Meet Kim Byrd-Keitel | Physician Associate and Owner/Principal Injector at Valkyrie Medical and Aesthetics

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kim Byrd-Keitel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kim, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Early in my career as a PA, I was part of the Plastic and Burn Reconstruction team at UNM. I was young and eager in an aggressive surgical field. It was common for us to work 70+ hours a week of “regular” work hours with additional “on call” hours 15 days a month.

As a young single female, this WAS my life. My team became my family. I will never forget one of the most impactful conversations I had with a female surgical attending went something like this: She explained that as a female, there are 3 things that we can be “good at”: Our career, Our families, or Our Health (physical specifically fitness)…but we could only pick two at a time. This had an enormous impact on me. I started looking around at my life and realizing that I wanted/was meant for more. I made it my mission to prove her wrong.

Fast forward 9 years…I am happily married, run a successful business by myself, have a beautiful/smart toddler, and another baby boy due in September. Was it easy? No. Did I put in my time of working 70+ hours to be able to work 3 days a week now? Absolutely.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I completed the Physician Associate (PA-C) program at the University of NM in 2013. This was a highly competitive program with a 4% acceptance rate. In undergraduate school I learned from my favorite teacher that I should never let my grades get in the way of my education. That spoke volumes to my rebellious, yet hard working soul. With that, instead of hand copying drug tables into a notebook, I chose to stay extra hours at the hospital, especially in the trauma/surgical bay. With this I got a B in my pharmacology class, but I was able to be in on a multitude of life saving procedures, learned to suture and even placed a central line as a PA student.

I continued my early career at UNM, becoming a member of the Plastic and Burn Reconstruction team. My colleagues and mentors became my family. We worked upwards of 75 hours a week and additional “on call” time of 15 days/ month. The proceedures varied from breast cancer reconstruction (microvascular freeflap reconstruction vs implant based), burn surgeries, to suturing complex wounds on the face of trauma patients. When you work that many hours, 3-4 years of experience is actually more like 8. This is where I fell in love with aesthetics and learned how much enhancing someone’s confidence has an effect on their whole life.

A few years later I had the choice to move to Plano TX to specialize in hand reimplantation surgeries with an incredible surgeon and friend (Jeffrey Wu, MD), OR give myself a chance at a family and life where I could “have it all” in Durango, CO. I definitely feel I chose wisely.

The first year in Durango I worked for a spinal surgery group that just was never a good fit. A few weeks before Christmas I was presented with two options: sign a two year contract or be done with their group. This is what lit a fire in me to start my own company. I knew in my heart I wasn’t doing what I was meant to do. If I stayed for security reasons, I would definitely regret it my entire life.

I was without work for 4 months, not for lack of trying. I reached out to the local plastic surgeons who said they couldn’t afford me. Fortunately I met a wonderful provider, Michelle Hemingway, who went on to become my medical director and helped me facilitate living out my dreams of having my own aesthetic practice.

I opened and operate my practice with one goal at the forefront of my mind: ENHANCE CONFIDENCE. The aesthetic world has, in my opinion, cheapened itself by overdoing and undereducating patients on their treatments to detrimental effects. I pride myself on educating and empowering my patients so that they understand why I would or would not do a particular treatment so that you never see a patient of mine and say “Damn…that person has had work done.” I want people to be confident with their looks. If something is bothering you or you want to change it, let’s talk about that with realistic expectations. Too often are people being “sold” treatments that they don’t need making our populous look at best like a Kardashian, and at worst a character from the Hunger Games.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Family.
1) My parents. They have always been my greatest cheerleaders, supporting me through all phases and ups/downs of life. They pushed me to not give up on my dreams no matter what. My Dad would always tell me “If something in life is too hard, you’re doing it wrong.” This simplistic way of looking at life’s intricacies became my life motto. It allowed me to take a deep breath and try to look at whatever hardship I was going through from another angle.
2) My work family at UNM. I cannot say how much those years of working with this group, and more specifically my Mentor Dr. Jeffrey Wu meant to me. I was young, eager, and had no experience. Working this many hours in such a high stakes field taught me more career/life lessons in three years than most learn in a lifetime. He will deny it, but I accredit my attention to detail and ability to see the whole patient beyond what area I am treating, in large part, to him.
3) My Husband Josh. You opened my eyes and put the air under my wings so that I am able to have it all: Family, Career, and Health. You are my fiercest advisor and advocate when anyone or anything stands in my way. You hold our family together and are the Husband/Father we all dream about one day.

Website: https://valkyrieaesthetics.com

Instagram: @valkyrie_med_aes / @thespicyhalfbreed