Title
Karen Kopan, PhD, JD
Preview
Award Date
2010
Title at time of award
Critical Care Consult Team at North Shore University Health System's Evanston Hospital in Evanston, IL
Description
Illinois Wesleyan University alumna Karen Kopan will be honored on Oct. 9, 2010. Kopan, a 1986 alumna, has worked for the past 13 years with the Critical Care Consult Team at NorthShore University HealthSystem's Evanston Hospital in Evanston, Ill. As a nurse practitioner hired into the intensive care unit in 1997, Kopan blazed the trail for future advanced practice nurses in acute care settings. She streamlined the entry process for nurse practitioner students entering the organization for a clinical rotation, and received a certificate of achievement from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners for her work creating a corporate-wide resource packet for all new hire inpatient and outpatient nurse practitioners. Speaking nationally and locally about the role of the nurse practitioner in critical care, Kopan was involved in the First Summit of Nurse Practitioners in Acute Care Settings. She teaches countless acute care nurse practitioner students. Kopan is also a guest lecturer for acute care nurse practitioner students at Rush University, and an adjunct faculty member at two Chicago area schools of nursing. Kopan's presentation, titled "Trailblazers: Nurse Practitioners in Acute Care Settings," will begin at 10 a.m. The event continues the celebration of the 50th anniversary of awarding four-year bachelor's of science in nursing degrees at Illinois Wesleyan. In addition to her professional roles, Karen volunteers with Pathways to Successful Living Seminars, a personal growth and development leadership program. She is a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.