Kimberly Hanson Interview

Description

Kimberly Hanson has had a wide variety of nursing experiences both as a registered nurse and an advanced practice provider.

She attended school at Concordia College, Moorhead, MN and Jamestown College, Jamestown, ND where she received a BA in Biology and BSN in Nursing. She was the first in her family to attend college. She started her nursing career at the Veteran’s Administration hospital on the Medical Surgical floor and then spent 5 years on a variety of services including the MICU/SICU, CCU and Transplant. She served on the hospital code team at the Denver VA. After relocating to Minneapolis, she was employed for 2 years at the Minneapolis VA in the SICU and Transplant units. During this time, she obtained a postgraduate certificate as an Adult-Geriatric Nurse Practitioner at St. Catherine University in 1989. Subsequently, she worked for 11 years at the St Paul Heart Clinic (SPHC) in both in and outpatient cardiology care. SPHC was one of the first specialty groups in the Twin Cities to employ nurse practitioners. She left her SPHC role to raise 4 children.

She became interested in volunteering as a RN at St Mary’s Health Clinic (SMHC). SMHC is a free clinic started by the sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. SMHC serves people who do not qualify for government medical assistance and are unable to afford private insurance. She continued to be drawn to serve the needs for this population and enrolled in the Master’s in Nursing Program as an Adult-Geriatric Nurse Practitioner at St. Catherine University in 2018. She spent a portion of her clinical education at SMHC and presently has her own primary clinic day for SMHC volunteering her services.

The last 6 years, Kim has also used her skills to serve in a variety of advanced practitioner roles. She has been involved in assessing seniors in their homes by obtaining comprehensive assessments experience to improve outcomes and overcome barriers. She has worked with the Amish in rural northern Minnesota. Kim worked at a Tyson Foods plant in a portable, team clinic providing education, clinical assessment and COVID management during the height of the pandemic. This plant environment encompassed multiple different cultures representing at least 18 different languages. It also was an important employment opportunity for employment of post-incarcerated people in their initial employment after leaving prison. She has also worked in home wound care and is presently working employee health with Premise Health.

Participants

• Mary Lagaard
  
• Kimberly Hanson
  
• St. Kate's StoryCorps Project II
  

Interview By

• St. Kate's StoryCorps Project II