Karen is the heart, soul, and brains behind the Kidney Center's Nephrology clinic. She is incredibly resourceful, going above and beyond to problem solve in order to get patients the best care possible. We see some of the most medically complex patients at Hennepin, and Karen puts extra hours in with both the patients as well as the providers to coordinate their care, get them in for nurse visits to help with medication adjustments, helps them schedule other appointments, and infusions, and gets them into the hospital when they are seriously ill.
For these patients with a serious chronic illness, their long-term relationships with Karen are so important to keep them engaged in their care and following up with the many providers they often need to follow with. She also offloads the physician and NP providers immensely through her phone calls, nurse visits, and help getting these patients what they need in the clinic. To call her a critical team member is an understatement!
Karen is an exemplary nurse that supports our patients in so many ways beyond her routine duties. She is often the first line in monitoring the welfare of countless CKD patients who are approaching the need for dialysis and always makes herself available for them. She is the anchor of our kidney clinic.
Karen consistently goes the extra mile for our CKD patients in the clinic. When they call and need to be seen urgently she works to get them in. She regularly makes extra calls reminding patients of upcoming appointments so that they don't miss the appointment. Karen also works really hard to keep the clinic running on time and smoothly, helping where needed with rooming, lab draws, patient education, and scheduling.