Kaity Johnson, PA

PA carries on family tradition made better with WellMed

When Kaity Johnson began her career as a physician assistant, she fulfilled a lifelong desire. She also carried on a family tradition started by her grandfather, Jim Johnson, DO, more than 60 years earlier – at the same clinic. The clinic, now WellMed at Hampton in Dallas, was a small family practice when her grandfather first opened its doors in 1961.

Kaity began her career in 2018 and is now the lead APC. She works alongside her dad, Steven Johnson, DO, who began his medical career in the Army and started at the clinic 36 years ago. The eldest Johnson retired in 2011 and is now in his 90s, active and spry.

“I treat 50-year-olds who my grandfather delivered,” Kaity said. “I see three and four generations of family members, so I get asked about my grandfather every day. Both he and my dad have been very involved in the community over the years and have made a huge impact in people’s lives. This is why I still hear stories regularly about the impact each of them made on my patients’ families.”

Carrying on the family tradition, Kaity is making a big impact in her own way. “When I became a PA, my grandfather was my very first patient. We sat and talked and he gave me advice on how to listen to patients. It was really special,” she said.

The love of medicine and helping people goes way back and is ingrained in her life. She says she’s always known she wanted to be in medicine and be at the same clinic where her dad still works. “It’s my passion. When I was four my mom would bring me to the clinic and I would go into the waiting room and ask patients what was wrong with them and then I would put bandages on them,” she said, with a chuckle. “Some of those people, who are now in their 70s and 80s, are now my patients and they remember that. They are part of my life.”

And Kaity prides herself on being a part of their lives. “You can make a huge impact on someone when you take the time to get to know them – and WellMed allows us to have that time. We love that the WellMed model of care and values line up with ours,” she said.

Kaity also appreciates the additional services WellMed offers her patients. To have LVNs, transportation, social workers, meals in dire situations, she says, is what makes WellMed so different. If patients don’t have access to the right foods, for example, their health is going to suffer. Or if they don’t have the right services available to them, their stress level is going to affect them. “WellMed tries to resolve that,” she said.

Kaity’s MA, Sandra Sanchez, will tell you Kaity tries to resolve that. “She goes out of her way to find resources within the community to help patients whether it’s bills, housing, food,” said Sandra.

Kaity also talks with great pride about the clinic environment and the clinic staff. “We have the highest employee retention of all the WellMed clinics. Our MA, Elvia Miranda, has been with the clinic for 15 years. She was with me for five years, and had been with my grandfather before me,” she said.“Dad’s MA was with him for 19 years. When you start here, you get adopted into the family. It’s just a culture we’ve created.”

Elvia will tell you Kaity is big part of creating that culture. “She makes everyone feel equal and important,” Elvia said. “Everyone is welcomed and valued within the clinic. She leads by example and is willing to do any job, even if it’s beneath her job description.”

Hats off to Kaity and all of our wonderful PAs as we officially honor them this week – and every week of the year.