PT Aide - Thoughts

[itsideal]

Hello everyone,

Was just wondering what were your thoughts on acquiring this position within a clinic. What job pay did you receive and so on?

At the moment I make $14 an hour at a job while going to school. I have many vacations since it is in a school. I am wondering whether or not it is worth leaving for a PT aide position although I am two years away from applying into grad school. I notice most people who have held this position were maybe months or a year prior to them applying.

Also is it very unstable? Do the clinics assume you will aide the PT for just a little bit before dismissing you?

Thank You in advance and I am very sorry if this thread is redundant in any way.

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[rmaddre]

I have held an aide position for two and a half years now and it has provided over 1500 hours of experience for my application. I have already been accepted to a program as well. I am paid 7.50 an hour, barely over min wage, but when considering I would have spent all those hours shadowing anyway it's not bad. My clinic understands that many of the aides are students and are planning on leaving when they leave to attend PT school. It is a little unstable due to the employment turnover of aides class schedules and where they are in school, but I never saw anyone get fired, just hiring when students graduated.

Hope that helps.

 

[ptbobby]

I am also an aide and they know I'm only doing it till I get accepted into pt school, so in total I'll probably end up working there for about a year. This was my first aide job so I haven't had prior experience and they still paid me 13 an hour which I think is pretty good!(outpatient clinic)

 

[rltruong]

i was never an aid. i help a better paid position doing something else and used my free time to shadow and volunteer. when i applied i only had 150 hours and am accepted into a dpt program that starts in may. The PT was happy to write my recommendation letter after volunteering 40 hours

 

[321utms]

I am also an aide and they know I'm only doing it till I get accepted into pt school, so in total I'll probably end up working there for about a year. This was my first aide job so I haven't had prior experience and they still paid me 13 an hour which I think is pretty good!(outpatient clinic)

Wow I get 8 an hour at an inpatient. They know and want you to leave for school.

 

[hellohelloduh]

I am also an aide and they know I'm only doing it till I get accepted into pt school, so in total I'll probably end up working there for about a year. This was my first aide job so I haven't had prior experience and they still paid me 13 an hour which I think is pretty good!(outpatient clinic)

I also get 13 an hour at an outpatient clinic. Love my job. Got two LORs from my bosses. It's a very flexible job as well.

 

[kpratt07]

I think it's a great idea to apply for an aide position. I've been an aide at an out patient clinic for two years; I make $9 an hour and work full time. The aide positions are relatively unstable (at least where I work) as many aides work around their school schedules and sometimes that's just hard to manage. But no one has ever been fired. It has been a great job because I have around 3,000 hours experience and awesome letters of recommendation. I say go for it.

 

[iseidthat]

I think you could go either way. I applied and got into school when I was volunteering for the clinic I'm still at. I got hired a week before I was accepted. I get paid $9, which blows in my mind, but it's arbitrarily set low since there are so many qualified people to be an aide where the clinic is (right near UCSD). In terms of just getting into school, both paths work...but if you need to save up money to get more financially stable, i'd volunteer and let my GPA/GREs shine and keep the $14/hr job if I were in your position.

 

[markelmarcel]

I didn't work as an aide and literally got just slightly over my 150 hours and was accepted to 2 of the 3 programs I applied for. So, I don't think it's a necessity, but if you are really interested in wanting to learn more (potentially), really get a feel for what the days/weeks/months of being a PT are really like, how an out patient clinic works, it fits with your schedule, etc- go for it! I may have taken a position if one was available, but most positions where I was living (while applying) were PT/FT and not so flexible about working around my class schedule.

 

[itsideal]

You guys are amazing. Thank you all for taking the time to give your input. I'll continue to weigh my options but will pull the trigger on a decision relatively soon.

 

[lcs2074]

I just recently started working as a PT aide part time at an outpatient center and I love it! Its great experience and exposure to the field (I'm actually applying for OT, but working with both in my job), you get more responsibility/hands-on experience then as just a volunteer/observer, and can get to know the therapists better for a more detailed reference which is definitely a plus for grad school and generally its great networking for the future. Its $13.75/hr and the schedule is flexible so I'm able to take a prerequisite class as well. Based on here it sounds like outpatient tends to pay higher than inpatient. Check out job listings and call places to see who is hiring in your area. Good luck!

 

[Eb3]

I've been working as a PT Tech/Aide for 2 years now, while taking classes part time. It sounds like there is a pretty wide range in hourly wages; I make around $11/hr but had been offered $8.50 by another place. My advice would be to keep your current job for the time being but look around for a tech job that pays what you would be willing to work for. I have had a great experience teching at an outpatient clinic and being there for a while has allowed me to get comfortable with the ins and outs of how a good outpatient clinic operates, and how the PTs approach different injuries and different patient populations. One thing to look out for; some clinics just use the techs/aides to stock and clean the clinic, you'll want to make sure to find a place that lets you have some sort of personal interaction with the patients.

 

[02143]

Before coming to PT school, I worked as a tech for 3 summers. I actually started just observing the therapist to get my hours, and then after 2 weeks, he asked if he could hire me as a tech. I got paid $10/hr at a super small outpatient clinic (3 treatment rooms, 1 therapist, a receptionist, and sometimes another tech/aide). Someone else mentioned this above, but I'm really thankful that I could be a tech because it did allow me to have more patient interaction, plus, all the hours that I was planning to do unpaid were actually paid :]. The therapist I shadowed also wrote me a LOR, which is great because after shadowing someone for 30 hours, they don't really know who I am. However, after working for this therapist for hundreds of hours, he was able to speak to my potential, my dedication to my education, my work ethic, etc.

 

[ptaz]

I took a part time position as an aide and lowered my hours at my higher paying job (I don't know if that is an option for you). I enjoyed my experience as an aide and would recommend it if you are able to continue to volunteer in other areas. Schools want a variety of hours and I have seen many aides who didn't volunteer in other areas
and they didn't get into school. Now that I have been accepted into school I am just working at my higher paying job in order save money. My aide job completely understood as people tend to only work these positions for a few years at the most.

 

[aggie8811]

I work as an PT aide PRN for a hospital (both inpatient and in their outpatient clinics). I'm very fortunate to make $16/hr as an aide while also working as a substitute teacher. I teach during the week and work as an aide on the weekend, only covering the outpatient clinics during weekdays if an aide is out sick or on vacation. I find that working as an aide for a hospital is very stable work. They are extremely flexible and have been very supportive. I got LORs from the director of Rehab, an inpatient manager, and an outpatient manager after working for them for 2 years. I'm not sure about privately owned clinics but if there is an opportunity to work for a hospital in your area I would recommend it. Good luck!