Employment: School doesn't matter

[JustPassin]

Is the cost of St Augustine really worth it? I know it is suppose to be a prestigious program, but when where you went to school has little weight on employment, what would be the benefits of going to USA compare to somewhere half or even a third of the cost?

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[johncronejr]

I think you answered your own question.

I think there are some that just prefer to go to a school that they can say "I went to the #3 PT school in America".

Far too many people in the field have stated on here that, as you stated, it does not matter where you go to school.

If the APTA accredits the school, then I think it is fine. I could probably go anywhere I desired given my situation, but why in the world would I choose to pay the astronomical costs that some schools charge when I have a fine state school that charges $30,000 for all three years.

 

[Lizarde]

I've never heard of USA before except on this forum. I think it depends on if you are planning on working locally. The school would only help if you can get a leg up from alumni that may be hiring when you graduate.

 

[ntams001]

You know this is something that I've been meaning to chime in for a while and I think this point has been made before.

Will you still get your license the same way as everyone regarding of where you go...most definitely yes. If all you are looking at is the ability to get employment then yes it doesn't matter. But the experience that you get will be significantly different. What other opportunities are you going to get by going to a bigger school more established school compared to a less established smaller school? And when I say established I don't mean the perceived prestige, I mean how long have they been around. Bigger schools tend to have more funding than smaller. Not always but most of the time.

Personally, I think clinical education will be the same everywhere. There are established guidelines for school accreditation and all schools will meet that. But where are you clinicals going to be. Some schools will have better clinicals to offer than others. Some schools don't have funding for research. Are you interested in research? Some places have their own labs and funding. While others don't really have the infrastructure for that at all. Looking to do a PhD program later. Without some strong research background, your chances are significantly lower than someone who does. And when I say research I don't mean yes I did my stats class and I did my methods class. I mean no kidding doing the bench level research on a funded project as a RA perhaps. That is almost a must for some PhD programs. Also what other facilities and resources does the school offer? Those are just as important. At a big school I may have access to things that smaller schools don't

It is really a matter of weighing in and seeing if you feel the experiences and opportunities are worth the price you will be paying. Of course to be frank there are definitely schools out there that charge an arm and a leg but don't provide the added benefits I was talking about. So you really have to be careful.

 

[dazzledpetsy]

Agreed with all of this. It doesn't matter from where the doctorate comes; as long as the school is APTA accredited, a PT is a PT is a PT. Obviously names like "Mayo" or "Stanford" or "Harvard" are going to look glamorous, but you really have to look at what's best for YOU regarding how you get your education. Different PT programs have different structures; some immerse you in clinical immediately, others wait until your third year. I also look at what the pass rate for the entrance exam is. I think ntams001 answered the question better than I could, but long story short-- the name of the school matters less than what you do with your education there.

 

[DPTinFL]

The choice of school also depends on the area of PT you want to practice in. Obviously, all schools are going to train you as a general PT but some schools do have a stronger foundation in certain areas.
Univ of St. Augustine is well known for orthopedics/manual therapy, however they suck at pediatrics and average at the rest.
Univ. of Florida has a very strong Neuro program and avg. at the rest. These were the two I considered before going to PT school. So talk to people and find out what the program in known for.
Again, everyone is right...it is all about the PT license.

 

[BlueBlue8]

University of St. Augustine is a proprietary school, which is why they have a high tuition.