Leiker to lead Tabor-Wichita’s fledgling nursing program

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN
Tona Leiker has been chosen as the new chair of the Tabor College Wichita nursing program.

Leiker comes to TCW with extensive credentials and experience. She has earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing, and is certified in addictions nursing practice and as a certified school nurse practitioner.

Leiker has worked as a school nurse in the Andover school district for the past eight years, recently becoming the lead nurse in 2002.

In addition to direct nursing care experience, Leiker has nursing education and management experience at St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Wichita.

Leiker was appointed to the National Advisory Council Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. She also served on the Congress of Nursing Practice for the American Nursing Association in Washington, D.C.

Leiker has served on the board of directors for the Kansas Nurses Assistance Program and as president of both the National Nurses Society on Addictions and Kansas School Nurse Organization.

Leiker has been published in the Kansas Nurse, Nursing Clinics of North America and the Journal of Addictions Nursing.

She is a contributing author for two mental health nursing textbooks, and has contributed professionally to the development of the standards for clinical nursing practice, standards of addictions nursing practice and standards of school nursing practice.

Recently, Leiker received the Joyce W. Markendorf Excellence in School Mental Health Award in 2001, and was a recipient of the Nursing: Heart of Healthcare Award in 1992.

Leiker has been the interim director of the Department of Nurse Education at TCW since 2002, and an adjunct faculty member since 2001.

“Tona is a great fit for Tabor,” said Howard Keim, academic dean at Tabor. “She has strong academic and professional experience, connections to the professional community in Wichita and a strong Christian faith and commitment to nursing as a service profession.”

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