Meet Kerri Pritchard, APRN, CRNA

Kerri is a board-certified nurse anesthetist who has been in practice over 10 years. Despite working with ketamine and administering IV fluids on a daily basis in the operating room, she never envisioned opening Hoosier Ketamine & Wellness in Indianapolis.

Growing up in South Florida, she developed a love for the ocean and all things outdoors. Never knowing life without 60°F winters, she decided to attend Florida State University (FSU) in northern Florida to experience “seasonal” changes. While there trying to survive her freshman winter, she met and fell in love with the man who would one day become her husband. Inspired by one of her closest girlfriends, she decided to pursue a career in nursing her sophomore year and applied to the FSU College of Nursing.

She enjoyed learning about the human body, but did not know in which area of nursing she wanted to specialize. During a clinical day at Florida Hospital in Orlando, there were not enough patients in the NICU to accommodate all the students. As a result, the clinical director paired Kerri with a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), a type of advanced practice nurse she was previously unaware of. It quickly became Kerri’s favorite clinical experience; she was fascinated by the care the provider gave each patient during what was one of the scariest times of their lives. She loved everything she observed and aspired to become a CRNA.

After graduating with her BSN, she moved back to South Florida to work in the ICU. After gaining several years of experience, she was accepted to the Duke University Nurse Anesthesia Program (DUNAP) in Durham, NC. Upon completion of her training, Kerri moved to the Midwest to be with her college sweetheart, where she experienced real season changes! Since then, she has been working as a nurse Anesthetist in a large Level 1 Trauma hospital, followed by a local community hospital.

It was at this community hospital she met Josh Retz and learned how helpful ketamine infusions can be for depression and other mental health conditions. Kerri knew this was a treatment she wanted to offer the community, having experienced the devastating and isolating effects of postpartum depression firsthand. Kerri will never forget her initial experience with a patient receiving ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. After learning Kerri was training to open her own clinic, the patient looked her in the eyes and said, “This service is going to allow you to help so many people who have lost hope.” Kerri is excited to offer ketamine and wellness infusions to the Indianapolis community. She cannot wait to begin this journey with you.

Education

• Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia, Duke University, Durham, NC, 2014
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 2008

Outside The Office

When not working, Kerri loves spending time with her husband and babies (both two-legged and four). She is a passionate collegiate sports fan, cheering on her Seminoles and Blue Devils. She enjoys spending as much time as she can outdoors hiking, snowboarding and going for walks. Kerri tries to travel as much as she can – life is short and the world is wide!