We were lucky to catch up with Rachele Burriesci recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rachele, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

I’ve had a number of patients that I will forever hold in my heart. I realized early in my career that what I do, the services I provide, the impact that can be made, are much bigger than me. I also learned from personal experience, being on the other side of healthcare, that leading with a human-first approach and compassion is often missing. I teach all my students to treat every patient like you would your own family member. That includes respect, modesty, and overall kindness. I realize that you can’t take every patient home with you, and yes you have to learn how to compartmentalize at times, but you never have to take the human out of your approach.

One patient always sticks out in my mind. He was a Vietnam veteran, admitted with respiratory failure. He was on a ventilator and eventually required a tracheostomy when he was strong enough to come off the vent. He was very quiet. Often allowed his wife to answer for him. One day, I told him, I want to hear what you have to say. I want you to use your voice and stand up for what you want. After that day, he started becoming more involved in his care. He no longer took the back seat. And he also started fighting to get home. He was eventually discharged from the hospital without a device (walker) and returned home with his wife. Every single time he had an appointment at the hospital, they came to see me in the PT department. Every time, he would give me a big hug and say “Thank you, I would’ve never made it home without you.” Every single time he would tear up, so would his wife and you know certainly I did too. Every single time he came just to give me a hug and say thank you. It is in those moments you realize that you are not just a PT, you are a patient advocate, a coach, and everything in between. What you do matters, how you show up matters and our impact is much bigger than us.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Rachele Burriesci, I have been a physical therapist for 14 years. Over my 14 years I have spent most of my time in the acute care (hospital) setting, received 2 board specializations (cardiopulmonary and geriatrics), completed a 1-year residency, became a mentor in that residency and later became a faculty member for a Doctor of Physical Therapy program. In the summer of 2022, I decided I wanted to create my dream job and utilize my expertise in a way that I could truly make a difference in this world. I started my own company, and I am now the owner of All Things Cardiopulm LLC, which is a mobile/virtual PT practice and education company, dedicated to providing the highest level of care for clients with cardiac/lung conditions and mentorship for clinicians and students.

My primary niche in patient care is the cardiopulmonary patient, this includes everything from COPD, interstitial lung disease, heart failure, post heart attack, Acute COVID, Long COVID and everything in between. I love treating complex patients with a desire to help patients return to their highest level of function and thrive in their current life. My goal is to treat the whole person, lead with compassion and bring my knowledge base to deliver the best-individualized care for each patient.

I also provide mentorship for PT and PTA students, as well as seasoned clinicians who are looking to become board-certified in cardiopulmonary. I have had a passion for coaching since I was a kid and that has transformed into teaching/mentoring as I have progressed into my career. My superpower is being able to break down complex concepts into easy-to-digest chunks. I have taught at the Doctor of Physical Therapy level, mentored in a cardiopulmonary residency program, and sat for two board specializations, I know what it takes to cross the finish line and I know how to push each student to get there. There is nothing better than watching that “a-ha” moment happen and enjoying the transformation of each student. My goal as a mentor is to meet my mentee wherever they are at, to help them connect the dots and learn the foundational information to better understand the more complex topics.

What Services I provide:
– 1:1 mobile physical therapy in the Kanas City area for cardiopulmonary conditions
– Virtual PT for those outside of driving distance

1:1 mentoring for students and clinicians
– Mentoring for CCS
– Assist PTs with complex cases in their current setting
– Assist students in understanding cardiopulmonary topics for NPTE prep or their DPT class

NPTE prep course
– 8hrs of pre-recorded need-to-know-information to help crush the cardiopulm section on the NPTE (national exam)

Webinars:
– NPTE Cardiopulm Crash Course
2-hr live session to review held each NPTE cycle to break down Cardiopulm topics, participate in active learning and learn how to “white-paper test”

All Things COVID Management
– Understand the pathophysiology of acute COVID & Long COVID
– How to assess patients with acute COVID & Long COVID
– Interventions that make a difference in the treatment of acute and long COVID

Department Presentations
– Have a cardiopulmonary topic you’d like me to present to your staff?
– My mission is to equip as many clinician with the tools they need to approach any cardiopulmonary condition

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have made 3 large pivots in my career/life over the last 14 years. Each time felt seemingly needed but also created a sense of starting from square one. Simultaneously offering a fresh start and an uphill climb.

Pivot 1: I was a clinical specialist at my hospital in NY when I decided to pursue a residency in Michigan. I was well respected in my hospital, helped run a post-op day zero initiative, initiated a transfer training program for nursing staff, and was likely on my way to a supervisory position. I picked up my life and moved across the country to further deepen my knowledge. After my year-long residency, I was hired into the residency to become a mentor in the program. It truly was a dream job. I was able to treat in the ICU, run outpatient cardiac/pulmonary rehab, run a telehealth program, and mentor residents. Again, I was in line for a supervisor or director position, but I had to make a personal life decision to be closer to family.

Pivot 2: I moved to Kansas City with my soon-to-be wife to be closer to family. We literally picked up our entire life and moved across the country again. At this time a faculty position had just opened, and it felt like the stars were aligning. I took a position in faculty and started at ground zero. Despite my experience in mentoring and teaching in a residency program, there is a giant learning curve in the world of academia. Once again, I dove in headfirst and learned everything I could. I loved teaching, I loved making an impact in the student’s lives and, on their careers, and I loved to watch them grow as humans and clinicians. 4 years into academia I decided to make a change.

Pivot 3: I took a chance on myself. This was not an easy decision, but I had a dream to create a business where I can mentor and teach, while also treating the patient population I love to treat, in the way I love to treat. Entrepreneurship is a whole new world and also has a giant learning curve. I am navigating social media, learning new software, learning how to market myself and my services, while also building trust and creating a community. This career path is both exciting and scary. I am still very early on this path and I do not know all that is in store for me yet but I hope to make an impact in the world of cardiopulmonary, one patient, clinician and student at a time.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When COVID hit I was primarily working in faculty. When the shutdown hit, all classes moved virtually. Luckily, this was near the end of the semester and most of the hands-on-learning was already completed, but this wasn’t the case for every class and the next semester was just a few weeks away. I knew we needed to help come up with a plan to get our students and faculty get back on campus safely. I knew being in the world of cardiopulmonary it could be done but we needed to understand more; I started to dive into the literature, learning about the disease process, transmission and appropriate PPE that would be needed. Early on, I was told to sit back and wait. This happened on several occasions, but I knew we couldn’t wait as it would jeopardize potential graduation dates and learning. A few colleagues and I began brainstorming safety procedures and policies that could be put into action. We looked at creating student-pods in the classroom, available masks/shields, thermometers, cleaning procedures between classrooms, scheduling, attestation forms etc. When the time came, we joined every committee we could to help get the university up and running safely. I bought masks and shields to supply our students going out on clinical and for the first groups back on campus just in case the University order wasn’t put out in time. I’m glad we did all those things, despite the recommendation to sit and wait and eventually “stand down.” When the date to return to campus was announced, they weren’t ready. All of the policies and procedures that we created were needed and they not only helped the PT department get back on campus but the rest of the University to return safely. We also made all of the videos for the entire campus to learn how to don/doff PPE, properly wash hands, utilize cleaning material, no-touch thermometers, etc. We had no resources, but we got it done because it needed to be done. Sometimes resilience is standing in the face of adversity, pushing back for the common good.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.allthingscardiopulm.com
• Instagram: @all_things_cardiopulm
• Linkedin: Rachele Burriesci
• Twitter: @allcardiopulm
• Youtube: @allthingscardiopulm
• Other: Podcast: Talking All Things Cardiopulm