Kimberly started recently at Norton Community Medical Associates – Shelbyville primary care practice. She takes same-day appointments and accepts walk-in patients.

Published: July 28, 2020 | Updated: November 22, 2024

Primary care nurse practitioner Kimberly A. Wright, APRN, is where she wants to be, doing what she wants to do. The Shelbyville, Kentucky, native is caring for her friends and neighbors.

“It’s exciting. I can actually make a difference in the community. You go to Walmart or Kroger, and you see your patients,” Kimberly said.

Kimberly started recently at Norton Community Medical Associates – Shelbyville, a primary care practice located in Governor’s Square shopping center, next to Norton Children’s Medical Associates – Shelbyville and the new Norton Immediate Care Center – Shelbyville. She takes same-day appointments and accepts walk-in patients.

Kimberly said she chose to become an advanced nurse practitioner because helping people makes her happy. She worked as an emergency room nurse for 16 years before making the switch to a primary care nurse practitioner.

“As a family nurse practitioner, you can follow through on your patients,” Kimberly said. “Just making my community healthier makes me feel like I’m doing a worthwhile job.”

She spent six years going to school at night to earn a master’s degree to become a nurse practitioner, all the while working full time and raising her family. The schedule was tough, but Kimberly refused to quit.

“I’m not a quitter. Even if it gets hard, it makes me more determined to finish,” Kimberly said, adding that she wanted to set a good example for her two sons still at home. She also has a grown son and daughter, and one grandson.

In the rare moments when she has free time, Kimberly enjoys reading and riding her bike. She is also a dog lover and has two standard poodles.

Kimberly said her experience in the emergency room will help in her new role.

“You have to be able to adapt and change to each patient that comes in. That’s where my emergency room experience helps me. You never know what’s going to come in the door,” Kimberly said. “It’s exciting and challenging at the same time.”

In addition to conditions like colds and minor injuries, Kimberly also treats chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes. She also can test for the coronavirus.

Kimberly was born in Shelbyville and went to Shelby County High School. She earned a nursing degree at Midway University in Kentucky and a bachelor’s degree at Indiana Wesleyan University before her master’s degree as an advanced nurse practitioner at Spalding University in Louisville.

Kimberly said she is looking forward to making a difference in the community she adores.

“They’re my family,” she said. I grew up with everybody here.”