Kim Benning,APRN, CNP

Board certification
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, American Nurses Credentialing Center

Philosophy of care
It’s not my job to be the “boss” and tell people what they have to do for their health. It’s my job to listen, educate and be their partner in their healthcare.

Why Kim went into medicine
I have wanted to be a nurse since I was a very little girl, about 3. I became a Registered Nurse in 1998 and worked primarily in Cardiac and ER/Trauma. Then in my mid-30’s I had my own health crisis and had the most wonderful Nurse Practitioner as my primary care provider. That’s when I realized that I really wanted to and could do more for my patients. After my children were grown and out on their own, I went back to school for my Bachelor’s at the College of St. Scholastica and then straight into my Master’s program to become a Nurse Practitioner at Frontier Nursing University.

Favorite advice to give to patients
I tell people they have to advocate for themselves. It’s their body, they know how they feel. If they feel that I am not hearing what they’re telling me, I want them to set me straight.

Hometown
I was born and raised in a suburb of Chicago until my family moved to Florida when I was twelve. Once I had married and had my children, I moved back home to the Chicago suburbs and then moved to a small town in Minnesota in 2003. When I graduated from my Nurse Practitioner program I was offered a job in a very small town in North Dakota and moved there in 2013, but I always missed Minnesota. Three years ago I decided to come home. So, I’ve had a few home towns in my life, but I guess I’d have to say the Lake Superior area is where my heart feels at home.

Hobbies
I enjoy being with my dogs and grandchildren. I’m an avid rock hound and I L-O-V-E agates. During our warm months, I enjoy gardening and fishing.

Additional information
I really enjoy working with the medically underserved and the LGBTQ community. I think there is so much opportunity to really help these particular groups of people. Medically underserved encompasses quite a lot. People who struggle with paying for their medications, lack of knowledge about their health, lack of preventative health care, etc. Obese patients often feel like they are judged or shamed for their weight and the LGBTQ community who often share these concerns of not being understood or being judged. I don’t think anyone should feel uncomfortable in seeking health care because of the concerns of being judged for who they are.