When Patricia “Patty” Vieira was in high school, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in the medical field, but it wasn’t until her high school guidance counselor recommended that she volunteer as a physical therapist that she made it a reality.
Now, after over 30 years in the field, Vieira is celebrating October as National Physical Therapy Month as a home care specialist at VNS Health.
“Honestly, I wanted to help people,” she said.
Vieira, who is originally from Rockland County and currently lives in Plainview, said she knew right away that being a physical therapist was a good fit for her as soon as her guidance counselor recommended it.
“I loved it,” she said.
Vieira attended school and worked in a hospital, later becoming the lead physical therapist at a clinic specializing in spinal cord rehabilitation. She then decided to try home care, joining VNS Health, a New York City-based company with an office in Hicksville that serves the city, Long Island, and Westchester.
Vieira said that part of what drew her to home care was its “ever-changing” nature.
“Physical therapy is amazing because there are so many different specialties — you never get bored. There are always challenges,” she said.
Vieira said that when creating a treatment plan, she must examine flexibility, muscle strength, balance, coordination, and endurance, among other risk factors. She said that, as a home-care specialist, she creates plans to assist patients with their daily activities, like getting dressed.
Vieira said her favorite part of home care is the one-on-one attention that patients receive, which is “hard to find elsewhere.” She said that offices are a “controlled” environment, but home care assistance accounts for variables that might not be easily controlled, like pets or uneven flooring.
“You’re always thinking on your feet because there are so many obstacles that we face,” she said.
Vieira said the most rewarding part of her job is helping her patients prepare for important milestones in their lives.
For example, she said one of her patients, who was quadriplegic, wanted to dance with her son at his wedding. Vieira said she worked with the patient’s husband and brother, teaching them how to assist her so she could stand up on her own.
“I could cry thinking about it,” she said.
Vieira said no matter what, she always encourages her patients to keep her contact information.
“I always say — joking around — ‘keep my phone number because you’re not gonna get any younger,’” she said.
However, that joke turned into a reality when one of her patients called her in need of physical therapy 10 years after her initial work with them.
Vieira said a Post-it note with her phone number, which she gave them a decade earlier, was still hung on the fridge with a magnet.
“I always say it’s almost like a selfish job, because you get such an unbelievable reward from helping people,” Vieira said.
