Kelly Albers
November 2025
Kelly
Albers
,
RN
Cardiac Telemetry
Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital
St. Louis Park
,
MN
United States
I am thankful for the wonderful level of care I received at Methodist and am particularly grateful to Kelly for being a caring and kind nurse.
At 63 years old, a heart attack was not something that crossed my mind. Yet 48 hours after my “chest pain,” I was home with a stent and feeling thankful things had gone as they had. The World Wide Web tells me that approximately 2 million stents are implanted annually in the United States. That equates to 2000 – 3000 patients a day being admitted to cardiac care units. It’s no wonder that patients can become just a number at large urban hospitals.
My note to you today is to share that becoming a number is exactly what did not happen to me during my stay at Methodist Hospital. My nurse, Kelly, who was assigned to me the morning after my late-night arrival, quickly established a very comforting level of communication. She made me feel as if she had ample time to spend with me. Kelly shared with me the changes in my vitals and blood work over the course of the evening. She explained my troponin levels had risen from the mid-80s to approximately 1200 and that a procedure to inspect my heart and possibly place a stent(s) into my arteries was being scheduled for today. She asked if I would be OK not eating or drinking anything this AM, as the procedure required patients to have an empty stomach, and as the procedure was not yet scheduled, she did not want me to eat breakfast. I knew I had no choice on the eating question she asked, but she asked it anyway – rather than saying I would not be able to eat anything, she included me in the process of getting ready for the procedure. She took the time to include me in the decision process about my own health.
After my stent placement, I was assigned a different room. She checked in on me several times and even took a minute to hang up my shirts in the closet. My wife and daughter met her and shared with me that she seemed generally interested in my recovery and well-being. It was nice not being a number. I am thankful for the wonderful level of care I received at Methodist and am particularly grateful to Kelly for being a caring and kind nurse. I hope her efforts will be recognized.
My note to you today is to share that becoming a number is exactly what did not happen to me during my stay at Methodist Hospital. My nurse, Kelly, who was assigned to me the morning after my late-night arrival, quickly established a very comforting level of communication. She made me feel as if she had ample time to spend with me. Kelly shared with me the changes in my vitals and blood work over the course of the evening. She explained my troponin levels had risen from the mid-80s to approximately 1200 and that a procedure to inspect my heart and possibly place a stent(s) into my arteries was being scheduled for today. She asked if I would be OK not eating or drinking anything this AM, as the procedure required patients to have an empty stomach, and as the procedure was not yet scheduled, she did not want me to eat breakfast. I knew I had no choice on the eating question she asked, but she asked it anyway – rather than saying I would not be able to eat anything, she included me in the process of getting ready for the procedure. She took the time to include me in the decision process about my own health.
After my stent placement, I was assigned a different room. She checked in on me several times and even took a minute to hang up my shirts in the closet. My wife and daughter met her and shared with me that she seemed generally interested in my recovery and well-being. It was nice not being a number. I am thankful for the wonderful level of care I received at Methodist and am particularly grateful to Kelly for being a caring and kind nurse. I hope her efforts will be recognized.