The routine for Kory Howell was this: wakes up at 6 a.m., works out, goes to class dressed for work already until 2 p.m., works until 9:30 p.m., does homework until after 11 p.m., then starts over the next day. This wasn’t medical school, mind you. Howell, only 17 years old, was living in Midland at the time, just beginning his seven-year journey as part of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Primary Care Pathway Program.

For someone living on his own, his maturity level and work ethic were unmatched. That’s right, Howell had been, for all intents and purposes, on his own for the last few years, but none of that would stop him. He knew if he wanted to be a doctor, he had to start acting like one.

Seven years later, Howell is on the cusp of graduating from The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth and beginning the next chapter of his life as an Anesthesiology resident at the Texas Tech Health Science Center in Lubbock.

Getting to this point for Howell was treacherous, but his love for his father, his family, and his future patients drove him the entire way.

The Oil Fields of Life

Howell grew up in Comanche, Texas, and it was his aunt, a pharmacy technician, who first exposed him to medicine when he was just four years old.

“She delivered medicine to a nursing home, and I remember the interactions I had with the residents there,” Howell said. “I seemed to bring a light to the room, and it was very exciting to me. I had the power to make people’s lives better in such a simple way.”

Boom or bust is a way of life for the historical volatility of the West Texas oil fields in the Permian Basin. Howell experienced quite a few busts early on in life. His parents divorced, and he moved to Midland with his father, while his sisters stayed with his mother. Howell’s father worked long hours in the oil fields, and he was away from the house for extended periods, two, sometimes three weeks at a time. Howell, at the age of 15, was on his own and independent.

“I was really left to make decisions on my own,” Howell said. “I got myself to school, I got a job to pay for a lot of things, and I was just a sophomore in high school at the time. I didn’t focus on the hardships, because I had this sense of personal responsibility, I’m just trying to make it. Dad had such a demanding schedule, I was paying for food and gas for my car, but he was doing what needed to be done to provide for me and my family. He was doing everything that he could, and I’m so grateful for that.”

Roughnecks live a demanding life, they are in the oil field for long hours, 12-hour shifts for 14 days straight at times. Despite the long stretches away from home, Howell and his father were very close.

“My Dad is my best friend,” Howell said. “He’s still a parent, but I could confide in him and ask him about difficult situations. We grew closer during our hardships and moments of vulnerability.”

Ready or not

Despite his youth, Howell had to grow up in a hurry.

“Sometimes you are going to have to have bad days, but you still have to show up for your responsibilities, and people are counting on you,” Howell said. “It was a very big sink or swim moment.”

In high school, he wasn’t striving to be a doctor, but after some “self-evaluation” in his junior year, he applied and was accepted as a pre-med student at the University of Texas at Dallas. Still looking inward, he talked with a counselor at his high school, who brought up the Primary Care Pathway Program.

“I knew I wanted to be a doctor, but I didn’t know how to make it happen,” Howell said. “She brought up the PCPP program, and I immediately changed directions. I was going to be the first of my family to be a doctor, and I knew nothing about it, but through this program, I would have a lot of guidance and a way forward instead of doing it on my own.”

The program is a unique partnership between Midland College, Midland Memorial Hospital, the University of North Texas and TCOM. It allows students to complete medical school in a seven-year “2+1+4” plan. Two years at Midland College, one year at UNT and four years at TCOM.

Howell was 17 when he joined the program in the fall of 2018 and was working full-time to support himself as well. His work ethic was already refined, but his routine was demanding. Up at 6 a.m., a brief workout, off to class already dressed in his work clothes, or as he said, “insanely overdressed” as a sales associate at Dillard’s. After work, he would be studying, which lasted until 11 o’clock or later.

“I knew in the moment that I was handling the course load well, but medical school is always that scary monster behind the curtain,” Howell said. “My biggest fear was that I would make it to medical school but not keep up.”

Medical school

Howell was the third wave of PCPP students to arrive at TCOM in the fall of 2021, and his cohort will represent the fourth and fifth graduates of the program. Like many others, he felt pressure to perform.

“I had something to prove,” Howell said. “Everybody here was in different places in their life. Some had families, some had children, but I felt like a child, and it seemed like everybody knew I was a child. At the end of my first semester, nobody knew my background, and they all saw me on the same level as everyone else. Medical school was scary, I thought everybody coming in would be cutthroat, but it wasn’t the case at all and everyone was just trying to make friends like I was.”

In the classroom, he credits Midland College for preparing him for the first few courses and giving him the comfort level that he needed to succeed. No question about it, he struggled as the pace began to pick up, but leaned on his work ethic that he developed at a very young age to succeed.

“Age is no excuse and age shouldn’t determine your maturity,” Howell said. “You may be young, but you can still be mature. I wanted to put myself 100% toward medicine.”

After successfully navigating this way through the first two years, Howell entered rotations with an open mind about a potential specialty, but gravitated toward anesthesiology.

“In my mind, a doctor was someone who could handle any situation, any emergency and had the composure to handle it in the best possible way,” Howell said.

It was a rotation, ironically in Midland of all places, and a talk with a mentor, Dr. Joe Brooks, that led him to apply for an anesthesiology residency.

“I had a moment of hesitation if it was the right thing to do, but Dr. Brooks gave me all the ins and outs, which is something I never had in my journey; he laid it all out for me,” Howell said.

“Kory impressed me when we met because he was energetic, eager to learn and ready to work,” Brooks said. “Kory came to work early every day, prepared for the day. He challenged me to challenge him and teach him more. He has the personality and positive attitude to slay any obstacle or demon he may ever face. Kory is kind, compassionate and caring. I am confident he will continue to grow as a physician and be the kind of others will admire and emulate.”

On Match Day, Howell celebrated as he matched at one of his top choices.

Physician and Role Model

There is always a moment between Match Day and graduation for medical students when it hits them: years, maybe even a decade of hard work, have come to fruition and they are about to become physicians.

“It’s all very surreal right now,” Howell said. “I feel like I’m slowing down, like downshifting in a car, but my RPMs are still high.”
Howell’s motor is still running hot for many reasons. A move to Lubbock is on the horizon, but he’s always maintained a very close relationship with his family during this entire journey, despite being split. Howell is the oldest of his brothers and sisters and naturally, they look up to him for advice on just about everything.

“I wear many hats in my family, and I love it,” Howell said. “I feel like I’m able to be a great resource for my sisters because when I was 16, it was really rough, but I never pitied myself. I wish I didn’t have to go through the trouble that I did, so I feel like I can be there for my sisters by helping them avoid the mistakes I did. I lived that hardship, and if I can help prevent that for them, I’m very happy to take on that role.”

At just 25 years old, Howell is wise beyond his years. He’s very upfront about his motivation.

“I want to take care of my entire family, parents, mom, dad, siblings, grandparents,” Howell said. “If I can accomplish that, I’ve taken care of my mission.”

His entire family will be at graduation, there to celebrate together after so many years apart. His best friend will also be there, his father.

“He never had any doubts I could do this,” Howell said. “I’m so thankful, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him and what he did to push me in this direction.”

Howell isn’t sure where he will end up practicing after residency, perhaps Midland, maybe he goes back to his childhood home, Comanche, or another rural location in Texas, but his family will be with him no matter the location.

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