July 30, 2024 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu

Kinsey Brantley’s career goals can be traced back to two defining moments. The first was the physical therapy she received after tearing her ACL while playing volleyball at the age of 13.

“I loved my physical therapist and the team of individuals who helped me during my rehabilitation process,” Brantley says. “I also loved watching other patients get better. I decided then I wanted to become a physical therapist and help patients in the same manner.”

The second key turning point happened when a routine stent to treat a kidney stone led to an infection, sepsis and then multi-organ failure that claimed her father’s life. Watching this series of missteps and setbacks was an experience that solidified Brantley’s decision to pursue a career in health care.

“After observing the care he received, I knew I needed to serve rural South Carolina and become the health care professional my father needed when he was hospitalized,” she says. “He has been my reason ‘why’ throughout my education.”

USC played a major role in that education – offering up three degrees as Brantley forged ahead with her plans to serve rural areas of the state, like Chesterfield County where she grew up. First, she completed an associate in science degree at nearby USC-Lancaster, earning Graduation with Leadership Distinction and the Clara P. Hammond Award.

It was at Lancaster that Brantley found her first faculty mentors – two women who would set the standard for academic excellence that she would follow throughout her college education. “Drs. Elizabeth Easley and Sarah Sellhorst pushed me to be the best version of myself I could be, despite personal circumstances,” she says. “They both provided me with endless opportunities I would not have independently sought out, and I learned that it’s important to say ‘yes’ often.” She then made the move to Columbia, graduating with a B.S. in Exercise Science at the Arnold School. She decided to stay at the Department of Exercise Science for the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program because she knew the more intimate cohort size would allow her to have closer relationships with classmates and professors.

“I called Columbia and the USC main campus home for five years, and I loved it,” Brantley says. “I enjoyed going to Soda City and every home football game I could attend. Most of all, I love how USC gave me so many friends during undergrad and graduate school.”

During her program, Brantley gained practical experience at medical centers and rehabilitation clinics across the state. She found mentors in all the DPT faculty and staff, crediting them with providing a great foundation for her clinical career. “Drs. Elizabeth Regan, Alicia Flach and Shana Harrington come to mind as standout professors,” Brantley says. “All three have shared an abundance of knowledge inside and outside the classroom, offered professional advice and assistance in any way they can, and overall demonstrated empathy and kindness at all times. They promote excellence in the profession through their behaviors and have influenced me to go the extra mile, be mindful and be intentional with physical therapy practice.”

After graduating in August, Brantley will launch her career as a physical therapist at McLeod Outpatient Rehabilitation Services Cheraw. The return to Chesterfield County is part of a promise she made to herself while studying at USC-Lancaster: to come back to her rural hometown to serve her local community. McLeod is also the site of Brantley’s final clinical rotation this summer, so she’s perfectly positioned to become familiar with the needs of her patients.

“Where I grew up, there are few options for outpatient physical therapy and no specialty clinics,” she says. “For this reason, I want to primarily be a generalist and have the ability to treat a wide variety of conditions/diagnoses so I can better serve the people in my county.”

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