In 1995, Kayla Rankin was just 2 years old when her mom, Allison Rankin, entered the physical therapy program at the then UNMC School of Allied Health Professions.
“I remember studying at the table and Kayla sitting next to me with her own little books studying right along with me,” Allison Rankin said fondly.
Twenty years later, Kayla enrolled in the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions at the University of Nebraska at Kearney and expects to graduate in December 2017, with a different degree than her mother. She is pursuing a career as a physician assistant.
“I like the way the physician assistant can spend time with patients, really get to know them and guide them through their medical treatment,” she said.
Kayla grew up on her family’s cattle ranch in Spalding, Neb., the oldest of four. She played every sport offered in her small school, from volleyball and softball to track, and graduated in a class of 10 students.
Through the years, Kayla watched as her mom and grandmother, a nurse, took care of family, friends and neighbors in Boone County. And, while she admired the work they did, Kayla wasn’t always interested in a health care career. She had her heart set on landscape and housing design.
She changed her mind after a course at Nebraska Wesleyan University introduced her to the variety of allied health careers. The PA program in particular caught her eye.
By Christmas break, she was job shadowing a physician assistant who worked at a clinic in Spalding. By spring break, she was ready to sign up for the prerequisite courses needed for acceptance into UNMC’s PA program.
“The Boone County Health Clinic physician assistants are outstanding and really set the bar high on what a PA does,” Kayla said. “They know their patients and their patients trust their judgement. It was amazing to watch them work.”
Kayla, who plans to practice in rural Nebraska, near Kearney if possible, said she is particularly interested in specializing in family medicine “so I can work with people in any age group.
“It’s been a goal of mine, since I entered the program to serve in rural communities,” Kayla said. “It’s tough to know there are families who do not get the health care they need because of where they live. I want to change that disparity.”
Kyle Meyer, Ph,D., dean of the College of Allied Health Professions, remembers Allison as an outstanding student when he was associate professor of physical therapy.
“Imagine my surprise when I ran into her at this year’s White Coat ceremony only to find out she was there for her daughter,” he said.
“I was delighted, but not the least bit surprised that Allison had passed her love for health care and for rural communities on to her daughter. What an inspiring legacy for her, and what a tremendous testimony of our programs to provide generations of health care providers to serve rural Nebraska.”