Amanda Wilde (Host): There is a new nurse in town. Nurse practitioner, Keri Pulley, has returned home to Indiana and is serving her community at the Akron Medical Center in Akron, Indiana. Keri talks about what draws her to practicing Family Medicine, rural healthcare, and to Indiana. Listen in and find out more about one of the newest members of the Woodlawn team.

 This is Woodlawn Health Doc Talk, a podcast from Woodlawn Health. I'm Amanda Wilde. And Keri, welcome.

Keri Pulley, NP: Thank you, Amanda.

Host: So, you've returned to your roots in Indiana and your native community. You just came to work at Woodlawn in 2024, but how long have you actually been in Family Medicine?

Keri Pulley, NP: Since 2001, so 23 years.

Host: When did you know Medicine would be your career path?

Keri Pulley, NP: I was very young, fourth grade, fifth grade, I knew I wanted to fix broken bones and stitch people up and help people.

Host: And when and why did you choose Family Medicine?

Keri Pulley, NP: I had been a nurse for 10 years prior and I had done everything from Cardiac Nursing, Pediatric Nursing, Newborn Baby Nursing, and I just knew that I wanted to continue to help all ages.

Host: Yeah, there's so many challenges in Family Medicine. There's always something different and you do have to know a lot about a lot of things. Is the diversity something you love about what you do?

Keri Pulley, NP: It absolutely is. I'm learning every day.

Host: Can you give me an example?

Keri Pulley, NP: Just the difference between doing a well-child check on a 12-month-old little boy to helping a Vietnam veteran in his mid-70s might be five minutes in between those appointments and you're just changing your focus and learning what you need to do to help that particular patient at that time.

Host: And I love that you say you're kind of learning every day, that shows you are paying individualized attention to each of your patients. You're also in rural healthcare. What do you like about that?

Keri Pulley, NP: For the last 25 years, I was in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Wyoming is very rural. I like the small town communities. I like that everyone knows your name and everyone knows you and you can just be involved in not only taking care of the patients, but be involved with the community and community happenings.

Host: So, those are some of your favorite things about living in the rural environment. What about challenges of rural healthcare?

Keri Pulley, NP: Oh, gosh. There are many. The lack of home health services to help people stay in their homes when they're having acute issues, the distances that people have to travel to get specialty care and just there are lots and lots of challenges.

Host: And how do you help that situation in your role? I think it's by serving rurally primarily.

Keri Pulley, NP: Yes. And it's been wonderful as I've come back to Indiana and the Akron Clinic, and it's such a team approach. We need everyone's help to locate services, to help people stay as healthy as they can or face the challenges they might come across.

Host: So, you lived in Wyoming for over two decades, why did you choose to come now to Woodlawn?

Keri Pulley, NP: I moved back to the area. I'm originally from Roanoke and the Huntington area. And my mom lives in Akron, and I spent some time in Akron in my early 20s, and I always liked Akron. And as I was looking for a job to come back to Indiana, I found Woodlawn and I liked the small feel of it. That everyone spoke to you and used your first name and their first name. It was a very welcoming experience while I interviewed and spoke with people, and I just decided it was the kind of place I wanted to be a part of.

Host: It sounds like from the beginning, it really resonated with you, just the personal contact that you had. And I imagine your philosophy of care also was very compatible.

Keri Pulley, NP: Absolutely.

Host: What do you like about the team environment at Woodlawn?

Keri Pulley, NP: Just that you don't feel like you're alone. You feel very supported. I feel like, at least, that we're all in this to help people and that the people I've run across are very willing to help me or help my patients or help me figure out how to help my patients.

Host: And work environments are everything. And then, there's that strength and teamwork that you seem to have at Woodlawn. Now, getting back to your Indiana roots, as you are right now, what are some things you like to do outside of the hospital in your free time? I mean, I'm thinking Hoosiers, so the first thing comes to mind is basketball, fishing. What are the traditional Indianan hobbies, and do you have any?

Keri Pulley, NP: Well, I live on a lake, so I love the water. I do love fishing. My dog has quickly, within a day of moving here, become a lake dog. And he's very important to me, and he loves swimming in the lake. I also like to cook a lot. I like to bake. I like to cook and I do like to craft too.

Host: What do you craft?

Keri Pulley, NP: Just anything from wreaths to paintings to just fun crafts.

Host: Wow, you really keep busy. It sounds like those hands never stop.

Keri Pulley, NP: No.

Host: Well, Keri, it was great getting to know you, and good luck and welcome to Woodlawn.

Keri Pulley, NP: Thank you very much. I'm very happy to be back in Indiana and in such a family-like environment.

Host: That was nurse practitioner, Keri Pulley. For more information, please visit woodlawnhealth.org. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it and discover more in our podcast library. Thanks for listening to Woodlawn Health Doc Talk, a podcast from Woodlawn Health.