Kristen Elizabeth O'Dell, NP

Kristen O’Dell is a family nurse practitioner, board-certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Dedicated to her tiny patients, Kristen has been in the practice of neonatology for almost 20 years. She is known for spending time at the bedside educating parents, including them in decision-making, and empowering them to advocate for their babies. Kristen is an NRP (Neonatal Resuscitation Provider) instructor and has a virtual course to better support and educate women in pregnancy, childbirth, and during the postpartum period. A postpartum depression survivor herself, she advocated to end the stigma of peripartum mental health disease and seeks to educate women on how to recognize and get help for PPD. Kristen holds a certification in legal nurse consulting and has a special interest in medical ethics and law. In her spare time, she spends time with her husband and 3 boys and loves paddle boarding, hiking, kayaking, and knitting.

Why should someone choose you to care for their health?
I take a holistic approach to finding the root cause of the problem and I listen to my patients.

What is the most important thing your patients should expect from their professional relationship with you? What do you expect from them? 
My patients should expect me to be thorough, detail-oriented, empathetic and a good listener. I expect my patients to be honest, trust me and give me as much information as they can so I can help them best.

How do you spend your valuable personal time when you’re not caring for patients? 
Much of my free time is spent with my husband and 3 boys, watching them play sports but I also help at our seasonal motel and ice cream shop my husband and I own.

Why did you choose your specialty and what is its greatest reward? 
I chose neonatology because of the hands-on work nurse practitioners do with the most fragile and tiny patients and I love procedures and critical care. It's rewarding to see my patients grow up and say hi to me at local events!

*In the spirit of keeping you well-informed, the physician(s)/individual(s) identified are neither agents nor employees of Nuvance Health or any of its affiliate organizations. These clinicians render services to Nuvance Health patients under a contract with Nuvance Health for which Nuvance Health bills the patient. These clinicians retain independent medical judgment for all services rendered.