A few questions about PT

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glowworm

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Hi :hello: I'm a high school senior thinking about physical therapy, and I have a few questions.

1) Do PTs have to do wound cleaning in school or if they work in a hospital? (my mom used to work in a hospital and apparently they did there.) I'm pretty squeamish and don't really like touching other people's body fluids or wounds.


2) Say I had my own practice or worked for someone else. What are the chances of me being able to do only sports therapy? Or is there not enough demand for that alone to support a practice? (In a town of about 100,000 people.)

thanks for the help!!! :D

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PT's don't have to do wound care. You will learn wound care in PT school but unless you are in a burn unit or some other specialized wound care unit you probably get by without too much exposure. However, one of the biggest parts of PT school education is anatomy lab. Thus, you will have to get over it for at least a semester for the sake of learning the human body.

Second question depends on your location. You'd be more successful if your practice had a good relationship with local schools and were involved in local sporting events. That said, most "sports" practices are combined with ortho as they are very much intertwined. If you really only want to work in sports, it may be beneficial to get an undergrad degree in athletic training as it will open you up to sports more than most other degrees. Once in PT school, you will learn all aspects of the field with sports only being a small part. Your clinical affiliations in PT school will dictate most of your "sports" rehab experiences.
 
oh, ok, thanks. :) i guess i can get through the gross stuff for a few years in school.
 
I have worked or volunteered in two hospitals and in both places Physical Therapists did do wound care. This was in Alaska and within the last few years. I do not know if this is the the standard for most hospitals or not. However, a number of pt schools have wound care as part of the curriculum. I have heard that the majority of PT's across the country are employed in acute care, and most therapists spend some time working in acute care before finding work in outpatient physical therapy. I am not sure how likely it is that you will be able to rush into sports therapy and avoid all of the "gross" stuff after school, especially considering that many PTs and pre-PTs (myself not included) want to work in sports therapy.
 
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