Kaylee Billstone, PA-S2, is a physician associate/assistant student at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. She is currently a second-year student on her fifth clinical rotation. So far, Billstone has completed clinical rotations in internal medicine, family medicine, trauma surgery, and pediatrics; her current rotation is an elective in interventional radiology.
Early Years:
Billstone grew up in Keller, Texas, a small town between Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas. She spent her middle school and high school years playing tennis, piano, and learning all things related to science. From a young age, Billstone excelled in school and performed far above her age in academic settings. She shares that her academic success stems from a passion for learning and love for intellectual challenges.
In 2020, Billstone graduated from high school and began her undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Here, she earned a Bachelor of Science and Arts in Human Biology, a minor in sociology, and a pre-healthcare certificate. A degree in biology was an easy pick for Billstone– her passion for learning was always targeted toward the human body, from a cellular level to how humans adapt and evolve. Her choice to minor in sociology stemmed from her curiosity about how humans interact with each other and the environment they live in. She received university honors in five of her seven semesters along with an academic scholarship. Aside from academics during her undergraduate years, Billstone spent much of her free time volunteering at Dell Children’s Hospital, at a pet shelter in Austin, and with Ascension Sports Medicine. She also participated in a Freshman’s Research Initiative, where she was able to study a specific mutated RBM10 protein and its carcinogenic nature.
Kaylee Billstone spent the first few semesters of her undergraduate career with a strong passion for healthcare but wasn’t quite sure where she was meant to fulfill that passion. In her fourth semester at UT Austin, she shadowed a physician assistant in an emergency department and quickly fell in love with the PA career. From that moment forward, her goals were set, and she wouldn’t stop until she achieved them. About a year later, in January of 2024, she was accepted to the Hardin-Simmons PA Program in Abilene, Texas.
PA School:
Upon admission to her PA program, Billstone was awarded the AllSups scholarship for her first two years. She was then elected president of her program’s cohort, which she serves with great honor and enthusiasm. As president, Billstone takes pride in unifying her cohort and serving as a liaison of communication within the faculty. One of Billstone’s favorite events to plan was a Thanksgiving meal for the students and staff a few months into didactic year. The meal got students and faculty together and made them feel like one big family while they were all away from their own families. As president, Billstone also provides encouragement at monthly meetings through an effort coined as “MVPA— Most Valuable PA Student.” Every other week, one student will get a small surprise and words of encouragement based off an anonymous survey by their classmates, praising the amazing work they are doing. Billstone also helped lead a volunteer effort during her first year as a PA student with Meals on Wheels. Her class was assigned a driving route to complete once a week where they delivered meals to disabled individuals, the elderly, and individuals living in poverty around Abilene. In addition, Billstone alongside her classmates trained a Labrador retriever puppy to be a future service dog through the Canine Companions organization. She shares that this experience added endless joy to her didactic year of PA school, and she is excited to meet the individual the puppy gets paired with.
In 2025, Billstone participated in several service-oriented and academic initiatives. Billstone and her anatomy professor, Dr. Kathryn Norton, worked on an abstract on an abnormal finding in the cadaver lab. The abstract was selected by the American Association for Anatomy for a poster and presentation in Portland, Oregon, in late March 2025. This opportunity expanded her love for research, presenting, and networking with other science-lovers.
Service and Volunteer Work:
Also in March 2025, Billstone joined other classmates and staff and traveled to Lima, Peru, on a medical mission trip with the Joni & Friends organization. Before leaving, Billstone put together infographics in English and Spanish on diseases common to the Lima area, symptoms to watch for, and warning signs indicating a medical emergency to pass along to the patients they saw. In just five clinic days, over 550 patients were treated. A few months after returning from Peru, Billstone attended another mission trip to Navasota, Texas, for a week-long ‘family retreat.’ Here, each student was assigned a camper with a physical, mental, or emotional disability to hang out with during the day and offer their parents a break from full-time caretaking. Billstone shares that both mission trips served as a steady reminder of her passion to provide equal healthcare to underinsured and underserved families. She aspires to be a leader in the effort to abolish inaccessibility to healthcare. To continue this effort in the rural town of Abilene, she participated in a health fair at a local elementary school, primarily with families of low socioeconomic backgrounds and poor insurance. Her PA program put together resources and education modules on preventative health measures for both parents and children.
Currently, Billstone is the 2026 Student Trustee of the PA History Society. The student trustee position is a yearlong commitment and offers full voting rights as a board member. It is a great opportunity to build leadership skills and gain board experience.
Kaylee Billstone is eager to continue learning and pushing herself to excellence in her PA career. She is preparing for another mission trip to Lima, Peru in March 2026 and Navasota in June 2026. Following this, her focus will shift to PANCE preparation.
Acknowledgements:
This biography was prepared by Kaylee Billstone and submitted to the Society in February of 2026. The photographs are courtesy of Ms. Billstone.
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