All Star Payback Winner Spotlight: Courtney Kingston, PA-C — Strength, Resilience, and Balance in Action

Inspired by Family and a Defining Moment

For Courtney Kingston, the path to becoming a physician assistant (PA) began with family. Her cousin, who attended PA school, lived with her family for a time while Courtney was still in middle school. Those everyday conversations — hearing about classes, patients, and experiences — left a lasting impression.

“My cousin, who’s quite a bit older, actually lived with us for a few semesters of PA school. And so, I was in middle school, and you know, we just kind of debriefed with her at the end of the day. And when she became a practicing PA, I actually got to shadow her, and I was kind of wanting to be a PA anyway, but the first time she let me listen to a patient’s heart, it kind of just solidified it for me. And I know I was super young, about 13, but kind of from there I just felt like I had a path written out and I followed and kind of never looked back.”

That single, powerful moment — hearing a patient’s heartbeat for the first time — set her on a path she’s followed ever since.

Overcoming Challenges and Finding Purpose

The journey to becoming a PA is known for its rigor, and Courtney embraced that challenge head-on.

“I would say the most challenging part of the journey to becoming a PA is just how you are thrown into all these different environments really quickly. And for instance, you might come off of a night shift and have to be back at a clinic at 8:00 AM and just kind of really learning, trying to adapt, working alongside different types of patients, different specialties, different providers, different settings, whether that be in a clinic versus the hospital versus the OR and really trying to learn and solidify your knowledge in the meantime. That is certainly challenging, but it certainly builds a lot of resilience as well and I think ultimately made me a better PA and what keeps me motivated is really just those patients you look back on where you really feel like you made a difference and even on the hardest days, I can kind of look back, think back to those patients and realize why I did this and why I want to keep going.”

Each rotation, each long shift, each new setting taught her adaptability — and deepened her commitment to care.

Making Care More Human

Courtney’s approach to medicine centers on compassion and understanding. She sees her role not only as a medical professional, but as a guide and advocate for patients and their families.

“Being a PA hopefully makes a difference for patients and their families because I feel that I have a little bit more time than other providers to talk with the patients and really walk them through it because I acknowledge that most of them did not go to some medical training and a lot of the stuff is really scary and confusing and they don’t understand the terminology, which I don’t expect them to understand. And so something that I’m honored to do is kind of walk along with them and embrace down, answer questions and to make procedures or diagnosis, treatments, things like that a little bit less scary and you know, hopefully make it a place they don’t hate coming anymore.”

That empathy — taking time to explain, listen, and reassure — is what makes her such an impactful provider.

A Payback Win and a Grateful Heart

Courtney discovered the All Star Payback Contest while scrolling through Instagram — and almost didn’t enter.

“I first heard of the All Star Payback actually on Instagram and I saw that you should submit a video for more entries and I kind of just kept putting it off. I finally put it on my To Do List to get done right before Halloween and I am just thrilled that I did it.”

Her decision paid off — literally and figuratively. Winning gave her the opportunity to reconnect with family and to give back in her own way.

“My husband and I have been talking about it. I’m really hopeful that I can travel home to see my family and we would like to donate a little bit of it as well. A lot of people need it a little bit more than me right now and then we’re hoping to put the rest away for future investments.”

Resilience and Balance

When asked what advice she’d share with others pursuing a PA career, Courtney offered a simple but powerful reminder.

“Some advice I would give is to just push through. And I don’t say that in like a ‘oh, just put your head down and don’t take care of yourself,’ but it gets better. PA school is certainly very difficult, but there’s a reason why the rigor is so high because you do come into these situations when you’re a practicing PA where it’s really tough. You might be the only one there to help someone or an emergency, and so being able to have gone through that rigor earlier on in PA school again really builds resilience and allows you to just be a better medical provider in general.”

And for staying balanced amid long shifts and emotional days, she finds renewal in movement and self-care.

“The best way I have found to keep myself inspired and balanced is actually exercise. And I know a lot of times at the end of a long day, a long shift, kind of the last thing you want to do is go to the gym. But I have found that really helps me kind of work through some hard emotions from the day if I experience that or kind of give myself a happiness boost at the gym with some endorphins. And I found that keeping myself healthy and accountable and doing the things that I recommend for my patients allows me to show up better for myself and for my patients.”

What It Means to Be a PA

For Courtney, being a physician assistant is about connection — being part of something bigger and contributing to community health.

“Being a PA means joining the large healthcare system to be a partner in the community’s health. It allows further access to care and better, cohesive treatment for the patient.”

And the most rewarding part of it all?

“The most rewarding part of my work is when I have a patient who is struggling, whatever that may be, and they come back and they say their life has changed and that doesn’t always happen, but when it does, it is just truly so rewarding and reminds me why I do what I do.”

Celebrating All Star Payback Winners

The All Star Payback Contest was created to recognize and celebrate healthcare professionals who bring heart, excellence, and humanity to their work.
Courtney Kingston exemplifies all of those qualities — and reminds us that resilience and compassion truly define what it means to care for others.

Congratulations, Courtney, and thank you for representing the spirit of All Star Healthcare Solutions with such grace, heart, and authenticity. Click here to see the video Courtney submitted about what being a healthcare provider means to her.