July 29, 2020

Meet Julio Ramos of Miami Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute in Miami Dade

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julio Ramos.

Julio, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Well, growing up my whole life revolved around sports. I was a student-athlete throughout high school and then was fortunate enough to play at a collegiate level at Barry University in my hometown. At the time, I aspired to be a physical therapist as I was fascinated by the human body’s recovery/therapy process after injuries. After graduating with my bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology, I joined the Baptist Health South Florida system as a patient transporter and shortly transferred over to patient care as a rehabilitation aide.

While working at the hospital, I began to develop a passion for helping those in need. I met an outstanding physician assistant (PA) who showed an abundance of intelligence, compassion, and sincerity with his patients. That man became my mentor. He taught me everything there is to know about this profession and he guided me throughout my journey. I was soon accepted into the Physician Assistant program at Miami Dade College, a well-known and excellent local program. Soon after graduating, I passed my board exam and was fortunate enough to become an orthopedic trauma surgery PA at Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute, a part of Baptist Health South Florida. This is my dream job because it combines my passion for diagnosing injuries and desire to help those in need. Giving back to my own community is extremely fulfilling and I’m proud of the amazing work we do.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, it wasn’t always a smooth road. I always dreamt of becoming a big-league ballplayer, but at the end of my college career and many injuries later, I was at a standstill in choosing career paths. I had the typical “what will I do now” moment we all go through at least once in our lifetime. I have always been a go-getter and worked hard to reach my goals. I wasn’t even accepted into a program the first year I applied to a few of them. That was a punch in the gut, but my determination to make an impact in the world and other people’s lives is something I always use to push myself to new limits.

My parents came to this country with nothing when they fled from Cuba and showed me how to work hard for what I want and push through the barriers that hold me back. Medical school isn’t easy, especially doing it in a two year accelerated program. I must admit it was the toughest two years of my life thus far. I was also president of my class, which was a lot of responsibility to handle at the time, but I managed and prevailed. Also, as a healthcare professional, our long work hours sometimes prevent us from spending time with our own families. But helping our patients get back to their families is an unexplainable feeling that makes our hard work and numerous hours put in all worth it.

We’d love to hear more about your practice.
Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute is a part of Baptist Health, South Florida. Our practitioners affiliated with the Institute see patients in Baptist Hospital, West Kendall Baptist Hospital, South Miami Hospital, and Doctor’s Hospital. The Institute provides comprehensive orthopedic care through its numerous orthopedic subspecialties. The Institute provides sports medicine services for pro athletes, including the Miami Dolphins, Miami HEAT, Florida Panthers and Inter Miami CF, as well as high school and collegiate athletic programs and international sporting events. They also treat professional and Olympic athletes from around the world.

I work with the Institute’s orthopedic trauma group, which is a fantastic team comprised of four surgeons and six advanced practitioners. Our goal is to provide the highest standard of quality care to our patients. As a team, we work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, working countless hours as well as by rotating on-call after hour shifts. Our team works numerous long hours in order to always be available for our patients. Some of our job duties are: evaluating patients, ordering and reviewing imaging, reducing fractures/dislocations in the emergency room, managing infections/septic joints, preparing/performing surgery with our surgeons, and following up with our patients in the clinic throughout their recovery process. We have a great group of specialists, including athletic trainers, techs, medical assistants, and office staff that go the extra mile to help patients reach their goal in maximizing their lifestyle after their injury. A bone fracture or any injury, in general, could be the worst day of someone’s life. It is our job to not only lend a helping hand but to guide our patients emotionally to a successful outcome, as it is a tough and sometimes long road. I truly believe I work for the best company and team.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
My definition for success is achieving personal goals, whatever they may be. Success is honestly a relative term. If you achieve personal goals and it makes you happy, then I believe that is a success. One should make a set of goals to pursue in life and do whatever it takes to reach them. I once saw in a video a quote stating, “until you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, you won’t be successful.” You have to find some ways to inspire you to always stay motivated. Finding one’s own self-worth and being able to lift others to help them reach their own goals is what I consider a form of success. I had various people inspire me throughout my journey and because of them, I strive every day to pay it forward.

My parents are the main people I owe everything to. They have always worked multiple jobs and found ways to push me in order to help me succeed. I also had multiple professors throughout my life that believed in me and motivated me to be better. As medical professional, we work numerous hours as students with our preceptors who are working medical professionals that teach us clinical skills. Some of those providers who inspired me throughout my clinical year of school were Luis Ramos PA-C, Ana Rodriguez PA-C, Arlene Torres DNP, Orlando Betancourt DNP, Dr. Anthony Gonzalez, Dr. Giselle Ghurani, and Dr. Ramiro Perez. Lastly, I would like to thank my wonderful team: Dr. Charles Jordan, Dr. Vivien Fongue, Dr. Lauren Crocco, Dr. Howard Bar-Eli, Eddie Rodriguez PA-C, April Triana ARNP, Andres Henao PA-C, Julian Bernal PA-C, and Allyson Campuzano PA-C for the wonderful work they do. They inspire me every day to become the compassionate and great medical provider I aspire to be.

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