Just starting this process and need advice

[MJ000]

I am 32 years old and have recently come to decision (ii think) to switch careers. My concern is that I am too old at this point to be heading down this road, especially in light of the fact that I would need pre-reqs. Has anyone started this process so "late" as well? Should I just go for PTA career instead????

A couple other questions-- How does one go about connecting with a PT in order to get the 50 hours often required before applying to a program? Is it possible to intern or volunteer in a PT office when you have no experiene thus far?

Finally, are all DPT programs three years?

thanks for advice and help.

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[davidtheusername]

I'm 31. I'll be 32 when I start. I'm a teacher who's changing careers. It's not too old at all. I know of plenty of people who started PT and other healthcare careers older than that. You might want to pick a specialty that is less physical for career longevity, but 32 isn't really old. Honestly, there were people with admissions at some programs I spoke with that were excited to talk to older students. Being older has its downsides, but there are some plus sides to being a little older as well. If you already have a degree, just the prereqs won't take long.

If you don't know any PT's then just start cold calling clinics, the volunteer coordinators at hospitals, etc. It's awkward to do that, but they are pretty used to it. The PT's you ask to shadow all had to do the same thing when they were applying so they've all seemed pretty happy to take people in my experience. I know there's at least one program that is like 2.5 years, but condensing the already intense program even more would spook me a bit.

PTA's don't make a huge amount less, but you don't get much independence. So that depends on how happy you'd be in that sort of situation long term.

Be careful about the 50 hours. A lot of programs want more like 100.

Good luck!

 

[davidtheusername]

Also, start brushing up on math for the GRE. If you don't use that in life, it goes quickly. I hadn't had a math class in over a decade when I took it, and the first practice test was a lot of "oh yeah. I remember I used to know how to do that... Uh... Doh..."

 

[NMSK89]

First, 32 is certainly not too old to switch careers, however, it is very hard to give advice based on the limited info provided. A decision like this is entirely personal and depends on your current situation, do you have any prereqs done, is your current GPA competitive, do you already have a large debt load, do you have a family to support, ect...?

Second, volunteering does not require any experience and I found that the ease of getting your foot in the door varied by setting. Small outpatient clinics are generally enthusiastic about the help and are willing to give hours, inpatient hours though can be hard to come by.

I would suggest starting with an outpatient clinic and then asking if they know an inpatient therapist you can follow, I started in a hospital affiliated outpatient clinic and then moved over to inpatient. Lastly, schools range from 2.5 to 3.5 years with the majority falling in the middle.

 

[scrawnyguy]

I am 32 years old and have recently come to decision (ii think) to switch careers. My concern is that I am too old at this point to be heading down this road, especially in light of the fact that I would need pre-reqs. Has anyone started this process so "late" as well? Should I just go for PTA career instead????

A couple other questions-- How does one go about connecting with a PT in order to get the 50 hours often required before applying to a program? Is it possible to intern or volunteer in a PT office when you have no experiene thus far?

Finally, are all DPT programs three years?

thanks for advice and help.

Do you have your Bachelor's degree already? A lot of PTA programs are a couple years long vs 2.5-3 years for PT. If you already have your undergrad finished I would just stay in school a little longer and go for PT.

 

[DesertPT]

PTA would be a two year associates degree, PT would be a year or two of pre-reqs depending on what you need and how fast you can do them plus three years of PT school. Starting salary goes from $45-50K to $65-75K going from a PTA to a PT so you have to really weigh those options based on your personal situation. You are not too old though, and honestly you might be more likely to get in to the PT school of your choice being an older student. Like others said, outpatient hours are no problem, inpatient hours will be much more arduous, but just start working on it and you will bang them out it no time.

 

[JMSD2014]

You might want to pick a specialty that is less physical for career longevity, but 32 isn't really old.

Are you referring to certain specialties within PT that are less physical than others, or a separate profession completely? Is it common for PTs to have to retire at a relatively young age due to physical breakdown?

Thanks!

 

[davidtheusername]

Specialties within pt. There are plenty of ways to work in PT that won't kill your body, but you hear and see a lot of people talk about inpatient neuro for example being physically hard because patients aren't mobile.

 

[JMSD2014]

Got it. Thanks for the response.

 

[MJ000]

wow! THanks for all the responses. This has all been really helpful. Just to give you a bit more info-- I do have a BA degree already-- my undergrad GPA was 3.2, so not great but I do have a Masters and that GPA is 3.8. I took the GRE already once but sadly I think it was 6 years ago and is no longer acceptable because it was too long ago. I have taken absolutely NO pre-reqs, so that could be the biggest hurdle because I know that would be a bit arduous to get that done before even starting PT school. I don't have a family to "support" per se, but do still have some previous educational debt.
Based on this info, does anyone suggest PTA instead of PT??? Also, do PT programs ever offer fellowships or graduate assistanships that could help pay for the tuition?

 

[DesertPT]

What do you do now and why do you want to switch careers? If you don't mind me asking.

For me it would seem a shame to have a bachelor's and master's degree and go back to school to work a job that requires an associate's degree. For me I think that I might find that to be somewhat of a psychological roadblock, but that's a personal thing.

Basically if you went to school with a full load (~18 credits/semester), you could do all the pre-reqs for PT school in one year (might require a couple of summer classes too). You would then have PT school for three, for a total of 4 years back in school. PTA on the other would be 2 for an associates. Pay difference is ~20K. Debt difference is quite a bit more. Autonomy difference is quite a bit more too though.

You would probably not be able to apply for PT school to start immediately after doing one year of pre-reqs, as you would have too many outstanding at the time of application. And, among other things, there is also letters of rec. to gather and the GRE to study for and take, and you need to do hopefully >100 hours of PT observation in 3+ settings. So all in all if you started now the process of becoming a PT would probably be 5 years.

Hope that helps.

 

[MJ000]

Yes, I agree with your thoughts about a psychological roadblock with becoming a PTA after having a BA and MA already. However, 5 years, as you described it, seems almost insurmountable. My Master's is in education and I work in student affairs at a university. THank you for the helpful information!

 

[okramango]

Yes, I agree with your thoughts about a psychological roadblock with becoming a PTA after having a BA and MA already. However, 5 years, as you described it, seems almost insurmountable. My Master's is in education and I work in student affairs at a university. THank you for the helpful information!

That 5 years seemed insurmountable to me when I first decided to do PT, too. I was 35 when I finally decided to do it (after considering and rejecting the idea several times over a few years), and I'll be 40 when I graduate. I realized that I'm going to turn 40 anyway, whether or not I go to PT school, so the question was: do I want to be 40 with a DPT or 40 without a DPT? The answer to that was clear I'm now starting my second year of PT school and have never regretted it! If this is something you want, just take it one step at a time and do it

 

[MJ000]

Am I correct that DPT school will cost anywhere from 60k to 100k where as PTA school (in-state tuition) would likely only cost about $10K>??

That's a huge difference! I wanted to double check though to see if htat was the reality. I am trying to be realistic about what is reasonable for me in my situation. I signed up for pre-reqs this semester but I dont think i would be able to start PT school until Fall 2016-- I just dont think I can get all the pre-reqs done before that in order to appy for Fall 2015. SOOOO, I would essentially finish in fall 2019 I think-- I'd be 37 or 38!

 

[DesertPT]

Am I correct that DPT school will cost anywhere from 60k to 100k where as PTA school (in-state tuition) would likely only cost about $10K>??

 

[okramango]

There are programs that cost less, but they're more competitive to get into. I'm paying about 30k total for the 3 years (with an in-state tuition scholarship). Another program I got into offered me in-state tuition at about 45k total. If you're a competitive applicant, there are definitely more affordable programs out there. Look into state programs that offer in-state tuition as scholarships (they don't usually advertise this on their websites, so you need to ask).

 

[MJ000]

Okramango, Where are you currently attending?

 

[okramango]

Texas Woman's University

 

[MJ000]

Wow- that's pretty amazing! Can I ask what the other school was? Did you apply across the country or were you just looking at specific areas/regions?

Thanks for sharing.

 

[okramango]

I'm from San Francisco area, but couldn't afford PT school tuition in CA, so I specifically searched for programs with lower tuition. The other program I mentioned was Northern Arizona University. I'm pretty sure a few of the state schools in TX offer out of state tuition waivers. You just need to contact them and ask.

 

[MJ000]

I am in a similar situation. I am searching all over the US, which has made it a bit difficult. I'm definitely worried about my age and the cost of all of this. And frankly, I don't even have a good grasp on whether I could even get in to schools at this point. I've been reading the boards and it seems that there are a lot of very qualified people out there that are getting rejected from schools.

 

[starrsgirl]

I'm 33 and starting this year. I say go for it! I personally think the job market is a little stronger for PTs than PTAs. In my city, PTAs are struggling to find full time work. For a non traditional student the job market factor is more of a reality (because we've worked before, dealt with applying and resumes and struggles of that nature).

 

[MJ000]

I'm wondering if anyone has any insight on schools that might be "better" or "worse" for non-trads? My school search is a bit all over the place right now and it'd be helpful to know if there are certain schools I should avoid? (I read a thread about a non-trad who went to Univ of Vermont and had a negative experience).

 

[Watson27]

I'm wondering if anyone has any insight on schools that might be "better" or "worse" for non-trads? My school search is a bit all over the place right now and it'd be helpful to know if there are certain schools I should avoid? (I read a thread about a non-trad who went to Univ of Vermont and had a negative experience).

If you are looking for a cohort that is more diverse or a bit more mature, find out how many of the students are direct admits from high school, early undergrad admission, or guaranteed acceptance from that undergrad program etc. Some schools accept the majority of students from their own school, which I think is similar to the Vermont situation. I remember that thread. I would also look at schools with a more "holistic" admissions approach. I've heard that St. Augustine is great for non-trads. One of my mentors went to the Florida campus and she was a bit older.