved with St. Jude’s Clinical Advancement Council and Neuro/Critical Care Excellence. She initiated the Stroke Resource Nurse Group and serves as its advisor as well.