Where Are They Now?: Ilyse Schwartz

Graduated North: 2009

College: Syracuse University

Major: Exercise Science (School of Education)

Before graduating from Clarkstown North in 2009, Ilyse Schwartz knew that she was destined to become a physical therapist. Both a people-person and talented athlete, with a knack for science-- Schwartz seems to have all of the right qualities for the job.

Having studied exercise science at Syracuse University for two years now, Schwartz has learned an immense amount, but nothing compares quite as much to the learning experience she had this summer. For the past two months, Schwartz has been shadowing different physical therapists on various floors at Helen Hayes Hospital.

“I decided to work there because I knew it was very well known,” Schwartz says. “It has so many different types of patients and I knew that it would be the best experience for me.”

But what exactly is “shadowing?” The term is vague and, in the intern world, can have a plethora of meanings. For Schwartz, it meant more than she could have imagined. She had expected to learn a few things, get ice packs for patients, and help the physical therapists with what they needed. 

But, Schwartz says, “What I did was so much more than that. The physical therapists I shadowed were amazing and taught me more than I could have asked for.”

Each week, Schwartz spent close to 25 hours at Helen Hayes and worked on a rotation of different floors. She started on the outpatient neurologic floor, then moved to the traumatic brain injury floor, and finally to the inpatient orthopedic floor. 

“I formed relationships with the patients and their families and that was one of my favorite parts about working there,” Schwartz smiles. “I looked forward to seeing them everyday and to seeing the progress that made…even just overnight.”

The idea of working with people, helping them, and increasing their self-esteem is something that inspires Schwartz. By the time she was 14, she had moved four times, constantly having to meet new people and move in new circles. Schwartz’s constant connection with people coupled with her love for sports is what makes physical therapy so appealing to her; her warm personality and athleticism is was makes her so perfect for it.

This summer has cemented Schwartz’s desire to become a physical therapist.

“I learned so much I don’t even know where to start,” she laughs.

One of the things she learned was how to properly rehab a knee or a hip replacement. “I sat three or four times in a hip education class that one of the physical therapists teaches to all of the patients so that they know about their surgery and what they can and can’t do.”

But how to rehab is only half of the equation. The other part is being able to interact well with patients so that they have the best possible outcomes.

“After watching the physical therapists interact with their patients and families I learned a lot about what is appropriate to say and how to say it,” she notes. 

In fact, Schwartz, herself, was an integral part of the patients’ recoveries. She was able to help patients with obstacle courses she set up for them and often tossed a ball around with them. Additionally, she picked patients up from their rooms to bring them to therapy sessions and cleaned off equipment.

She explains, “This was important because it allowed the physical therapist to have a couple more minutes working with the patient.”

When she looks back on her summer, one memory stands out “One day, on the brain injury floor, there were two visitors that came back after living in Helen Hayes for months with serious injuries, to thank the therapists for everything they had done to get them back living their lives.”

Schwartz understood how these therapists had retaught the visitors to walk, talk, and eat.

She says, “To see these people recover makes your job worth more than anything. After that, I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of.”

Although it has been two years since Schwartz attended North High School, the time she spent there is not far behind her.

“North taught me how to socially interact with all different types of people.” Additionally, she says, “Participating in sports helped me to learn about injuries and what they require to get better. I knew a lot about how to set up drills, which helped in setting up obstacle courses for the patients.”

Reinvigorated and ready to delve even deeper into learning exercise science with the experience she had this summer, Schwartz will be starting her junior year at Syracuse in just a few days.