Today, we’d like to introduce you to KJ O’Brien.
Hi KJ, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in a small East Texas town called Kilgore, famous for its oil boom in the 1930s and its World Famous Drill team, the Kilgore College Rangerettes. Growing up, I admired the Rangerettes so much that it was my sole focus to be a part of their team, and I worked for years to hone my skills to be a member of their ranks. Tragedy struck our family when I was in high school. My beloved uncle was taken from us by an aggressive form of skin cancer, melanoma. At that moment, I decided I wanted to pursue a career in medicine. After graduating high school, I became a World-Famous Kilgore College Rangerette on their 73rd line. The Rangerettes were the first drill team established in 1940 by Gussie Neil Davis to keep men in their seats during college football games and not brawling under the bleachers during half-time and to draw young women to the college. The drill team has been performing since then, has traveled all over the globe, and has been a half-time event at the Cotton Bowl since 1951. I was a proud member for two years and performed in Washington, D.C., for President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Ball and in Chicago, IL, for the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. After graduating with my associate’s degree in science, I matriculated to the University of North Texas, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry. There, I met my wonderful husband, who is about to graduate as a Psychiatrist from UT Southwestern. We began our medical journeys together as he went to medical school at UT Southwestern. I moved to the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio to start my studies as a Physician Associate. When I heard about Physician Associates, or PAs, I knew that this was the best career path for me. PAs can practice medicine in every specialty and setting. They can diagnose and treat illnesses, develop treatment plans, prescribe medication, perform procedures, and even assist in surgeries. During my final year of studying, COVID-19 struck the medical field, and unfortunately, it was difficult to continue our rigorous clinical rotations and hands-on experience. Due to the pandemic, we continued studying from afar and were on Zoom meetings. Even our graduation was a slide show presentation on Zoom instead of walking the stage in person. After graduating, I wanted to find a job that took a more holistic approach to medication and be a professional who made a difference in people’s lives because we cannot predict the future. When I was searching for a career, I came across Quantum Pain and Sports Medicine Clinic, which Dr. Trung Ha, MD, started. When I read about his approach to acute and chronic pain, I knew I wanted to be a part of his practice. We both want to treat in a patient-focused way, treating patients using a holistic approach and advanced pain procedures to eliminate their pain so they can live life to its fullest. I’ve been a proud member of the Quantum Pain and Sports Medicine team as we have expanded across the DFW area for the last three years. I cannot wait to see where the future goes so we can help out as many people in pain as possible.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
At UNT, we have a policy where we meet our Pre-Health Advisor during our senior year to make sure we have all of the credits to graduate at our set date and to see how we qualify for our professions. I struggled while in junior college to maintain straight As and be a member of a World-Famous drill team, and it showed in my GPA. I worked hard when I got to UNT to increase my GPA to a competitive one for PA school and was proud of how much I had achieved. I was even graduating with a Cum Laude honor. My advisor looked me in the eyes and told me that I would never be able to achieve my goal of becoming a PA and I should find another career path. To say I was devastated was an understatement. I had been composing my application for three years, volunteering, shadowing physician associates, and working as a scribe in the ERs around the Denton area to prepare myself for PA school. Thankfully, I didn’t take his advice and applied to PA school that year with two acceptances to different schools.
Of course, COVID-19 presented a struggle as it occurred during my final year in PA school, where each month, we rotated through a different specialty and closely worked with other practicing physician associates for hands-on learning. That was put to a screeching halt as we were pulling from rotations for almost two months. Our faculty did the best they could to teach us from afar, but it wasn’t the same as being able to treat patients fully. When we were finally able to see patients again, it was with complete personal protective equipment, and we had to learn this new way of treating patients carefully so as not to spread the disease.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a physician associate specializing in pain management. We work closely with patients who have suffered personal injuries, such as motor vehicle collisions and slips and falls. We treat a variety of patients who have acute pain to acute-on-chronic pain, where they have been suffering for years. We treat patients using a conservative approach with either chiropractic or physical therapy and non-opioid medications. After following the patients and reviewing advanced imaging, we treat them accordingly. We perform a multitude of advanced procedures, including interlaminar and transforaminal epidural injections, diagnostic facet joint injections, medial branch block injections, intra-articular joint injections, platelet-rich plasma injections, and stem-cell injections. We also use a multi-disciplinary approach and collaborate with a multitude of specialists, including orthopedic, spine, podiatry, neurology, psychiatry, and otolaryngology. I am proud of patient-centered practice and our goal to help put an end to the opioid crisis.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I am seeing a more business-like approach coming to the medical field that is a one-size-fits-all mentality. Our clinic is hoping to break the mold by giving patients a bespoke experience and treatment plan.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://quantumpainsports.com/
Image Credits
Courtney Allen Photography
