Adam Karlen, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CCRN
Vice President of Patient Care | Chief Nursing Officer
M Health Fairview | Southdale Hospital
How long have you been with MOLN?
I’ve had the great opportunity to attend MOLN conferences during the past 8 years, and I have been a card-carrying member of MOLN since 2022.
Do you have a favorite MOLN memory so far?
My favorite MOLN memory was attending the MOLN Policy and Advocacy Immersion in 2019. During that experience, I learned about the process of providing testimony during the legislative session. I was able to use this experience to provide testimony as a nurse leader during the 2023 and 2024 Minnesota legislative sessions. I now have the privilege of chairing the MOLN Policy & Advocacy Committee which is responsible for planning and hosting the immersion experience.
How do you cope with the demanding aspects of your career?
I believe it’s important to have different roles in our lives that can work as buffers – typically when one role is giving us a struggle, we look to another for support (a buffer). For me, my buffers include my partner, family, friends, pets, work, hobbies (exercise, gardening, food!, television, travel), volunteering, professional organizations (MOLN!), and home projects. Additionally, when work is tough, I look to my leaders, colleagues, and mentors for advice and support.
Who inspires you?
My parents inspire me. They instilled in me and my four siblings the importance of kindness, compromise, humility, collaboration, and hard work. I owe so much to them.
What is something that not many people know about you?
I grew up on a dairy farm in rural Wisconsin and my goal is to one day return to farming.
