Kendra Kartheiser, RN, BSN
Kendra Kartheiser, RN, BSN
Staff Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County
10 years of service
“I hope patients and families take away a feeling of empowerment, knowledge and a sense of control regarding their health and wellness.”
For Kendra Kartheiser, providing care to disadvantaged and vulnerable populations has been a driving force. She learned that from her mother.
“My mother was a nurse and provided nursing care to underserved populations as a community health nurse,” she says. “I felt it was important to provide care to my community. I was a social worker and wanted to continue to provide direct patient care to the underserved. I also saw a lot of disparities in health care, and I wanted to bridge the gap between underserved populations and health care services.”
Kartheiser started her 10-year nursing career as a psychiatric nurse before transitioning to medical/surgical nursing, receiving her degree through New York University’s accelerated nursing program. She is currently studying for her medical/surgical certification.
“It was a difficult transition initially from psych nursing to med/surg nursing, but I am resilient, willing to learn, adaptive and a team player so was able to work with a mentor to learn the skills necessary to fulfill my role,” she says. “I want to be certified in med/surg nursing and plan to continue my leadership cultivation.”
One of her goals is to improve patient education.
“I take a holistic approach to nursing care, promoting patient advocacy and encouraging patient involvement in their plan of care,” she says. “I provide patients with the knowledge and skills to care for themselves after they leave the hospital and ideally connect them to necessary services after discharge to maintain their well-being.
“Our mission is to provide care to patients regardless of their ability to pay. This is something I believe in, because oftentimes, the patients we serve don’t seek out medical care until they are extremely ill. If we are able to educate our patient population to receive continued follow-up care and preventive care screenings, ideally their health will improve.”