Oh... Discouragment.

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Sloth

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Guys I'm struggling at the aspect of the future for myself. I'm just now finishing my asociates degree, applying to ASU for my bachelors after next semester. My GPA right now is 2.6 and I work full time. I have no choice but to work full time (No family or friends to live with)

Looking at the future all I can think is "2.5 more years till I get my bach, then 3 more years in PT school, that's nearly 6 more years of struggle, full time school full time work.

Can anyone share there experiences? Any helpful advice on upping my GPA or getting past my bills without working so much? I already feel like since im going to private school for the PT schooling and will have to take loans for tuition and living expenses then, which will surely exceed 150k what can I do NOW?

Bah just feelin down.:sleep:

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If you have 2.5 more years before you get your bachelors, then how do you know that you are already going to be going to a private PT school? Or do you mean that you are attending a private undergrad school?

Now....I think you already know the answer to your next two questions.

Upping your GPA - Study, study, and then study

Getting past your bills without working so much - come up with an answer for this question and you can make millions selling the secret. Seriously though, cut anything you can out of your expenses. Use student loans to help pay living expenses if possible.

Sadly, there are no easy routes to good grades and paying bills. Look for cheaper in-state PT programs and that will help immensely in your grad expenses. Good luck!
 
Any suggestions for a undergraduate that will both look good/relate to PT but also be sort of easy to achieve a high GPA. I know it's circumstantial and up to each individual to find what is "easy". But any suggestions on "easier" and "relatable" BS/BA would be fun to hear.
 
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You can do it! Stick to it! I am just entering my sophomore year at MCC, transferring to kinesiology @ ASU next year. I work full-time, going to school full-time (with a decent GPA), and I'm 30 yrs old with 5 kids and a mortgage. It's going to be a long, hard road for me too . . . but nothing worth anything is easy to get, right?

My secret is . . . that I never spend time with my wife and kids. :(
 
Have you ever looked into PTA? Depending on what type of setting you want to be in, PTAs do very well and are in some cases, more satisfied with their position than PTs. Look up certified PTA programs in your area and check it out.
 
I know that Gateway CC does a PTA program, and I think there's some others like Carrington College and Pima Medical Institute.
 
30k starting 45k topping out is not what I want for myself though =\
 
You can do it! Stick to it! I am just entering my sophomore year at MCC, transferring to kinesiology @ ASU next year. I work full-time, going to school full-time (with a decent GPA), and I'm 30 yrs old with 5 kids and a mortgage. It's going to be a long, hard road for me too . . . but nothing worth anything is easy to get, right?

My secret is . . . that I never spend time with my wife and kids. :(

:eek:WOW! That is AWESOME. And if your response isn't encouragement for someone, I don't know what is!:clap:kudos to you for your determination!
 
Try to take some super easy A's to boost that GPA and you should be ok. Don't worry too much! Time goes by so fast.

P.S. NSU has a part-time DPT program in Tampa, FL that allows you to work while in school you only go to campus for labs a couple days a month usually on the weekend. Might want to check it out?
 
Guys I'm struggling at the aspect of the future for myself. I'm just now finishing my asociates degree, applying to ASU for my bachelors after next semester. My GPA right now is 2.6 and I work full time. I have no choice but to work full time (No family or friends to live with)

Looking at the future all I can think is "2.5 more years till I get my bach, then 3 more years in PT school, that's nearly 6 more years of struggle, full time school full time work.

Can anyone share there experiences? Any helpful advice on upping my GPA or getting past my bills without working so much? I already feel like since im going to private school for the PT schooling and will have to take loans for tuition and living expenses then, which will surely exceed 150k what can I do NOW?

Bah just feelin down.:sleep:

I came from my first year with a 2.2 GPA, took some time off, worked my ass off, got married, then went back to school. I'm in my late 30's and just graduated with my BS degree with an overall of 3.65, and at my university a 3.89. It CAN be done. I worked full time, with a 12 acre ranch all the way up until my last year when there was a class only offered on the day I worked that I needed for my degree. I start PT school in 5 weeks, and thanks to meticulous budgeting will be able to complete my education without loans. My husband has a good job and supports me completely through this process. There are avenues and ways to live within your means, we do it every day.
 
I came from my first year with a 2.2 GPA, took some time off, worked my ass off, got married, then went back to school. I'm in my late 30's and just graduated with my BS degree with an overall of 3.65, and at my university a 3.89. It CAN be done. I worked full time, with a 12 acre ranch all the way up until my last year when there was a class only offered on the day I worked that I needed for my degree. I start PT school in 5 weeks, and thanks to meticulous budgeting will be able to complete my education without loans. My husband has a good job and supports me completely through this process. There are avenues and ways to live within your means, we do it every day.

I would wager that the majority of us that are going to PT school do not have a spouse with a good job that can support us so that we don't have to take out loans...That means that most of us will have to take out loans to make it through PT school. It's great that you have that benefit, but there aren't many avenues and ways for single people to live within their means and not take out loans while attending a full time grad program.

I want to point out that I am not trying to be a smart aleck to you, just stating that most of us do not have the benefit that you do. Count yourself lucky.
 
I would wager that the majority of us that are going to PT school do not have a spouse with a good job that can support us so that we don't have to take out loans...That means that most of us will have to take out loans to make it through PT school. It's great that you have that benefit, but there aren't many avenues and ways for single people to live within their means and not take out loans while attending a full time grad program.

I want to point out that I am not trying to be a smart aleck to you, just stating that most of us do not have the benefit that you do. Count yourself lucky.

I agree, I have a very supportive boyfriend who is paying for our house/bills, but I still have to take out loans for my schooling.
 
Guys I'm struggling at the aspect of the future for myself. I'm just now finishing my asociates degree, applying to ASU for my bachelors after next semester. My GPA right now is 2.6 and I work full time. I have no choice but to work full time (No family or friends to live with)

Looking at the future all I can think is "2.5 more years till I get my bach, then 3 more years in PT school, that's nearly 6 more years of struggle, full time school full time work.

Can anyone share there experiences? Any helpful advice on upping my GPA or getting past my bills without working so much? I already feel like since im going to private school for the PT schooling and will have to take loans for tuition and living expenses then, which will surely exceed 150k what can I do NOW?

Bah just feelin down.:sleep:

Life's too short to spent all your time, effort, and money you don't have to climb the ladder of economic control to nowhere only to find it wasn't what you expected and nothing is really there anyway being 150k+ debt. Long story short... not everything is cracked up to what it's marketed to be. << especially by our college school system that treat it like a business.

Experience trumps education. Go volunteer somewhere and get in the door. Train yourself in a skill that is marketable. << you don't even need a degree. Get a book and train yourself. It might not be the best idea to spend so much money and time on a degree that is up til now survived on government funding. It might be wise to note that congress is closing a debt ceiling. MPPR and 18% reduction in Physician fee schedule of medicare B threatens PT earning potential. At some point, the trillions of dollars we owe China and other countries is going to catch up with us. There has been no real plan or movement to establish the economic infrastructure by our so called "leaders" in congress. With literally no agriculture/ production economy, our economic system is riding on the strength of our currency. As we can see, that value is going down and most likely is only seeing the beginning of its decline. What does this mean for social programs? <important question to ask.

Why haven't you most likely heard any of this from your adviser? Well they have to keep the hopes high and money coming in. School is a business, and it looks to be in an enormous bubble that's ready to explode.

Put your faith in something greater than you physical possessions, career, etc... In the end, it all becomes dust. << My advise. Go to God! Trust me it will work out much better in the end.

Peace
 
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Lee 9786; WOW I have been very concerned w/ our government and its future effect on us all, mostly the medical profession since I have always wanted to be a Physical Therapist; not for the money but because of the interaction with patients and the physical aspect of the healing and theraputic process, etc. Have no idea how the bills are to be paid especially if I am accepted away from home. Thank God and my efforts in high school I had scholarships throughout my undergrad program.

Sloth; I am grad. from ASU/Kinesiology May 2012. Can't say it has been easy with all the science classes required plus those required as prereqs for PT programs. GPA is just under 3.0, I only work in the summer and commute to campus from Glendale, AZ. There is only one in-state program and it is very competitive (NAU). I had a 3.6 in my MCCC classes and started ASU w/ 40 credits out of highschool w/ the duel enrollment and other classes taken at Community College level during high school. Big help!!
There is no answer to the debt issue and loans if trying to survive on your own. I try not to think about it. You didn't say what your Assoc degree is.
 
... It might not be the best idea to spend so much money and time on a degree that is up til now survived on government funding. It might be wise to note that congress is closing a debt ceiling. MPPR and 18% reduction in Physician fee schedule of medicare B threatens PT earning potential. At some point, the trillions of dollars we owe China and other countries is going to catch up with us. There has been no real plan or movement to establish the economic infrastructure by our so called "leaders" in congress. With literally no agriculture/ production economy, our economic system is riding on the strength of our currency. As we can see, that value is going down and most likely is only seeing the beginning of its decline. What does this mean for social programs? <important question to ask...

Hey Everybody and Lee! New SDN poster here. :)

You bring up great points about pursuing a DPT I've actually been pondering. I'm a Nontrad with a BBA in Entrepreneurship/Small Business Mgmt. and Marketing...so organizing prereq's, volunteer hours, LOR's, when to take GRE's, etc has taken up most of my time. Now that I have a good idea of how I'll schedule it all out I'm taking a hard look at legislation and the trends and what may impact the PT profession down the line.

Firstly thanks for mentioning MPPR...never heard of this before. Question - based on what I read, this will only impact outpatient care and if patients see multiple PT's in the same day where the highest billed service will receive full payment. Is it typical for the average patient to have multiple PT visits in the same day? How many patients as a percentage fit into this category? Typically what PT service/field/specialty is the highest billed? Apologies upfront if these are newb questions, but am still gathering research info.

I found several states are attempting to pass state legislation to allow direct access. Actually APTA has a nice easy to read state by state breakdown: http://www.apta.org/uploadedFiles/A.../Issues/Direct_Access/DirectAccessbyState.pdf. In any case, I think having direct access to PT's would be a plus for the profession and may even be an opportunity for PT's interested in opening private clinics.

Now a negative - I've been reading about Obama's plan to cut Medicare/Medicaid which overall I think hinders opportunities. Although, similar to MPPR, I think some fields/specialties will feel it more than others. Which leads me to a follow-up question - what fields/specialties would be relatively immune to the proposed Medicare/Medicaid cuts? What's your opinion on the proposed cuts?

Lastly, what are some other pro's/con's in terms of legislation that I've left out? I'm certain I have, but I would like to research as much as possible. Also if you could provide any additional sites/blogs you review regarding the PT profession along with any other resources addressing issues/opportunities facing PT's, it'd be most appreciated :cool:. Just trying to tally up all the pluses and minuses before I definitely decide to pursue a DPT.
 
Life's too short to spent all your time, effort, and money you don't have to climb the ladder of economic control to nowhere only to find it wasn't what you expected and nothing is really there anyway being 150k+ debt. Long story short... not everything is cracked up to what it's marketed to be. << especially by our college school system that treat it like a business.

Experience trumps education. Go volunteer somewhere and get in the door. Train yourself in a skill that is marketable. << you don't even need a degree. Get a book and train yourself. It might not be the best idea to spend so much money and time on a degree that is up til now survived on government funding. It might be wise to note that congress is closing a debt ceiling. MPPR and 18% reduction in Physician fee schedule of medicare B threatens PT earning potential. At some point, the trillions of dollars we owe China and other countries is going to catch up with us. There has been no real plan or movement to establish the economic infrastructure by our so called "leaders" in congress. With literally no agriculture/ production economy, our economic system is riding on the strength of our currency. As we can see, that value is going down and most likely is only seeing the beginning of its decline. What does this mean for social programs? <important question to ask.

Why haven't you most likely heard any of this from your adviser? Well they have to keep the hopes high and money coming in. School is a business, and it looks to be in an enormous bubble that's ready to explode.

Put your faith in something greater than you physical possessions, career, etc... In the end, it all becomes dust. << My advise. Go to God! Trust me it will work out much better in the end.

Peace

I tend to agree with a large portion of what is written here. Economic bubbles have been and will continue to burst into the foreseeable future. I would actually be surprised if at least some sectors of "for profit" higher education are not next. The day university became cash cows was unfortunately the day education became compromised. As a person who has friends and colleagues in every field imaginable, there are few industries that have not been "hit" by the cost of higher education and the declining economy.
 
Hey Everybody and Lee! New SDN poster here. :)

You bring up great points about pursuing a DPT I've actually been pondering. I'm a Nontrad with a BBA in Entrepreneurship/Small Business Mgmt. and Marketing...so organizing prereq's, volunteer hours, LOR's, when to take GRE's, etc has taken up most of my time. Now that I have a good idea of how I'll schedule it all out I'm taking a hard look at legislation and the trends and what may impact the PT profession down the line.

Firstly thanks for mentioning MPPR...never heard of this before. Question - based on what I read, this will only impact outpatient care and if patients see multiple PT's in the same day where the highest billed service will receive full payment. Is it typical for the average patient to have multiple PT visits in the same day? How many patients as a percentage fit into this category? Typically what PT service/field/specialty is the highest billed? Apologies upfront if these are newb questions, but am still gathering research info.

I found several states are attempting to pass state legislation to allow direct access. Actually APTA has a nice easy to read state by state breakdown: http://www.apta.org/uploadedFiles/A.../Issues/Direct_Access/DirectAccessbyState.pdf. In any case, I think having direct access to PT's would be a plus for the profession and may even be an opportunity for PT's interested in opening private clinics.

Now a negative - I've been reading about Obama's plan to cut Medicare/Medicaid which overall I think hinders opportunities. Although, similar to MPPR, I think some fields/specialties will feel it more than others. Which leads me to a follow-up question - what fields/specialties would be relatively immune to the proposed Medicare/Medicaid cuts? What's your opinion on the proposed cuts?

Lastly, what are some other pro's/con's in terms of legislation that I've left out? I'm certain I have, but I would like to research as much as possible. Also if you could provide any additional sites/blogs you review regarding the PT profession along with any other resources addressing issues/opportunities facing PT's, it'd be most appreciated :cool:. Just trying to tally up all the pluses and minuses before I definitely decide to pursue a DPT.

You can probably gain a good bit of info from my previous posts on here. The reimbursement issues, student debt, healthcare reform law, career issues etc. Long story short, it doesn't look good for social programs. PT on the free market is largely untested, and with a target market that's has a tough time with $20 copays it could get interesting - especially if Social Security and their retirement funds go caput. I wish I was more optimistic. I had the optimism spirit driving for quite some time. Now I have the spirit of Yeshua/Jesus Christ. I see life through a new perspective, and new hope.

I had all my PT apps in this past cycle in PTCAS after spending two years after my BS getting the prereqs done. I decided it wasn't worth it. While some see PT evolving. I see it hanging on to dear life.

I did love helping the old folks at the nursing home. If I could get a PT aide job for $8/hr, I would just help out working at these places. The sad thing is our Healthcare system is so messed up they aren't hiring PT aides even though they are lower cost laborers and there is a demand for PT laborers. << A PT aide comes at cost while the PTs and PTAs earn revenue for the establishment. There's more to the story such as patient safety and litigation, but the revenue is definitely a big part of it.

Check out my old posts. You might find them helpful. Focus on the big picture in life. My recommendation.
 
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You can probably gain a good bit of info from my previous posts on here. The reimbursement issues, student debt, healthcare reform law, career issues etc. Long story short, it doesn't look good for social programs. PT on the free market is largely untested, and with a target market that's has a tough time with $20 copays it could get interesting - especially if Social Security and their retirement funds go caput. I wish I was more optimistic. I had the optimism spirit driving for quite some time. Now I have the spirit of Yeshua/Jesus Christ. I see life through a new perspective, and new hope.

I had all my PT apps in this past cycle in PTCAS after spending two years after my BS getting the prereqs done. I decided it wasn't worth it. While some see PT evolving. I see it hanging on to dear life.

I did love helping the old folks at the nursing home. If I could get a PT aide job for $8/hr, I would just help out working at these places. The sad thing is our Healthcare system is so messed up they aren't hiring PT aides even though they are lower cost laborers and there is a demand for PT laborers. << A PT aide comes at cost while the PTs and PTAs earn revenue for the establishment. There's more to the story such as patient safety and litigation, but the revenue is definitely a big part of it.

Check out my old posts. You might find them helpful. Focus on the big picture in life. My recommendation.

I don't pretend to have a crystal ball, however, your position that PT is hanging on for "dear life" seems like overkill. At what time has PT(and I could be totally in the dark about this) been considered a "social program"? While you make some seemingly lucid comments about the state of our country's economic troubles, you have not provided specific evidence as to why Physical Therapy or any other medical/healthcare profession will "die", be significantly hit or phased out because of our country's uncertain economic future. Will their be changes to healthcare? Yes! One only needs to pick up a history book to understand the cyclical nature of health care in this country over the last 50 years.

Moreover, if you are going to make such an argument then my contention is that you should at least provide a more objective point of view. These statements being made could very well apply to MDs/DOs, PharmsDs, DPMs, DVMs, etc. Listen, I agree that students need to be as prudent as possible about the education and financial chooses they make. This may be more true than any other time in our country's history, but the "scare tactics" will not make up for unsubstantiated claims! Finally, I am getting the sense that you may have an ax to grind. Your comments are somewhat tangential to what the OP was trying to find out.

Back to regularly scheduled programming!
 
While I agree with the fact that we are likely to see some changes in our healthcare system, I do not see it as a "doom and gloom" situation. PT's are a valued part of the rehabilitation process. That is never going to change. We may see times that we are not paid as much, we may see that it doesn't change at all...who really knows? I cannot speculate that it is only going to decline and just decide to not go to PT school.

Here is my reasoning....If I say "PT is hanging on for dear life" and decide that I am not going to PT school then what do I do if the worst case scenario doesn't happen? Now I am just an $8 an hour nursing home aide realizing my speculation was wrong and being on the short end of the stick. Sure, I don't have the student loan debt, but I also am still only making $8 an hour. On the other side, if I go to PT school and acquire the debt and the system just goes bust, my student loans will be the last thing I am worried about. If PT just goes away and our country is embroiled in the chaos that such an economic downturn in healthcare would cause, there will be massive defaults in student loans from every healthcare field. I would gladly challenge the government to try to force me to pay student loans for a career for which they just destroyed. If the absolute worst case scenario happens (like a caca hits the fan situation), I will use every bit of medical knowledge I have and barter my knowledge for items I need to survive (yeah I know this is way out there, but that is the worst case scenario for me and I can still make that work).

I will plan for the best case and hope that is what happens...If the worst case scenario happens, I will roll with the punches the way I have for the last 45 years and do what I can do, and that is to take care of me first and everyone else can get in line.
 
Back to what the OP was asking about...

I know this was already brought up, but I want to mention it again to add my two cents. Have you seriously considered PTA? I mean, looked into the programs, talked to PTA's, done some research on the field? Just a quick google search showed me that actually, the national median salary is 45K. This is not the upper limit. The 90th percentile is making about 54K.

Now think about long term. If you start a program in PTA, you could be done four years earlier than if you went all the way to PT. If you consider the 200K from those four extra years of earning a salary and the absence of the 150K debt, you're 350K ahead of your future PT self, based on your approximation. Yes, you would make, say, 10K more per year as a PT. But... it would take you 35 years to catch up. Is it really that big of a difference?

Not to mention, some people may actually have greater job satisfaction as PTAs than PTs. Granted, you will not have as much control as a PT in the treatment plan, but you will get more patient time and less paperwork time. To be honest with you, I was seriously considering PTA for these reasons, and the biggest reason I went ahead with PT was that I was already in my senior year of undergrad, and just needed an extra year to finish pre reqs.

For me, it made sense to do PT, as sort of a "why not? I'm already this far" decision. But clearly you have some good reasons why not. You can see that my calculations are very rough, but I hope it illustrated that your earning potential difference is somewhat null when you consider the extra years of working and lack of debt from the PTA route.

I don't want to get you down if you really have your heart set on PT. If this is the case, I strongly urge you to make wise decisions about where you go to school. Pick a cheap school!! Make sure they have good pass rates on the NPTE exam, but there are many schools that do that are comparatively affordable. And if you can't get that GPA up while working full time, you need to take out student loans and invest time in your studies. Be diligent, and this will pay off.

Good luck!
 
Back to what the OP was asking about...

I know this was already brought up, but I want to mention it again to add my two cents. Have you seriously considered PTA? I mean, looked into the programs, talked to PTA's, done some research on the field? Just a quick google search showed me that actually, the national median salary is 45K. This is not the upper limit. The 90th percentile is making about 54K.

Now think about long term. If you start a program in PTA, you could be done four years earlier than if you went all the way to PT. If you consider the 200K from those four extra years of earning a salary and the absence of the 150K debt, you're 350K ahead of your future PT self, based on your approximation. Yes, you would make, say, 10K more per year as a PT. But... it would take you 35 years to catch up. Is it really that big of a difference?

Not to mention, some people may actually have greater job satisfaction as PTAs than PTs. Granted, you will not have as much control as a PT in the treatment plan, but you will get more patient time and less paperwork time. To be honest with you, I was seriously considering PTA for these reasons, and the biggest reason I went ahead with PT was that I was already in my senior year of undergrad, and just needed an extra year to finish pre reqs.

For me, it made sense to do PT, as sort of a "why not? I'm already this far" decision. But clearly you have some good reasons why not. You can see that my calculations are very rough, but I hope it illustrated that your earning potential difference is somewhat null when you consider the extra years of working and lack of debt from the PTA route.

I don't want to get you down if you really have your heart set on PT. If this is the case, I strongly urge you to make wise decisions about where you go to school. Pick a cheap school!! Make sure they have good pass rates on the NPTE exam, but there are many schools that do that are comparatively affordable. And if you can't get that GPA up while working full time, you need to take out student loans and invest time in your studies. Be diligent, and this will pay off.

Good luck!

:thumbup:
 
I agree with pumpkin....If I had been considering PT before I ever started my undergrad, I possibly would have gone the PTA route since I was 41 when i started my undergrad. I would have rather enjoyed spending two years (and 2 years of loans at a less expensive school) and making $40K - $50K than going the 7 year route at a more expensive school with loans to make $60K - $$75. It just would make much better sense to me.
 
I don't pretend to have a crystal ball, however, your position that PT is hanging on for "dear life" seems like overkill. At what time has PT(and I could be totally in the dark about this) been considered a "social program"? While you make some seemingly lucid comments about the state of our country's economic troubles, you have not provided specific evidence as to why Physical Therapy or any other medical/healthcare profession will "die", be significantly hit or phased out because of our country's uncertain economic future. Will their be changes to healthcare? Yes! One only needs to pick up a history book to understand the cyclical nature of health care in this country over the last 50 years.

Moreover, if you are going to make such an argument then my contention is that you should at least provide a more objective point of view. These statements being made could very well apply to MDs/DOs, PharmsDs, DPMs, DVMs, etc. Listen, I agree that students need to be as prudent as possible about the education and financial chooses they make. This may be more true than any other time in our country's history, but the "scare tactics" will not make up for unsubstantiated claims! Finally, I am getting the sense that you may have an ax to grind. Your comments are somewhat tangential to what the OP was trying to find out.

Back to regularly scheduled programming!

"Your comments are somewhat tangential to what the OP was trying to find out." << my last post was in reference to NonTrad2PtGrad's and Litlwarrior08's questions, but apply to the OP as well.

In regards to answering the OP, sloth asked about sharing personal experiences. He also looks to be on the path many are in where they could be victimized by tunnel vision not acknowledging the dynamics of the world around them. I think this is why we have DPTs coming out with 150-200K debt now in an environment of declining reimbursement (see reduction in physician fee schedule and Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction.) These are serious issues any PT student should be taking into consideration. No axe to grind. Just though I could provide some insight and help a few kids out looking for answers. Too many seem to be jumping through hoops without understanding what they're getting themselves into.


"Moreover, if you are going to make such an argument then my contention is that you should at least provide a more objective point of view. These statements being made could very well apply to MDs/DOs, PharmsDs, DPMs, DVMs, etc."

Well friend you are right. In the end, all the groups you mentioned are eating from the same reimbursement pie. Private payors have based their reimbursement off of what social programs (aka Medicare reimburses at a percentage). It don't look to good for social programs. Copays are going up. Discretionary income is going down (especially if inflation keeps going up putting pressure on social security.) The economic infrastructure in this country is getting weaker and weaker as it is a service-based economy highly dependent upon a devaluing currency. The fact we are trillions of dollars in debt adds to the currency trend toward devaluation through inflation. See it's a dynamic process. PT is ancillary to medicine, and it seems to be first on the chopping block. So PT would have to think more about how to offer the services on the free market. As mentioned earlier, besides orthopedics which competitors include ATCs and DCs, the primary target market is the elderly. How would they fare in an inflationary environment in which their fixed income devalues and Medicare programs are exhausted? How would this effect the PT model?

Important questions to ask before investing 150K+ debt. From what I've found in the past, many pre-PTs don't seem to be asking these questions. Hopefully they do now.
 
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On the other side, if I go to PT school and acquire the debt and the system just goes bust, my student loans will be the last thing I am worried about.

I think I should point out this out... Keep in mind it's speculation but possible.. I think it's clear the politician's in this country are really working for the bankers that run the financial system. Notice in the Health Care Reform law the govt squeezed in a law in which the Govt. now lend directly to students. With the technology nowadays, it isn't hard to imagine the implementation of an electronic currency in the event of a currency crises. Long story short... the Bankers aren't going to lose their economic status and power. They own our politicians and the student loan holders are then indebted to their govt. An electronic cashless system would assure student loans are direct withdrawn from the account.

Had to share that concept which I don't honestly think is too far away given the global economic landscape.
 
I think I should point out this out... Keep in mind it's speculation but possible.. I think it's clear the politician's in this country are really working for the bankers that run the financial system. Notice in the Health Care Reform law the govt squeezed in a law in which the Govt. now lend directly to students. With the technology nowadays, it isn't hard to imagine the implementation of an electronic currency in the event of a currency crises. Long story short... the Bankers aren't going to lose their economic status and power. They own our politicians and the student loan holders are then indebted to their govt. An electronic cashless system would assure student loans are direct withdrawn from the account.

Had to share that concept which I don't honestly think is too far away given the global economic landscape.

Yes, I suppose that could possibly happen Lee. So tell me, in light of these thoughts you have had, what are you planning now? Are you going into homesteading, a mechanical field, nursing, what? It doesn't sound like you would be even slightly interested in entering PT now.
 
I think I should point out this out... Keep in mind it's speculation but possible.. I think it's clear the politician's in this country are really working for the bankers that run the financial system. Notice in the Health Care Reform law the govt squeezed in a law in which the Govt. now lend directly to students. With the technology nowadays, it isn't hard to imagine the implementation of an electronic currency in the event of a currency crises. Long story short... the Bankers aren't going to lose their economic status and power. They own our politicians and the student loan holders are then indebted to their govt. An electronic cashless system would assure student loans are direct withdrawn from the account.

Had to share that concept which I don't honestly think is too far away given the global economic landscape.

Lee, the minute the Gov. took over the student loan process......I was worried. APTA has a very informative power pt regarding PT student finances / loans / expected cost. Almost 200 slides. I was unable to copy it but I will check again to see if I can at least post the string of clicks to access it.
I believe your statements bring out much of the reality (possible) of our future. I had originally thought something in the med profession was safe but not sure too many areas are going to be untouched by the future economics and fall out. Keep :)
 
So what are you guys suggesting, then? Nobody should pursue anything in the health field?
 
I think I should point out this out... Keep in mind it's speculation but possible.. I think it's clear the politician's in this country are really working for the bankers that run the financial system. Notice in the Health Care Reform law the govt squeezed in a law in which the Govt. now lend directly to students. With the technology nowadays, it isn't hard to imagine the implementation of an electronic currency in the event of a currency crises. Long story short... the Bankers aren't going to lose their economic status and power. They own our politicians and the student loan holders are then indebted to their govt. An electronic cashless system would assure student loans are direct withdrawn from the account.

Had to share that concept which I don't honestly think is too far away given the global economic landscape.

Of course that's possible. It is also possible that the US will default on our debts next week and be unable to pay medicare premiums/reimbursement. Or that the major thrid party payors will institute a "pay for performance" payment system. Or that the polar ice caps will melt next month. Or our alien ancestors will arrive on a comet to take us all home. All of these are speculative in nature, and although we have more information (some of it conflicting) about the former situations in my list (as well as Lee's supposition) they are all still SPECULATION. To be paralyzed by the fear of the negative possibilities makes little sense to me. In this era of ecohnomic downturn, name me one sure fire, "home run" profession. There isn't one.

Our profession has a history of worrying about the negative implciations of financial and political changes, such as the proliferation of HMOs in the western US and Minnesota, the implimentation of the Prospective Payment System in the skilled nursing facilities, the Correct Coding Initiative for outpatient rehab. And we have managed to further integrate ourselves in the health care continuum and remain a strong option for those who are entering the allied health work force, with an incerase in the average starting salary that has been very significant during the 13 years I have been practicing.

Worst case scenario, in my mind, is that those students who have strong academics and GRE scores will be able to get into relatively inexpensive schools and incur low amounts of debt which they will be able to pay off in a reasonable time, without sacrificing much in the way of their desired lifestyle. Those students who have to attend more expensive schools, or who buy in to the US News and World report ranking scale and choose to pay exhorbitant tuition, will incur greater debt and will really suffer if our reimbursement plummets, or if the profession is forced to turn into more of a cash-based system.
 
Of course that's possible. It is also possible that the US will default on our debts next week and be unable to pay medicare premiums/reimbursement. Or that the major thrid party payors will institute a "pay for performance" payment system. Or that the polar ice caps will melt next month. Or our alien ancestors will arrive on a comet to take us all home. All of these are speculative in nature, and although we have more information (some of it conflicting) about the former situations in my list (as well as Lee's supposition) they are all still SPECULATION. To be paralyzed by the fear of the negative possibilities makes little sense to me. In this era of ecohnomic downturn, name me one sure fire, "home run" profession. There isn't one.

Our profession has a history of worrying about the negative implciations of financial and political changes, such as the proliferation of HMOs in the western US and Minnesota, the implimentation of the Prospective Payment System in the skilled nursing facilities, the Correct Coding Initiative for outpatient rehab. And we have managed to further integrate ourselves in the health care continuum and remain a strong option for those who are entering the allied health work force, with an incerase in the average starting salary that has been very significant during the 13 years I have been practicing.

Worst case scenario, in my mind, is that those students who have strong academics and GRE scores will be able to get into relatively inexpensive schools and incur low amounts of debt which they will be able to pay off in a reasonable time, without sacrificing much in the way of their desired lifestyle. Those students who have to attend more expensive schools, or who buy in to the US News and World report ranking scale and choose to pay exhorbitant tuition, will incur greater debt and will really suffer if our reimbursement plummets, or if the profession is forced to turn into more of a cash-based system.

Good post JessPT.....
 
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