Ive been lurking the site for over 5 years now, previously as an aspiring pharmacy student (thank GOD I did not go that route, especially in todays awful market), and felt that there are too few exceptional posts that give solid advice to both PT students and pre-PT students. I graduated from a DPT program last year, and have been working as a full-time PT for 1 year now, and wanted to post both true objective information
and some anecdotal and subjective information to all those that have concerns about their future and the field as a whole.
The Job Market
For one, I am working in the South Florida area and the market demand is excellent. Because I am limited in my knowledge of other cities, my information regarding them is limited as well. I can tell you without doubt though, that each and every one of my fellow classmates secured jobs within weeks of passing the NPTE. This includes employment in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, California, New York, Florida, Texas, and the Carolinas. Before graduating, I applied to approximately 6-8 different therapy clinics (both outpatient and inpatient) and was offered interviews to all of them (and accepted for a job at all of them as well).
Salaries (time to open up a can of worms!!!)
I constantly hear of angst for new grads in this sector. I hear of stories on SDN of new grad salaries that are low and seem painful given the high student loans. My fellow classmates and I have been quite open about salaries in the South Florida market and I would be glad to share with the rest of you. The lowest salary I have heard is $55,000, for a pediatric therapist. The highest I have heard is well..mine. I work 42 hrs/wk at a SNF and make approximately $78,000. At 40 hrs/wk I make $72,800, but pick up overtime and occasional weekends to bump my salary up. At one year out, I have one close friend who works home health and makes >$100,000 per year seeing 30 pts per week. It is not at ALL impossible to make $100,000 per year as a new grad, but dont expect to work <40 hrs/wk for that type of $$$. I have recently decided to pick up Saturday work at a local hospital, which is offering $45/hr for weekday work, and $48/hr for weekend work. At that rate, I will be working 50 hrs/wk and make JUST about $100,000.
Be OPEN to the job market, and the type of work you want to do!
I hear all the time that the WORST place to work right out of school is in a place like a SNF or LTC because of the limited opportunity to perform some of the skilled evaluations that are learned in the DPT program. Much of our training is in musculoskeletal diagnosis, performance of special tests to rule-out and rule-in certain conditions, perform mobilizations, know when to progress and regress treatment, and when to make the decision to use a wide variety of modalities. Well, I can tell you, without a doubt, that working SNF was one of the best decisions I have made. Starting PT school, I was DEAD SET on doing outpatient therapy with focus on sports medicine. I found an outpatient clinic when I graduated and decided that it was right up my alley. After just a few weeks, I found myself burned out by the setting and the everyday expectations. I saw approximately 3 clients per hour, and was expected to treat patients based purely on their insurance coverage and not what they truly needed. Is this to say that every outpatient clinic operates this way? HELL NO! It was simply something that I experienced, and even heard the term patient mill by other classmates who worked at similar type settings. In the SNF setting, I see approximately 9 to 11 patients per day, and am able to see them as I see fit, whether it be one-on-one, bedside, two at a time, etc. The flexibility allows for significantly lower stress levels and more objectively measureable success with patients (ie: performing a transfer at supervision vs max A). At the outpatient setting I saw a lot of chronic back pain, shoulder pain, and was burned out by the number of patients who wanted to be 100% pain free without putting in the work (ie: what do you mean I have to exercise! But it hurts! Im not doing that crap!) Working at a SNF has also helped in the fact that prospective employers want therapists experienced with working with Medicare, RUGs, etc. I plan on moving to home health in the near future.
With other opportunities for mid-level practitioner work, why PT? Why not PharmD, nursing, etc.?
As mentioned earlier, I was originally a pre-pharmacy student in college, and thank GOD I did not decide to pursue the PharmD. Todays market is considered to be horrendous for new grads, with the best option for employment in community pharmacy where the pharmacists are highly stressed and hate their jobs. Go ahead and go to the pharmacy forum and see the number of new grads that hate their decision to go into pharmacy. While the passion to work with medicine is noble, many realize that their jobs have melted down into being the highly trained clerk that is required to call insurance companies, argue with people who dont understand their co-pays, and perform inventory checks on a daily basis. Opportunities for new nurses have dwindled as well, with many hospitals requiring nurses to have previous work experience. While this is the norm now, it probably wont last and nurses (specifically new grads) will again be in high demand. The opportunity for nurses to be in much higher positions than PTs exist though, with a lot less schooling and school debt, including nurse practitioners that make >$90,000 per year, and CRNAs making >$150,000. The government is also more likely to be increasing demand for mid-level practitioners as they believe that these NPs and CRNAs can do the jobs of MDs at half the salary. The fact of the matter is, I had no interest in being a nurse for the same reason I had no interest in being a PTA. I didnt want someone telling me what to do and how to do it. The decision making remains with the MD if you are a nurse and with the PT if youre a PTA.
Job Satisfaction
This is HIGHLY variable! As a highly introverted individual, too much interaction drains me, angry/demented/obnoxious patients and their families eat my soul, and demanding/know-it-all/pissed off nurses are the bane of my existence. On the days that I have to experience all of the above, all I can think about it going home and curling up on the couch. On the days that I have motivated orthopedic and neuro patients, grateful families, and a boss that makes my life easy, my day is an easy 10/10. In just the past year I have worked, documentation requirements have increased and the number of minutes I spend in front of a computer screen has gone up while still being expected to see the same number of patients and remain in a productivity level >90%. While it is not impossible to do, the face time I have with patients is less and makes it harder to make the same connections I did when I first started. Dont despair though! This is happening across the board for all healthcare professions, so the pain is felt all around (hopefully that makes yall feel a little better). The fact is, I have had the opportunity to rehabilitate people that were unable to walk due to car accident and neurological disease, provide advocacy to patients and their families, be the last healthcare provider of hope for them, and also successfully d/c people home when everyone (including the physicians and the families) thought they would never be able to independently do so. It brings a tear to my eye when patients give me a hug and thank me for all that I have done for them, and when families tell me that I was the first one to show any compassion and empathy for their situations. Few jobs allow this type of interaction, and as a PT, I am lucky to experience this on a weekly basis. 🙂
My Motto
I see A LOT of people on SDN (especially in the allopath) forums talking about wanting to make hundreds of thousands of dollars and being at the top of the totem pole so they can be top dogs in their profession. Great. But my motto is, I want to work to live, not live to work. The PT profession allows this in numerous ways. You can work as little or as much as you want, while knowing that you will make a wage that easily pays the bills, rent, school loans, with enough left over to throw in savings and retirement. My days as a PT include seeing roughly 8 to 9 hours worth of patients. The nice thing? I can show up to work as late as I want (or as early as I want) as long as I see my patient load. This allows me to come home at 4 PM and spend the rest of the day doing whatever I please! Few professions allow this incredible flexibility, and it is a beautiful thing. Dont think youre going to see an orthopedic surgeon, with all his money in the bank, be able to enjoy his days like we can. Again, work to LIVE, dont live to WORK. 😀
The Job Market
For one, I am working in the South Florida area and the market demand is excellent. Because I am limited in my knowledge of other cities, my information regarding them is limited as well. I can tell you without doubt though, that each and every one of my fellow classmates secured jobs within weeks of passing the NPTE. This includes employment in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, California, New York, Florida, Texas, and the Carolinas. Before graduating, I applied to approximately 6-8 different therapy clinics (both outpatient and inpatient) and was offered interviews to all of them (and accepted for a job at all of them as well).
Salaries (time to open up a can of worms!!!)
I constantly hear of angst for new grads in this sector. I hear of stories on SDN of new grad salaries that are low and seem painful given the high student loans. My fellow classmates and I have been quite open about salaries in the South Florida market and I would be glad to share with the rest of you. The lowest salary I have heard is $55,000, for a pediatric therapist. The highest I have heard is well..mine. I work 42 hrs/wk at a SNF and make approximately $78,000. At 40 hrs/wk I make $72,800, but pick up overtime and occasional weekends to bump my salary up. At one year out, I have one close friend who works home health and makes >$100,000 per year seeing 30 pts per week. It is not at ALL impossible to make $100,000 per year as a new grad, but dont expect to work <40 hrs/wk for that type of $$$. I have recently decided to pick up Saturday work at a local hospital, which is offering $45/hr for weekday work, and $48/hr for weekend work. At that rate, I will be working 50 hrs/wk and make JUST about $100,000.
Be OPEN to the job market, and the type of work you want to do!
I hear all the time that the WORST place to work right out of school is in a place like a SNF or LTC because of the limited opportunity to perform some of the skilled evaluations that are learned in the DPT program. Much of our training is in musculoskeletal diagnosis, performance of special tests to rule-out and rule-in certain conditions, perform mobilizations, know when to progress and regress treatment, and when to make the decision to use a wide variety of modalities. Well, I can tell you, without a doubt, that working SNF was one of the best decisions I have made. Starting PT school, I was DEAD SET on doing outpatient therapy with focus on sports medicine. I found an outpatient clinic when I graduated and decided that it was right up my alley. After just a few weeks, I found myself burned out by the setting and the everyday expectations. I saw approximately 3 clients per hour, and was expected to treat patients based purely on their insurance coverage and not what they truly needed. Is this to say that every outpatient clinic operates this way? HELL NO! It was simply something that I experienced, and even heard the term patient mill by other classmates who worked at similar type settings. In the SNF setting, I see approximately 9 to 11 patients per day, and am able to see them as I see fit, whether it be one-on-one, bedside, two at a time, etc. The flexibility allows for significantly lower stress levels and more objectively measureable success with patients (ie: performing a transfer at supervision vs max A). At the outpatient setting I saw a lot of chronic back pain, shoulder pain, and was burned out by the number of patients who wanted to be 100% pain free without putting in the work (ie: what do you mean I have to exercise! But it hurts! Im not doing that crap!) Working at a SNF has also helped in the fact that prospective employers want therapists experienced with working with Medicare, RUGs, etc. I plan on moving to home health in the near future.
With other opportunities for mid-level practitioner work, why PT? Why not PharmD, nursing, etc.?
As mentioned earlier, I was originally a pre-pharmacy student in college, and thank GOD I did not decide to pursue the PharmD. Todays market is considered to be horrendous for new grads, with the best option for employment in community pharmacy where the pharmacists are highly stressed and hate their jobs. Go ahead and go to the pharmacy forum and see the number of new grads that hate their decision to go into pharmacy. While the passion to work with medicine is noble, many realize that their jobs have melted down into being the highly trained clerk that is required to call insurance companies, argue with people who dont understand their co-pays, and perform inventory checks on a daily basis. Opportunities for new nurses have dwindled as well, with many hospitals requiring nurses to have previous work experience. While this is the norm now, it probably wont last and nurses (specifically new grads) will again be in high demand. The opportunity for nurses to be in much higher positions than PTs exist though, with a lot less schooling and school debt, including nurse practitioners that make >$90,000 per year, and CRNAs making >$150,000. The government is also more likely to be increasing demand for mid-level practitioners as they believe that these NPs and CRNAs can do the jobs of MDs at half the salary. The fact of the matter is, I had no interest in being a nurse for the same reason I had no interest in being a PTA. I didnt want someone telling me what to do and how to do it. The decision making remains with the MD if you are a nurse and with the PT if youre a PTA.
Job Satisfaction
This is HIGHLY variable! As a highly introverted individual, too much interaction drains me, angry/demented/obnoxious patients and their families eat my soul, and demanding/know-it-all/pissed off nurses are the bane of my existence. On the days that I have to experience all of the above, all I can think about it going home and curling up on the couch. On the days that I have motivated orthopedic and neuro patients, grateful families, and a boss that makes my life easy, my day is an easy 10/10. In just the past year I have worked, documentation requirements have increased and the number of minutes I spend in front of a computer screen has gone up while still being expected to see the same number of patients and remain in a productivity level >90%. While it is not impossible to do, the face time I have with patients is less and makes it harder to make the same connections I did when I first started. Dont despair though! This is happening across the board for all healthcare professions, so the pain is felt all around (hopefully that makes yall feel a little better). The fact is, I have had the opportunity to rehabilitate people that were unable to walk due to car accident and neurological disease, provide advocacy to patients and their families, be the last healthcare provider of hope for them, and also successfully d/c people home when everyone (including the physicians and the families) thought they would never be able to independently do so. It brings a tear to my eye when patients give me a hug and thank me for all that I have done for them, and when families tell me that I was the first one to show any compassion and empathy for their situations. Few jobs allow this type of interaction, and as a PT, I am lucky to experience this on a weekly basis. 🙂
My Motto
I see A LOT of people on SDN (especially in the allopath) forums talking about wanting to make hundreds of thousands of dollars and being at the top of the totem pole so they can be top dogs in their profession. Great. But my motto is, I want to work to live, not live to work. The PT profession allows this in numerous ways. You can work as little or as much as you want, while knowing that you will make a wage that easily pays the bills, rent, school loans, with enough left over to throw in savings and retirement. My days as a PT include seeing roughly 8 to 9 hours worth of patients. The nice thing? I can show up to work as late as I want (or as early as I want) as long as I see my patient load. This allows me to come home at 4 PM and spend the rest of the day doing whatever I please! Few professions allow this incredible flexibility, and it is a beautiful thing. Dont think youre going to see an orthopedic surgeon, with all his money in the bank, be able to enjoy his days like we can. Again, work to LIVE, dont live to WORK. 😀
