“Every patient is unique. You must treat them based on what they show you, rather than just a diagnosis.”
Thomas Schuerman has always been interested in exercise, anatomy and physiology. So when he got a job as a physical therapy aide after college, he really enjoyed it and decided to settle on physical therapy as a career.
“I like being with people and helping them out, trying to get them back to full function,” he said. His training has included time at the U.S. Olympic Team training center in Colorado, and in Birmingham, Alabama.
He has had the opportunity to work with everyone from professional and collegiate athletes to factory workers injured on the job.
“Whether they’re athletes or workers, therapy is all about getting them back to their full potential, and that’s rewarding,” he said. “It’s not always fun and there may be some pain, but usually they can see over time that what we are doing is helping them.”
Schuerman earned his master’s degree in Human Performance from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He earned a master’s degree in Physical Therapy from Marquette University in Milwaukee, and completed doctoral training from Des Moines University in Iowa.
Schuerman enjoys an active lifestyle hunting, biking, lifting weights and coaching. He and his wife, Elizabeth, also keep busy following the activities of their four daughters.