Therapist Feature: Kelsey Daniels, PT
This month’s featured team member is Kelsey Daniels, Physical Therapist.
Kelsey has been a member of the Tilton’s Therapy team for a little over six months but has been working in a version of mobile physical therapy since she obtained her license. Her direction began after an aptitude test in high school indicated that she should pursue a career in a healthcare profession, such as a doctor or nurse. Although she did not have any desire to become a doctor or a nurse, she began learning about physical therapy and athletic training. Kelsey proceeded through her undergraduate education with the goal of continuing her education in physical therapy school. She has been working in a similar position for about five years, ever since she graduated from a doctorate program.
After a brief stint at a community college for two years, Kelsey transferred to a four-year institution, then attended Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. She moved to San Diego, CA to attend the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences and earned a doctoral degree in Physical Therapy.
“I still miss the ocean and San Diego!”
Through the course of her career, Kelsey has experienced working in other settings including adult and pediatric outpatient, early intervention, and has experience working with many different populations including vestibular, orthopedic and sports, pelvic health, as well as infants. During her career, Kelsey worked with one student for an entire placement and multiple students who have shadowed her. As a Physical Therapist, Kelsey volunteers a lot for community events like races, or in a hospital setting. She recently has put effort into advocating and supporting the growth of the profession in private practice with less dependence on insurance-based models.
Even though some days it is also the most exhausting part, Kelsey loves the fact that every session and every day is different working in this profession. She rarely has the same session with a child or parent even though you may see them two times a week. Kelsey specializes in patients from birth to five years old as well as perinatal health (pregnancy, labor/delivery, postpartum recovery, and orthopedic and pelvic health concerns). With her growth in the perinatal health area, she has also become more interested in the labor and delivery process, since that is a largely overlooked area in the graduate programs but such an appropriate area of intervention for Physical Therapists.
Kelsey is originally from Seattle, WA, and certainly misses summers in the Pacific Northwest. She moved to Las Vegas for a year after graduating from Physical Therapy school before returning to Washington. She relocated back to Las Vegas, NV in November of 2020.
Occupational balance is a major part of enjoying her job as a therapist. Kelsey is a mother to an active toddler with another child on the way and has always enjoyed spending time outdoors with her husband, always making time to explore. She is a self-proclaimed foodie, so her recovery time usually includes some delicious, nutrient-dense food! Kelsey’s passions include physical fitness, organization, and her family. Another growing passion of hers is creating opportunities for women to access healthcare during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum.
“It’s a void in the healthcare system of the US and in the long term, I want to change the landscape for all women.”
Kelsey most enjoys the variability of mobile therapy and having the true ability to help people with the tools they have. Although it is not usually very “fancy,” she sees people make progress. The biggest challenge she faces is traffic and time, and says, “if I could teleport, it would be amazing!”
Thank you Kelsey for your dedication to your clients and your work to give back to the profession and create needed opportunities in the healthcare system!
