Daniela Escobedo

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

When I was a little girl, I used to always love playing “doctor” and would place  Band-Aids on everyone and everything. It was my favorite thing to do and the thing that kept me the calmest. As I got older, I began to learn more about the medical professions, leading me to attend a high school with a focus on healthcare careers.

During my senior year, we attended “clinical rotations” in different settings, based on our preferences and physical therapy was not one of them. I had chosen to go to several departments in the hospital. After my first day of observing in the operating room, I knew exactly what I did not want to do for a living and immediately requested a change in clinical settings. I ended up switching to a physical therapy rotation and on my first day, I fell in love with the profession. I got to appreciate the value in patient-centered care and getting to know your patient on a personal level while helping them recover from their injury. I have worked every single day since then to be where I am today!

ONGOING LEARNING

Healthcare is always evolving with new innovations always being just around the corner. Attending PT school in the world’s largest medical center was important to me, especially the opportunity to be surrounded by ongoing continuing education and mentorship programs. Many of our classes had a variety of guest speakers and I always noticed they all had or were pursuing some sort of specialty or certification. These individuals were always extremely motivated and passionate about the profession, leaving me wanting to pursue more education after completing PT school.

After graduating, I decided to continue my studies and am currently working towards a fellowship in orthopedics and manual therapy through the Manual Therapy Institute (MTI). Continuing my education through MTI was the best decision I could have made, as I continue to learn new techniques that can help improve my patient’s quality of life.

DOING WHAT YOU LOVE

“Why all this interest in the human body? The answer seems quite clear to me. Your body is the only thing you carry with you from the time you are born… to your very last breath” – Dr. Roy Glover. This quote is the exact same reason why I am so passionate about physical therapy. I am fortunate enough to be a part of someone’s healing journey and assist them in return to living life again.