Darcy Blankenship just knew she wanted to be a pharmacist.
The Prattville native was at Troy University studying to fulfill the dream and was well on her way, calling it a “funny story.” She wanted to get her foot in the door in college.
“I wanted to work at a pharmacy, but it was hard to get a job,” Blankenship said. “The guy that sat in front of me in chemistry was failing. I convinced him to let me tutor him. It just so happened he worked at a pharmacy.”
Blankenship landed a job at a pharmacy while studying at Troy. But her boss saw something more. He convinced her to take the MCAT, the entrance exam for medical school.
“I thought he was crazy, but after listening to him say that for two years, I took my MCAT and got in,” Blankenship said. “He saw something in me and thought med school was a better fit.”
After finishing Troy in 2014, Blankenship went to medical school at UAB. She completed a residency in family medicine.
She and her husband Paul settled in Elmore County to be near her family in Prattville and his family in Alexander City.
In residency, Blankenship had started to work some for Ivy Creek Healthcare, taking shifts in Wetumpka Urgent Care and the emergency room at Elmore Community Hospital in Wetumpka. Then came a full-time job in family medicine at Ivy Creek’s River Oaks in Wetumpka.
Blankenship likes the variety that comes with a family practice in what is labeled a rural environment. There might be respiratory issues with one patient, then a cardiac issue with the next. The advantage to River Oaks is, if needed, there are some specialists in the building.
“We also have connections too,” Blankenship said. “We can get patients in to be seen elsewhere when it is needed.”
Blankenship is primarily at River Oaks now, but does work a few shifts from time to time at Wetumpka Urgent Care and the emergency room.
“It helps you stay good at everything,” Blankenship said. “It forces you to think quick. You get to a big city to practice medicine, you have so many resources. You can just refer to this and refer to that. You can get to where you get a little lazy and you forget all the bigger dynamics.”
Blankenship is keeping up her studies to be able to offer more services to area residents. She has been looking at hormone replacement options for men and women who might have low estrogen or testosterone levels affecting their health, but not for gender transition.
“It is something that's very cool that we're offering that's very popular,” Blankenship said. “Everyone's worried about where their natural levels should be. I want to help them with that and help them create a healthier version of themselves."
