Remarkable Women: Kirsten’s dedication to her career
PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. (WCIA) — It can be hard to find a good work-life balance; when you love what you do, it can make juggling everything a lot easier. From the fire station, to the hospital, to the court room, one remarkable woman in Sangamon County does it all.
Dr. Kirsten Davin is a single mom of two girls, but those aren’t the only lives she’s caring for.
“You’re there for those people that you know…and that you care for in their worst times and in their darkest moments,” says Davin.
She is a volunteer at the Pleasant Plains Fire Protection District. It is a small village of about 700 people.
“The person that is calling 911 because of a fire, a wreck, or a heart attack may have been the person that you had dinner with or next to three nights ago at the local restaurant,” explains Davin.
She joined the team at 21 and is now the Assistant Fire Chief. The crew covers 100 square miles across the county.
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“It’s kind of a tough road to hoe because you’ve all got a life to live on your own,” says retired Fire Chief Robert Schafer. “It’s not like in Springfield where you’re on call or you’re laying around the firehouse. You’ve got to drop what you’re doing and come up.”
When Kirsten’s not at the station, she is at her full-time job—an occupational therapist at Springfield Memorial Hospital.
“[We are] essentially getting individuals back to their everyday lives, says Davin.
She works with patients recovering from injury or illness and specializes in wheelchair positioning and seating.
“I’ll be out here as an EMT or a firefighter. We’ll have someone who’s had a medical call or a car accident, and I’ll go to work a couple of days later at the hospital and…see them,” Davin says.
The two worlds collide, allowing for continuity of care. She also helps build the next generation of experts in her industry. Davin is the academic field work coordinator for Baylor University’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program.
“She’s got more irons in the fire than I know how she juggles,” says Schafer.
Add another one to that fire. Thanks to several different certifications, Davin serves as an expert witness for court cases across the country.
“The question on the table is did this equipment cause an injury or cause something bad to happen to the patient?” says Davin.
She sifts through thousands of pages of medical records, flying to other states to deliver her expert opinion.
“The court thing gives her the most pleasure I think because she absolutely loves it,” says Davin’s dad, Richard Kinner.
Whether she is saving, healing, teaching, or advising, Davin is dedicated to each and every aspect of her career.
“If you look at the resume, you think, oh my gosh, she’s doing a ton of stuff, which I am. But at the same time, I have the flexibility within all of the things I do to be able to take on different opportunities and different roles,” says Davin.
She also has a couple business ventures. Davin is the owner of Escape Mobility Solutions. It is a wheelchair clinic business that evaluates people from the comfort of their homes. Kirsten and her family also travel to state fairgrounds across the Midwest with their carnival game.
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