Family Nurse Practitioner Katie O’Halloran, FNP-BC, believes building trust is important when providing healthcare, and her background allows her to do so in an interesting way.
Before O’Halloran started nursing school, she was a psychology major. Since childhood, O’Halloran has wanted to help people, and nursing presented the right opportunity.
As a provider with the Sarah Bush Lincoln Cardiology Clinic, O’Halloran calls on her nursing background to help people with cardiovascular illnesses. She also relies on her early psychology experience to provide excellent care. “I think somebody’s psychological state and how it affects their health is intertwined in every disease process, in every medical specialty,” O’Halloran explained. “My psychology studies helped me understand individuals and what they’re going through.”
O’Halloran’s transition to nursing was smooth because her aunt, a director of nursing and a big influence in O’Halloran’s life, helped her through the process. O’Halloran became a registered nurse and worked with advanced heart failure and heart transplant patients. During that time, she knew she wanted to continue her education.
In 2020, O’Halloran graduated with her nurse practitioner degree, specializing as a family nurse practitioner and helping— at a higher level— people with advanced heart and lung failure. “All of my experiences were learning moments for me,” she said.
Until recently, O’Halloran had spent most of her professional career in an urban environment. She likes that SBL gives people in smaller communities greater access to quality healthcare, and she looks forward to connecting with residents and caring for them. “Sometimes medical personnel have an understanding [of an illness] that hasn’t yet reached the patient, and I want to bridge that gap,” she said.
At SBL, O’Halloran looks forward to helping people who are in their first stages of a health issue. Having treated patients at the end of heart and lung failure, she sees value in disease prevention, treating the causes that lead to heart failure, such as hypertension.
To schedule an appointment with O’Halloran, call the SBL Cardiology Clinic at 217-238-4960. She is located in The Heart Center (Entrance H.)
