Learning the Power of Rehabilitation

For Siciliano, two personal experiences convinced him that he should study physical therapy. The first was when he was growing up in Bergen County, New Jersey. In high school, Siciliano ran track and cross country, until he developed two stress fractures. He decided to stop running and learned from medical professionals that the fractures were almost to the bone; if he had continued running, he would have broken his leg. He underwent physical therapy for one year, when he learned how beneficial the practice truly is. 

“It's one thing reading about it or hearing from a family member, but when you experience it yourself, like ‘Here I am, I have two stress fractures, one of which is on the thickest bone in the body. How am I going to get ready for wrestling season next winter, my senior year?’ But, you know, I did,” he said.

The experience inspired Siciliano, to say the least. As an undergraduate biology major at The George Washington University, he began volunteering as an EMT on a non-emergency medical transport ambulance. He eventually transitioned to be a rapid-response EMT, answering emergency calls and providing lifesaving care. When Siciliano became a full-time EMT at Care Plus Medical Transport, providing patients with ambulance transport to their medical appointments, he still volunteered on his days off. 

It was during his time at Care Plus that Siciliano had the second experience. A few months in, Siciliano had a patient who had suffered a stroke. The patient struggled to speak coherently, and his doctors told him he’d likely never walk again. Through Care Plus, Siciliano regularly transported the patient to his dialysis appointments, and he’d listen to the patient talk about how physical therapy was benefiting him. 

“By the end of it, he was able to have full conversations with me in the back of the ambulance,” Siciliano said. “He was actually able to ambulate down the stairs on his own with assistance. He wouldn't need to stay in the wheelchair.”

This solidified Siciliano’s interest in physical therapy. “It was incredible to see how physical therapy over a short span of a few months had improved [the patient’s] life so drastically that he could go from being bedridden after surgery to now he can almost walk fully on his own again,” Siciliano said. 

After taking a gap year while working as an EMT, Siciliano decided to enroll in NYMC’s physical therapy program for the extensive educational clinical experience. Through his experience in emergency medical services, Siciliano realized how important hands-on education is. 

“I really like that the clinical experience is valued here and we get an extra clinical rotation. I think I'm going to get a better practical education,” he said.

While he isn’t entirely set on a future profession, Siciliano is drawn to either working in outpatient orthopedic care or acute care. He believes that his EMT experience will aid him at NYMC. Having experienced and treated a variety of patients, Siciliano is familiar with managing those in critical conditions, and those who are less receptive to medical care. Working as an EMT also taught Siciliano a foundational value of health care: having compassion.