As America honors the service and valor of members of our Armed Forces on Veteran鈥檚 Day, Drury Today introduces you to Kelci LeBlanc, a Marine Corps Reserve veteran and a member of the inaugural graduating class for Drury鈥檚 Physician Assistant program. A native of London, Ky., LeBlanc used the GI Bill to help pay her way through Lincoln Memorial University before landing in Springfield and joining Drury during the infancy of what has become one of the University鈥檚 fastest-growing programs. Showing a servant鈥檚 heart, LeBlanc signed up for the Health Professionals Scholarship Program, a military scholarship which funds professional education for health fields like medicine, dentistry, nursing, and psychology in exchange for a service commitment. Kelci鈥檚 service commitment will come in the form of spending two years as a PA with the Veteran鈥檚 Administration.
She sat down with Drury Today on the eve of PA graduation to share her story of service and gratitude.
Drury Today: Tell us a little bit about your background and how you ended up in Physician Assistant school.
Kelci LeBlanc: I鈥檓 originally from South Louisiana. We moved to London, Ky., when I was in grade school and I鈥檝e been there ever since. I went to school in a rural area. I liked the allied health sciences in high school. I learned medical terminology and anatomy, and I fell in love with it. I started taking college classes during my senior year of high school to push myself to be a competitive applicant towards possibly going to medical school. I took a gap year after I graduated from Lincoln Memorial University and gained experience as a scribe. I scribed for orthopedics virtually for a year and eventually made my way to applying to PA school after I did some soul searching in my year off.
DT: Prior to enrolling in college, you also joined the Marine Corps Reserve. What led to that decision?
KL: My senior year of high school I knew I wanted to go into the military to help pay for school. The Marine Corps seemed like a great option because my older brother was a Marine. I chose the Marine Corps Reserve because I knew how demanding active duty was and I didn鈥檛 want to put off going to college. I knew I chose a difficult major, so I wanted to聽dedicate myself to my undergrad work. So, I served with the Marine Corp Reserve for four years out of the Navy Operational Support Center in Knoxville, Tenn., which was near where I went to college. I did my four years there in Alpha Company along with a Naval detachment. We were essentially a MASH unit as majority of our officers were physicians and nurses. The Marines provided security and transport during our training events. 聽It was a pretty cool experience to see it all in action. I was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in the summer of 2022 during my gap year before I started applying to PA school.
DT: How did you balance a full-time academic load at Lincoln Memorial while serving in the Marine Corps Reserve?
KL: It was definitely challenging. My Marine Corps schedule never aligned with my academic schedule. I had to take numerous mid-terms and final exams days 鈥� and sometimes a week 鈥� before my classmates because of my service. I remember when my midterm anatomy practical got snowed out, and there wasn鈥檛 a way for me to take it later.聽After some earnest convincing聽and assuring my professor that the exam鈥檚 integrity would be preserved, he finally agreed to let me take it early. I think it stuck when I informed him that I can鈥檛 just tell the Marine Corps 鈥楴o鈥�. In general, it was a great experience, and it really helped me a lot throughout my career.
DT: Do you come from a military background or have family members who served? Any medical workers in your family?
KL: My older brother, Joey, was in the Marine Corps and I had some distant relatives who also served but I wasn鈥檛 sure about signing up for active duty. My way through the Corps was a little different than others.
My dad was a paramedic when I was younger, and my mom always worked on the administrative side of medical care. My mom went to nursing school at the same time I started PA school. She just graduated.
DT: Did your dad鈥檚 experience as a paramedic impact you in terms of seeking a career in medicine?
KL: My dad always brought me to the station, and I just hung out all the time and saw their training. It was really fun. Medicine has always excited me. I met a lot of physicians at my mom鈥檚 offices. It was a fun place to go. There鈥檚 so much going on. It helped ignite my passion for medicine.
DT: Why did you choose Drury for your PA Master鈥檚?
KL: My application process was a little bit different than most people. I was applying at the beginning of the cycle for Drury鈥檚 Class of 2025, but it was also the end of the application cycle for other schools, because some schools start in the fall and others begin in the spring. I wanted to broaden my horizons and leave the nest, so to speak. I picked the farthest one away from home. I put a lot of faith in the process, and I really prepared and thankfully I was accepted.
DT: Did the program being so new excite you or give you pause in any way?
KL: It kind of piqued my interest more. Drury being farther from home and so new, I was aware of the possibility that there might be some kinks along the way. But I also knew that the program came with an added layer of safety because I knew Drury was going to put a lot of effort into making sure we had what we needed to succeed. That was comforting to me.
DT: What are your thoughts on being part of the first PA Program graduating class at Drury?
KL: It鈥檚 a very surreal feeling being here. We had some hiccups and faculty changes to deal with early on. There were a lot of adjustments but in the end, I got the education I needed, and I did really well in clinicals, and I know I was trained properly. I鈥檓 really happy I came here. I wouldn鈥檛 have had it any other way.
DT: Do you and your classmates feel any responsibility as members of the inaugural graduating class?
KL: Yes. It鈥檚 aways in the back of our minds. Since the first day, we鈥檝e understood that we are setting the standard for this program. Our professors reminded us regularly that when we go out in the field for clinicals, we not only represent ourselves but the program, too. I want to make a good name for this program. It matters to me the legacy that we leave behind.
DT: Take us through the process of being a PA Master鈥檚 student?
KL: It鈥檚 27 months’ worth of study. Once you start you begin with your didactic year, which is your classroom work. Drury鈥檚 PA program has an extended didactic year because it鈥檚 14 months. You start off with “refresher classes” to reorient you back into the material.聽After the basic sciences are complete, we begin learning via block systems, meaning we learn medicine by body systems. You鈥檙e learning each body system simultaneously in each class. For example, you start with dermatology. Therefore, you are learning dermatology conditions in clinical medicine, dermatologic pharmacology, and dermatologic pathophysiology. We also learn physical diagnosis and professional communication which teaches you the hands-on experience and physical exams. At the end of those three weeks, you take an exam in every class. It鈥檚 like finals week every 3-4 weeks. It鈥檚 extremely fast-paced and you must adjust quickly.
Once you complete the didactic year of the program, you receive your white coat and transition from being a student to thinking like a clinician. This is when we start our clinical year and clinical rotations. Rotations are four-and-a-half weeks each and we do nine of them, seven of which are considered core. The core rotations means that we have an exam after every rotation, or EOR for short. The seven core rotations are family medicine, emergency medicine, internal medicine, surgery, psychiatry, pediatrics, and OB/GYN. At Drury, we also get two electives in any specialty of our choosing. I chose both electives in cardiology.
DT: Is medical school in your future or are you right where you want to be?
KL: Most PA鈥檚 never anticipate going to medical school. Some who are overachievers may want to keep going. But I love the idea of PA school and being a PA because we can switch fields at any time. I can switch from cardiology to psychiatry to obstetrics because I鈥檓 a mid-level provider. It鈥檚 comforting to know that If I don鈥檛 enjoy a specialty, I have the freedom change which is a great part of being a PA.
DT: How do you see your future as a Physician Assistant taking shape?
KL: I really value my work-life balance, and I鈥檝e seen the high demands of private practice. I want to see patients and I want to make a difference, but I also want a life outside of my job. I aim to serve my patients the best I can, while enjoying time for family, and myself. My goal is to stay with the VA as long as they鈥檒l have me, or until I retire.