Markita Klinger Recognized As WHMS's Shining Star

A Shining Star Award is presented to an employee to recognize and acknowledge their outstanding contributions to West Holt Medical Services.

West Holt Medical Services announced that Markita Klinger has been selected as the April Shining Star Award recipient. This award recognizes and acknowledges outstanding contributions to West Holt Medical Services.

Klinger has worked at West Holt Medical Services for 50 years. The Shining Star Award nomination for Klinger states “Markita has helped improve the quality of care with her dedication to her job in Materials Management. She makes sure we have the supplies needed to give good patient care. She attends many hospital functions and promotes the hospital. She will be missed when she retires!”

Klinger retired at the end of March. She has served many roles during her 50 years at West Holt Medical Services. Klinger was hired by the Franciscan Sisters of Chicago in 1966 to be a nurse aide at the Atkinson Memorial Hospital, now known as West Holt Memorial Hospital.

Klinger recalls her mother-in-law Florence Klinger and Mabel Braun taught her the ropes as a nurse aide. Shortly after she started, she began helping in the laboratory in addition to her nurse aide duties. Helen Straka mentored Klinger in the laboratory and a nun from South Dakota came to Atkinson to teach her everything necessary to work in the laboratory.

Klinger eventually added working in the X-ray department to her resume. She put in many long hours working on the floor as a nurse aide and would then take call at night to work in the laboratory and X-ray. This continued for many years until it was required to have a license to conduct X-rays.

Klinger was one of the first students to take a limited X-ray tech class offered at Northeast Community College in Norfolk. In 1989 she transitioned to working full-time in the materials management department where she worked until her retirement.

Shining Star recipients are selected monthly and any employee can nominate a fellow employee for the Shining Star Award. Nominations are reviewed and selected by the administration team at West Holt Medical Services.