Meet Tyler, DPT Student, St. Francis Univ.
Meet Tyler! A third year DPT Student at St. Francis University where he was able to play Football AND continue his studies in the DPT Program! As physical therapists I believe we have an incredible opportunity in the healthcare field to build deeper, more authentic relationships with our patients. I have a passion for keeping my patients engaged and making therapy sessions something that each and every patient I interact with looks forward to.
Why did you decide to enter the field of Physical Therapy?
When I began to seriously contemplate what career path to choose, I knew I wanted to be in the healthcare field, but at first was not sure where I saw myself fit best. Thankfully, I never suffered any serious injuries throughout my entire athletic career. I did, however, experience a close family member go through numerous knee surgeries that took a serious toll on their soccer career. Growing up with a passion for athletics, specifically football and basketball, I always hurt deeply whenever I witnessed an athlete have their love stripped away from them by serious injury. I began to realize that not only did this have a direct effect on their athletic performance and health and wellness, but also their psychological state and sense of overall well-being. The field of physical therapy was the only profession I felt offered me the opportunity to make a direct difference in the lives of these people. Although my passion is working with athletes, I have a deep desire to help all people return to activities they love without pain, discomfort, and fear avoidance. When the opportunity arose for me to play division 1 football while attending physical therapy school, I immediately committed to giving this profession my all in order to be the best I can be for my future patients.
What is your background?
I am a third-year physical therapy student out of Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania. I was born and raised in Frederick, MD and attended Governor Thomas Johnson High School, where I played both football and basketball. I began playing both of these sports from a very young age and developed a deep love for both, but during my early HS years chose football as my sport to pursue a college career in. After my senior year of high school, the Saint Francis coaching staff visited TJ and decided to give me an offer. Knowing some other athletes from Frederick county who had gone to play there, I decided to take a deeper look into the small FCS school. I chose to commit there due to the football opportunity as well as the accelerated 3 + 3 physical therapy program they have. I am very thankful that my coaching staff and physical therapy department worked closely together in order to allow me and 2 friends to both play our senior season of football and be in our DPT 1 year (something many programs would not allow). While at Saint Francis, I was fortunate enough to be apart of the football programs first conference championship and FCS playoff appearance in fall of 2016. I was able to travel and play at a few incredible college football venues, including Montana, Liberty, Towson, Richmond, Villanova, and many more. I was also involved in many extra-curricular activities, including becoming a practice player for our women’s basketball team during my DPT 2 year once my football career ended!
What is your specialty/niche when it comes to being a future physical therapist?
I believe my niche when it comes to being a future PT is through my desire to blend my strength and conditioning background with my didactic physical therapy knowledge to help my future patients not only reach their PT goals, but also create an opportunity to develop or further continue their desire for physical activity. As physical therapists I believe we have an incredible opportunity in the healthcare field to build deeper, more authentic relationships with our patients. I have a passion for keeping my patients engaged and making therapy sessions something that each and every patient I interact with looks forward to. Using my deep S&C background, I feel more equipped to safely and properly load patients and keep them invested in a plan of care, empowering them to work hard in therapy and on their own to recover from their injury as soon as possible.
What are you most looking forward to joining the Rehab 2 Perform team?
I am looking forward to learning from a group of highly knowledgeable individuals with the same passion for sports rehabilitation as I have. One thing I love about R2P is their emphasis on continuing education, while at the same time being confident that they are some of the best therapists at what they do. I feel honored to have 15-weeks to learn from some of the best sports physical therapists around and intend to wake up with the mindset of getting as much as I possibly can out of every single day I have in the clinic!
What are your plans on trying to engage and connect with the community?
Being born and raised in the Frederick, MD area, I feel as though I already have a strong foothold in the community, especially with local athletics. One thing I am very passionate about already as a student is educating the public on what the physical therapy profession has to offer them. I believe being at R2P offers me a very unique opportunity to connect with members in the community I already know well as well as members I may not know quite as well and be an advocate for the profession of physical therapy. I want the Frederick community to know that physical therapy is not only for injured/post-surgical patients, but that we offer a wide variety of extremely beneficial services thanks to our deep anatomical and biomechanical knowledge base.