“I went back to school to reach the underserved population of rural south-central Kentucky that desperately needs compassionate and superior health care. The area has a large volume of health disparities that I am dedicated to making a difference in by assisting those in the community where I live and serve,” Percefull said.
Percefull graduated from FNU in 2019 with her DNP and recently published her DNP project in the 2020 Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. The article was written by Percefull and FNU assistant professor Judith Butler, DNP, CNM, WHNP, CNE, and is entitled “Improving mammography through effective screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment at a rural health center.”
Percefull’s project focused on the low rate of mammograms for eligible women at her clinical practice site. Before her project, only 25 percent of these women had received a mammogram in the past two years in an area where breast cancer rates rest above the state and country levels. During the 90 days of her project, Percefull raised these rates and saw screening and identification improve by 40 percent, patient engagement improve by 30 percent, and case management for “right care” more than double. Percefull implemented an electronic health record reminder for mammography screening, a patient mammography decision aid, a case management log, and weekly quality improvement team meetings to get these results. It is clear that by implementing these tools, providers have the opportunity to significantly increase the number of patients receiving necessary mammograms.
Since graduation, Percefull signed on as a provider with Family Medical Center of Hart County. She incorporates evidence-based guidelines while providing care to pediatric patients from birth to 18 years of age. She also collaborates with providers and ancillary staff to coordinate patient care and participates in quality improvement processes to find the best ways to encourage and assist her community. Additionally, Percefull often serves as a preceptor to FNP and DNP students in her area to further give back and support the future of quality patient care in the region.
Since the COVID-19 Pandemic began, Percefull has also worked with an interdisciplinary team within the clinic to create access to testing, implementing drive-through and in-office rapid testing clinics. She served as the primary source for research and provided current COVID education to providers, staff, and patients.
Percefull’s dedication is making a difference in the lives of the children in rural Kentucky, and FNU is proud to have her as an alumna. Keep up the excellent work! We can’t wait to see the wave of change that comes from your commitment to care.
Are you interested in becoming an FNP? FNU offers a graduate Family Nurse Practitioner specialty track that can be pursued full- or part-time while completing a Master of Science in Nursing or a Post-Graduate Certificate. To learn more, go here.
