We are pleased to present the next in our weekly series introducing you to Internal Medicine’s Advanced Practice Providers. In addition to sharing information about where they work in the department, we asked them each to tell us a little bit about their “Why” (the sustaining pull for their work) and what relaxes them. (Read previous weeks’ installments.)

Kirstin Brainard, MSN, ARNP
Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine

Service: Medical Intensive Care Unit

Years with Internal Medicine: 5 years as a nurse practitioner

Hometown: Originally I am from northeast Iowa, a small town called Postville. I have lived in the Iowa City area for the past 11 years.

My “WHY”: Taking care of patients when they are at their most vulnerable means that everything we do (or don’t do) is very significant to their livelihood. It really feels like you can make a difference. Internal medicine, especially in the MICU, is the melting pot of the hospital and I really enjoy the variety of illnesses and learning opportunities that comes with that.

What Relaxes Me: When I am not working I enjoy spending as much time as possible with my two dogs, Goliath and Finley, and my significant other, Zach. Some of my favorite things to do in my time off are gardening, reading, and bird watching.

Not only is Kirstin a great provider, but she is always finding ways to keep the unit more organized and running smoothly. Her patients and co-workers enjoy her presence, as well as the gorgeous baked goods she occasionally blesses us with. We consider ourselves lucky to have her on the team!

–Allison Wynes, ARNP