Today we’d like to introduce you to Mckinsey Sinclair
Hi McKinsey, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey is an amalgamation of various life lessons and experiences that are still shaping and molding the woman I am today. To start off, as an older (and only daughter), my desire and instinct to nurture, to heal, and to protect was first formed at a very early age. Growing up in the most diverse county in the nation and starting life at a very diverse preschool and neighborhood built my passion for diversity and love for people, which, later on, blossomed into a desire to advocate for equity and justice in not only healthcare but in my community. My experiences of gaslighting and medical mistreatment when it came to my struggles with reproductive health issues for nearly a decade and my personal struggles with my skin that affected my mental health and confidence at a young age spawned my pursuit towards championing women’s health and fighting for accessible dermatologic education. But first and foremost, my rededication in my faith walk and love for Jesus Christ that I have been fervently pursuing for over two years has guided and placed me on the path I am pursuing now towards becoming a Physician Associate, a pillar of my Houston community, a staunch advocate for women and the marginalized, and the healthcare professional I am today. I am blessed and grateful to have completed my Bachelor’s of Science in Nutrition, while currently taking a gap year before applying to PA school. This is in an effort to return to Houston after completing my education in order to one day open a non-profit clinic in the inner-city Houston area, catering to marginalized and underserved communities whilst promoting nutrition education, patient health literacy and self-advocacy, and hosting workshops and events that encourage preventative health behaviors. Two specialties that hold special places in my heart are both Dermatology and Women’s Health, wherein I have had the privilege of holding leadership positions in two nonprofits which cater to both of my interests and heart in these two fields of medicine.
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?
I always stress the point whenever I discuss my journey spiritually, academically, and in general, I have made many mistakes, learned from a plethora of professional and personal failures, and grown drastically the past five years since graduating high school and deciding on my current career path. It took me 5 years to graduate from undergrad, which was an accumultation of a variety of reasons ; This includes transferring from Louisiana State University to University of Houston, changing majors and tracks not once but twice, and a global pandemic which impeded my ability to get a job necessary to acquire patient-care experience and hindered my ability to be involved in my campus and greater community. I remember distinctly feeling very discouraged a few years ago when I finally set my sights on becoming a PA and feeling this great pressure of being “behind” my peers when it came to completing pre-requisite courses, acquiring hours of relevant job experience, and lacking relationships with professors or professionals. I can say with complete candor that they were more times than I can count where I heavily debated giving up on this professional pathway or felt severe imposter syndrome as I worked towards my goal but all in all, my community of family and close friends, along with my mission to serve, strengthened my resolve and encouraged me to approach this journey as a marathon of patience, not a hastened sprint to some self-designated “finish line”. In conjuncion with my personal battles of reproductive health issues and mental health struggles for several years before and duringthis journey have made some moments harder than others but have overall served to refine my outlook as more impassioned and empathetic towards the patients and people I have the privilege to serve.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I currently work as a medical assistant at a Dermatology & Mohs private practice wherein I room, document, perform wound care, assistant in surgery, send out prescriptions, and many other duties that pertain to assisting the provider as well as educating and assisting the patients we work with. We see hundrends of patients a week including anywhere from 30-40 Mohs surgeries which has pushed me to learn quickly, adapt to high-paced environments, and strengthen my patient care skills. I am currently in my gap year before applying to PA school where I am finishing the last of my pre-requisite courses and becoming a more competitive and well rounded applicant in the process.
Before working in my current position, I have worked part-time in other healthcare settings whilst still in undergrad, including interning as a medical assistant at a clinic working with underserved communities that catered especially to Indigenous women’s health in Houston, and even breaking into behavioral health as a Registered Behavior Technician, wherein I gained valuable experience working with children with autism and similar developmental disabilities. Furthermore, I recently completed awonderful opportunity this spast ummer to have interned with Texas Department State Health Services in their Maternal & Child Health Department investigating Maternal Mental in Rural Communities surrounding Houston. Myself and 4 other interns worked under two seasoned Public Health professionals wherein we assessed the current resources ( or lack thereof) 7 counties in maternal health deserts possessed in relation to maternal mental health, created a resource flyer, and developed presentations for healthcare providers and community leaders alike in order to educate on this important but under-discussed crisis.
In continuance of my mission to make in impact, I am humbled by the impact of the nonprofit work I have had the privilege of leading and working with over the past 18 months, from being in leadership with a nonprofit dedicated to providing free and accessible dermatologic education to underserved communities of color, Skin of Color Community, and previously functioning as the Women’s Advocacy Committee Co-Chair with University of Houston’s pre-health chapter of American Medical Women’s Association. All of these experiences and my nontraditional pathway to achieving my degree God has used to fashion and mold me to becoming a more competent, more empathetic, more patient, and more impassioned healthcare provider ready to serve and uplift my community.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I would define success in how I try to live in my life, albeit imperfectly, as walking in submission and obedience to the Lord, wherein I strive to align my will to His so that in everything I set out to accomplish or do, I am covered and led by Him.
Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Proverbs 16:3 states, “Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” One of my favorite verses poses the question, “What does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to Him, and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul?” Deuteronomy 10:12.
In my journey experiencing life as a woman, as a healthcare provider, as a leader in my community, as a Houstonian at heart, I try to lead everything back to the Lord, who has both blessed me and opened doors for me to be in the position I am currently in, as well as closed certain doors and left certain things unanswered where I am learning to trust in Him continually and rely on His timing and not my own,
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/McKinseySinclair
- Instagram: kinsey.sinclair
- Other: https://www.skinofcolorcommunity.org/mckinsey-sinclair
Image Credits
Mo.daw on Instagram
