When she was a licensed practical nurse, Jordan Gilboy often visited patients in their homes as part of her job at Tennova Home Health Services.

Patients don't always want help at home, as Gilboy experienced with one older gentleman she worked with while he was a Tennova patient.

"Initially, when we first started going in to see him, he didn't want me touching his medications. He didn't want help with anything. He was very stern," Gilboy said. "But through several visits, we kind of opened a door with him."

Over time, Gilboy earned trust with the patient as he allowed her to perform the necessary care. She often gave his dog treats, and that created a unique bond between a patient and a caregiver, the kind of bond where bringing doughnuts on a Sunday outside of a routine visit is welcomed.

"And he had just tears in his eyes when he saw me. Like he was so grateful, because he saw me, my kids and us giving him doughnuts. He was so grateful," Gilboy said. "He just had a sense of relief, I guess. He just felt like someone cared for him."

Gilboy is a Tennessee health care provider and is the recipient of a 2022 Knox.biz Health Care Heroes award for medical excellence.

Building rapport with patients

Gilboy started in the medical field in the emergency room, where she worked on medical emergencies from births to wounds.

She was also a phlebotomist, someone who draws blood for tests and transfusions. She worked in the phlebotomist lab while obtaining her nursing degree at Hopkinsville Community College.

After completing nursing school, she transitioned into a licensed  practical nurse (LPN) for the home health side of Tennova.

Her work as an LPN involved going to Tennova  patients' homes for routine checkups, managing medications and educating them on the proper treatment based on their condition. Through her previous experience, Gilboy was prepared for any situation, from CPR to blood draws.

But the aspect of her job that she finds the most rewarding is helping patients regain their health and rebuild their confidence.

While building a relationship with that older patient, Gilboy remembers a time after he was discharged from the hospital. She and her husband, Billy Gilboy, went grocery shopping, and they found him struggling to shop in the store.

Even though it was her day off, she took the time to ensure he was healthy and taken care of while helping him shop for the things he needed.

"It's not only about caring for those patients, it's the relationships that you build with them," Gilboy said. "They end up trusting you, and we were kind of his saving grace that day, because he was just huffing and puffing and pushing through the store."

From field work to educating

Gilboy's role has shifted since she started in 2012; she's now an an account executive with LHC Group, which owns Tennova.

In this position, she acts as a liaison educating physicians on what Tennova provides while identifying potential patients who can use the company's resources. She still assists LPNs and other workers at Tennova because of her experience in the field.

Although her role has changed, Gilboy continues to do the work she loves, now combining her love of educating and caring for patients. She said her current position is one of her proudest accomplishments.

"I probably plan on staying in this role as long as they'll have me, because I get a little bit of both sides," Gilboy said. "Educate the physicians and providers, as well as get a little bit of the clinical side. When I do go in and do these events for the facilities, I get that patient interaction and volunteer work that I love to do."

The executive director of LHC Group, Winona Vanzant, said Gilboy's love for helping people has been apparent throughout her career.

"She just goes out of her way to make sure someone's taken care of and gets what they need," Vanzant said. "And it's not just medicines and groceries, but it's just even the compassion to give somebody the time of the day, especially with our elderly that don't have a lot of family, that she'll go in and just visit with them."

Gilboy continues to stay in touch with the patients she's cared for, checking up on them from time to time, including that older gentleman.

"I still call and check on him frequently. And every time I talk to him, he just lights up on the phone," she said.

That caregiver and patient relationship is an integral aspect of the job. From field work to physician education, Jordan Gilboy continues to build upon those relationships to ensure everyone around her is taken care of.

"He's no longer active with us. But we've built a relationship with this patient and in the rapport you build with them goes beyond the care that you give them," Gilboy said.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Health Care Heroes: Jordan Gilboy checks up on everyone's health