Exercise Science Keeps Student on Pre-Med Track

University is a time to explore and discover your career path, and Emily Boyd embraced the opportunity with vigor.

Boyd decided on the College of Charleston after meeting School of Health Sciences Dean Wes Dudgeon when he was visiting her hometown of Columbia, South Carolina. After Dudgeon explained how she could tailor a degree in exercise science to her career goals, she came to campus for the College’s Multicultural Overnight Visitors Experience. MOVE allows high school students to spend the night at the College and experience what it would be like to be an undergraduate.

“I liked the environment, the walkability and the size,” says Boyd. “Plus, it was far enough from home that I could be independent.”

Boyd arrived at the College ready to major in exercise science and pursue a career in pediatric cardiology. Her passion for the field came from watching her father, a sonographer in pediatric cardiology, and being the “patient” for a lot of residents who needed to practice. It was through that practice that she learned she had a heart condition.

“I was dead set on pediatric cardiology because the field is so underrepresented,” she says, “but then exercise science changed my whole thought process.”

A Change of Heart

She credits her professors and the scholarships received – the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation Scholarship, Dr. Thomas D. and Janie L. Langley Endowed Scholarship and Dr. William R. Barfield Endowed/Annual Scholarship – for reshaping her plans and giving her the flexibility and the confidence to try new things.

“Having scholarships let me take a step back and not have stress levels through the roof,” says Boyd. “I was able to be open to opportunities as they came.”

Nick Leahy, visiting instructor of exercise science, made an impact on Boyd. She appreciated how he used engaging materials to keep everyone interested in learning and shared how what they were learning could be applied in daily life. In fact, under Leahy’s guidance, Boyd applied what she learned in class to manage an injury she got playing pickleball.

“Professor Leahy always checked up on me and never made me feel discouraged from doing things while taking the time to heal,” she notes.

“I think Emily learned a lot about patience and how important it is to encourage patients to be patient because results don’t happen as quickly as we want,” says Leahy. “She did all the right things and made progress, just not at the speed she wanted, which is what she will have to manage with her future patients.”

To gain a stronger understanding of physical therapy, Boyd shadowed a family friend who is a physical therapist. She liked how hands on physical therapists are with the patients and how they explore everything behind the injury.

“Emily wants to know as much as possible so she can present the facts and justification to dispel any inherent bias against certain treatments,” says Leahy.

Teamwork

With all her pre-med requirements completed, Boyd began to explore how she could incorporate physical therapy into her goal of being a pediatric cardiologist. She hit upon concentrating on cardiac rehab.

She then had an opportunity to explore cardiovascular assessment and health care for the physically active as a student manager for the Cougars men’s basketball team. In her role, Boyd works with the trainers and sees what players do on a day-to-day basis. She has particularly enjoyed shadowing the athletic trainer to learn how he got to where he is.

“I have always wanted to be part of a team,” says Boyd, noting that she’d never been involved in sports before. “I like the atmosphere and getting to interact with the coaches and athletic trainers.”

That interaction is something that Boyd wants in her career.

“By graduating with an exercise science degree with a pre-med concentration,” she says. “I think I can be on the pre-med track with something that will get me closer to a hands-on experience with patients.”

She currently plans to get her doctorate in physical therapy and then pursue her medical degree in pediatric cardiology.

“Focusing on cardiology with a physical therapy emphasis gives Emily the opportunity to interact with patients on a personal level,” says Leahy. “She possesses the clinical insight to be mindful of patient limitations and how treatment methods can be modified, allowing her to bring innovation to traditional treatment methods. Using an adaptive physical mobility approach, she can develop solutions that best suit the unique needs and goals of her patients.

”Emily’s greatest challenge will be choosing an area of focus,” he adds. “She has the skills and ability to connect with a broad swath of the population, which is a great problem to have.”

Wherever Boyd lands, she will certainly be patient-focused and always researching all her patients’ options.