When Caitlin Kolba reported for her first day of work at St. Luke’s University Health Network this week, she became the Network’s 20,000th employee – the personification of St. Luke’s remarkable transformation into the Lehigh Valley’s largest and most recognized health system.

“I wanted to apply to St. Luke’s after talking to other people who worked there,” said Kolba, 32, of Bethlehem Township, who is now employed as a clinical social worker in the extended acute care unit at St. Luke’s Sacred Heart Campus in Allentown. “Job satisfaction is very high. There are so many opportunities for growth.”

After living in Virginia for nearly two decades, Kolba returned to the Lehigh Valley, where she grew up until age 11. While working at an independent practice in Allentown over the past couple of years, she came across many St. Luke’s employees, all of whom spoke so highly of the Network that she became convinced that St. Luke’s must be a very special place indeed.

She said she felt like she hit the jackpot when she received her job offer. “I immediately called my best friend to tell her because I was so excited!”

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