Meet Karen Kopan

Karen Kopan is committed to guiding you through the intensive care unit (ICU) so you can focus on what truly matters in the moment; your loved one.

If you are looking for an experienced professional who can guide you through the ups and downs and ins and outs of intensive care, you have come to the right blog. With 30 years of ICU experience working alongside patients, their families, friends and hospital staff, her mission and commitment is to change the way we talk about life and death; in the hospital and in our everyday lives.

She is fulfilled by making a difference in the lives of others, every day. She has advanced her own career by obtaining both a Master of Science in Nursing degree and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. She works as a Nurse Practitioner in the Intensive Care Unit and has taught countless numbers of Nurse Practitioner students. She has presented locally and nationally on various topics related to her practice and she regularly volunteers her time.

Meet Karen Kopan – Intensive Karen Blog by Karen Kopan

Credentials

Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree, Licensed Advanced Practice Nurse, Licensed Registered Nurse, Board Certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Board Certified Critical Care Nurse, and Member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine; the American Association of Nurse Practitioners; and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.

Message from Karen

Intensive Karen - Karen Kopan - guiding you through the intensive care unit

Welcome to Intensive Karen. I am writing this blog to bridge the gap that exists between the hospital environment and patients, including their friends and families, and especially in the way we talk about life and death. It’s not an easy topic for many people to discuss. I am convinced we can do better. People are ready to talk about the tough topics; for instance, what does “living” really mean to you, or what do you want (or don’t want) at the end of your life. I have had these conversations with my own family and friends. When my Dad suffered a cardiac arrest at home and was in a coma after life-saving efforts, my Mom and our family knew exactly what he would have wanted. There was no hesitancy in making decisions because we had talked about it so often. We were advocating for what he would have said if he could speak for himself. For many, unfortunately, these discussions are often delayed or only briefly touched upon and then critical decisions have to be made in the hospital setting in the middle of a family crisis, when timing is less than optimal. I see this over and over again in the ICU setting. And this I resolve to change.

What is the blog really about?

This blog is to inform people, raise awareness, and evoke discussion, share stories, answer questions and get people talking about life and death long before they ever enter a hospital. I envision families and friends literally sitting around a table, together, talking about the choices they would make at the end of their life. And this blog is the place to ask:

“What are my choices?”

“How can I decide?”

“What resources are out there for me?”

I hope to hear from professionals, patients, their families and friends and the entire community as we talk about what living can look like and what dying can look like; the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful.

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