Going Above & Beyond for Our Community

Dr. Janet Purkey serves as the Clerkship Director of the medical students during their medical rotation for the Graduate School of Medicine, and she demonstrates to all the medical students and residents what it means to practice medicine with a servant’s heart She has dedicated both time and resources into establishing the East Knox Free Medical Clinic which is open to anyone in need on Monday afternoons regardless of the patient’s financial situation. In addition to serving her patients at the free clinic, her heart of service has impacted many of our own patients in the resident clinic.

Recently, a young female became established in our clinic following a motor vehicle accident where she experienced significant trauma. She had previously been hospitalized and had undergone surgical repair for her injuries; however, at her initial visit in our clinic, she continued having significant pain that ultimately led to depression and a state of overall malnourishment. She had been referred to a pain clinic and physical therapy for assistance with her recovery, and we were focusing on improving her nutrition at each office visit. At subsequent visits, she was slowly showing signs of improvement. However, she had lost her wheelchair once home health services had expired, and we were unable to re-establish her with any home health service nearby. She also expressed difficulty with paying for her Ensure or Boost nutritional supplementation. Dr. Purkey was present in the clinic that day, and immediately stepped in to provide her with the medical supplies necessary to continue her successful recovery. The patient was provided with directions to the East Knox Free Clinic, and Dr. Purkey met her there on the very same day to provide her a free wheelchair, walker, and three boxes of Boost plus. For the first time, I witnessed this patient smile. She was just one of the many patients that Dr. Purkey has gone above and beyond to provide the most compassionate care.

How CME Translates to Better Patient Care

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Do you feel the CME you have been involved with has led to better outcomes for your patients?

It has made me more thoughtful in assessing patients during my practice. It provides me with more accurate and up-to-date information so yes I feel it is has been beneficial overall.

As mentioned before, UTMC offers CME opportunities involving multiple different topics each year that is sponsored by the ACCME. The next CME, which is titled the “5th Annual Targeted Pain Treatment Conference: Awareness, Access, Application” is scheduled for March 31st, 2023. It will cover the ongoing opioid crisis and how Targeted Pain Treatment® may be “an alternate, effective, and comprehensive approach to addressing the cause of pain and improving function and quality of life for patients.” The conference is officially endorsed by the Tennessee Pain Society and will consist of presentations from many different experts in the field of pain management. For more information, visit this link (https://gsm.utmck. edu/cme/targetedpain/).