ATC/DPT to MD.. Am I crazy?

[BUSportsMed]

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Hopefully I've gotten at least a few of you out there to read through this thread as the title is pretty intimidating.. or at least it really is to me and is the subject of the thread.

Basically, I'm a junior enrolled in a six-year dual-degree program in which I will be receiving both my bachelors degree in athletic training and my doctorate in physical therapy. Now that I'm about halfway through and well on my way to successful completion (I'd say there are about 8 of us left out of 20-something to start) I am finding that I still can't quite shake the medical school itch I've always had. It seems like the more I get involved in health care, the more I want to know and the more significant a role I want to assume.

I have begun to consider the possibility of going to medical school when I finally graduate the six-year program. I am pretty much just looking for feedback or opinions from those out there more experienced and who might have a better idea of what this would take, any encouragement, or even discouragement.

Some things that I have considered... I thought about just dropping physical therapy, however, I will not go this route because I really like physical therapy, would be very happy as a physical therapist if that's as far as I get, and most because I have worked so hard to remain in the six-year program. I have considered the massive amount of debt I would be taking on (not that I won't already have six years worth of tuition to worry about) but have rationalized this with just more loans and that where my education takes me will not be hindered by finances. I would also need probably a year to go back and take some pre reqs that my program didn't cover as well as MCATs and the rest of the admissions process.

Any responses greatly appreciated!! Good luck.

 

[mac_kin]

I sent you a personal message with my opinions on your dilemma.

 

[LSUhopeful]

Wow. That's a lot of schooling.. lol. Well, I would advise you to at least give the ATC and/or DPT field a chance for a while. If I were you, I would want to work for at least one to two years once I graduated to first gain an understanding of the profession to see if that's where I REALLY wanted to be the rest of my life.. and secondly, I would work 1-2 years to help pay off some ATC/PT school debt before getting even deeper with Med School debt. If you work in the field a year and still feel the itch, I would say go for it. 😀

I worked in another field (managing a business) for three years after I graduated from undergrad and I couldn't shake the itch to be a PT.. so here I am applying this year to three PT schools. I know it's a tough decision but I strongly recommend at least trying out the field first before entering Med School.. you may end up Loving it!

 

[MinnDasota]

Continue and finish then work per diem while in med school to help with tuition.

Once you finish with ATC/PT, you'll be ahead of the game when assessing and managing acute and other musculoskeletal issues. The rest (which is a lot) is up to you.

 

[truthseeker]

Do some serious shadowing. Have a doc call you when they get beeped. I had one day that made my decision for me between med school and PT school.

I observed an arthroscopic surgery my jr year in college as part of our athletic training program. I watched one scope, then had to leave for a test on the other side of campus. the surgeon had 2 or 3 more procedures that day. first one was at 7am.

I took my test, went to a class, back to my room to shower and read a bit, ate lunch, then to the training room to cover treatments and practice for the men's gymnastics team.
After that there was a women's gym meet vs the Japanese national team, it was an exhibition. Done at 730-8 pm and we had a hospitality room with drinks and appetizers afterward. The same orthopedist who I watched do surgery at 7 am was providing medical coverage at the gym meet. We invited him to join us afterward for a drink/appetizers and he politely declined because he HAD SURGERY SCHEDULED AT 10:30 THAT NIGHT!!!

That made my decision. There is no amount of money, control, prestige etc . . . that would make that lifestyle worth it to me.

This is a personal story. I don't like beepers. I like my time to be my time.

Some love the action and all things that happen when you are the quarterback of the medical team. Not me.

 

[lee9786]

I think a lot of people that have chosen PT have seriously considered Med school as well so you are not alone. After all the prereqs aren't all that different and you could still specialize in NMSK medicine. I've looked at this route as well.

I think it really comes down to how much time you want to spend dedicating yourself to your career. That's really the biggest component that I've looked at. I do not wish to be saturated solely with my career. I want to eventually run a small business, write a book, and have a family that I can spend time with. Medicine would be all encompassing and would take up most my time. So it really comes down to your own individual career goals. I will say that not all specialties require a pager and on-call status. From what I hear DO schools look favorably upon PTs and could open up an avenue for you if you'd like to pursue medicine. You could work in more of a primary care role in areas such as Physiatry or Internal Medicine if that's your thing.

PT specializes in an area of interest which allows the practitioner to focus on mastering that information. It allows for the opportunity for reviewing scientific research and applying that information. This being said there have been a number of PTs that have decided to go on and pursue medicine, even after they attain the DPT. So this isn't unheard of. The debt accrued could be an issue and has led some PTs that have gone this route to pursue specialties that pay more so salary becomes more of an issue. Some people need to be the physician in charge and spend years close to two decades in school in pursuit of their goal. For me nothing is worth that much time and cost. I'd be content working as an allied health professional.

 

[ClinicalLMT]

Hopefully I've gotten at least a few of you out there to read through this thread as the title is pretty intimidating.. or at least it really is to me and is the subject of the thread.

Basically, I'm a junior enrolled in a six-year dual-degree program in which I will be receiving both my bachelors degree in athletic training and my doctorate in physical therapy. Now that I'm about halfway through and well on my way to successful completion (I'd say there are about 8 of us left out of 20-something to start) I am finding that I still can't quite shake the medical school itch I've always had. It seems like the more I get involved in health care, the more I want to know and the more significant a role I want to assume.

I have begun to consider the possibility of going to medical school when I finally graduate the six-year program. I am pretty much just looking for feedback or opinions from those out there more experienced and who might have a better idea of what this would take, any encouragement, or even discouragement.

Some things that I have considered... I thought about just dropping physical therapy, however, I will not go this route because I really like physical therapy, would be very happy as a physical therapist if that's as far as I get, and most because I have worked so hard to remain in the six-year program. I have considered the massive amount of debt I would be taking on (not that I won't already have six years worth of tuition to worry about) but have rationalized this with just more loans and that where my education takes me will not be hindered by finances. I would also need probably a year to go back and take some pre reqs that my program didn't cover as well as MCATs and the rest of the admissions process.

Any responses greatly appreciated!! Good luck.

What did you end up doing?

 

[jblil]

Good grief... If you click on the OP's screen name, you will find out that s/he last checked in more than 5 years ago.