Hi all,
***Once I finished typing this, I realized its hella long. Tried trimming it down but I only end up adding more to it and cant bring myself to getting rid of something I put all this thought and effort in to lol. If you care to read all of it then I hope you enjoy, but please feel free to scroll about halfway down to get to my quick background info and the questions I currently have. Also, please let me know if this actually belongs in the pre-PT forums, pretty sure I'm in the right spot but I'm new..
I am currently in the process of doing my research on a possible career change to become a physical therapist and I have a few questions about the process. Ive been at my job for a little over 2 years and have excelled within the company, but I really dont get any satisfaction with the work I do and dont see that changing with any further ladder climbing or lateral moves in the corporate environment. Becoming an orthopaedic surgeon was my initial desire going into college after being an often injured student athlete and recovering from a rather serious motocross accident when I was 15. Due to a lack of maturity and making a poor transition from the high school workload to the college workload, I became discouraged at my initial struggle freshman year and hastily decided that I should pursue a different career path. After the change, I feel I made great strides in becoming a responsible adult, however, I have always been haunted by succumbing to the pressure of feeling overwhelmed and taking another path. My desire to change lives has always been with me, and after having pursued other ambitions but not gaining the satisfaction I seek, I feel that I am in a great position to successfully shift my lifes trajectory to a career Im almost certain will provide me the personal gratification that I crave and not simply a paycheck.
The problem for me when I first went to college was that at the time I was more intrigued with the idea of being a doctor than actually becoming a doctor. Terrible, I know, but at the time I wasnt who I am currently which is a proactive person who makes careful and informed decisions by doing my research, testing the waters and ultimately being true to myself rather than committing to things on impulse and simply hoping for the best. Revisiting another attempt at a career in health care initially came to me after a lot of reflection over this past summer. After pinpointing what drives me wholly as a person, what my interests and strengths are, and what I truly want out of a career, I began to weigh a few different options and once I got to physical therapy on my list of careers that have always interested me but never thought to explore, I pretty much stopped caring about the rest of the list. I began to casually do research at work and home but no matter how many times I kept coming back to the idea I would end up discouraging myself by saying that 25 is too early for a mid life crisis and it would be irresponsible for me to pursue a brand new career so late in the game. Then I came across these forums and the discouragement turned into encouragement, at which point I realized that its too early in my life to be dissatisfied with a career I dont enjoy and a career change is just that - a change - and not a mid life crisis. Im happy to know Im not stuck in a career I rushed in to for little more than a paycheck and that there are others like me out there who simply needed to do a little more wandering before finding their way.
Now, after being sent back to PT after a shoulder surgery (L posterior labrum repair) in January, I have been consumed with making the move to a career that is in line with my desire to directly make a difference in the lives of others by improving their quality of life and rebuilding their self confidence through an active hands on approach. I know full well that being a physical therapist is so much more than what the patient sees and I still need to volunteer to gain a better view of the profession and the passion it takes to become one, but since my most recent surgery I have never been more obsessed with getting back to 100% so I can spend extra time working for free. With the benefit of experience, I know going back to school will require a great many sacrifices along with an intense desire and focus to succeed to make it through what I understand is an extremely difficult 3 years of DPT school once I complete the pre reqs to be accepted into a program. In addition to tons of research, I sat down and wrote a constantly-being-added-to essay on why I feel this career would be right for me which I can post for anyone that cares to read it and understand my constantly growing motivations (as if this wasnt enough).
Hopefully there is someone here that has been in a similar position and can guide me through taking the plunge and avoiding any missteps. Ive done countless hours of research on this to the point where I cant get any more information that Id like to know without asking specific questions to people who have been in my position. Heres some background about myself to better help you guys answer my questions:
- I am 25
- single w/ no kids
- lead an active lifestyle outside of work
- hold a bachelors degree in Business and HR Management earned from a state school with a 3.0 GPA (awful fresh year but grades improved dramatically as classes got harder- go figure)
- have approx 50k in student loans (Half Fed. Stafford mostly unsubsidized/other half Sallie Mae unfortunately which I try to put extra toward on top of min. payment when able)
- currently employed full time in an administrative type job with full benefits outside Philadelphia
- still living at home rent free since job is relatively close by
- reside in an area with many options in terms of post baccalaureate pre-med certificate programs which dont necessitate a need for me to live on campus
- In late winter/early spring of 2013 I will be out of the country for a few weeks so I am heavily leaning towards taking a slower approach due to its flexibility in scheduling which would allow me to take that spring semester off. Obviously, I cant fully commit to classes if for 2-3 weeks of it Ill be in a different hemisphere half way across the planet (lets be honest haha).
My employer requires a year commitment to the company after reimbursing me for a class and will only pay for classes relevant to my current position which the pre reqs dont directly, but I can do some trickery and probably (read: hopefully) find a workaround. Assuming I cant find a workaround, I will just pay out of pocket. Also, I am somewhat open to leaving my job to complete a post baccalaureate pre med program in a full time capacity if someone can present a bulletproof argument for it. I will say though, I am very apprehensive on that approach and probably just need an experienced career changers opinion thrown at me to strengthen my confidence in my plan of taking it slow while I can with the pre reqs since DPT school will be a social life annihilator and a huge financial strain during and after. Lastly, if I do decide that this is what I want to do as a career after completing at LEAST 100 volunteer hours (will prob continue to volunteer up until acceptance into a DPT program so long as schedule permits), I will not be going back to school until probably fall 2012 in a part time capacity or summer 2013 if I choose one of the structured post bacc programs. WHEW...
Sorry if these questions give you nightmares about exams in college, I just want to make the very best decision possible seeing as how I only want to make a huge life change like this only once. Just answer what you can/want with as little or as much detail as you think is necessary. Any answers and brutal honesty are greatly appreciated!!!
OK questions below:
1) Did you take a structured part time/2 year post bacc route to complete your pre reqs or did you leave your job and go back full time/1 year post bacc for the pre reqs? Would you recommend one over the other OR would you recommend neither and instead go with a slower approach i.e. 1-2 pre req courses a semester? Why?
2) If you left your job and chose the full time/1 year route for your pre reqs, what did you do in terms of health insurance? COBRA through your ex employer? School sponsored plan? Separate individual plan? Went commando and just prayed you wouldnt need to fill a prescription or see a doctor/dentist for a year? Would you recommend the choice you made or would you steer me towards another avenue if I took the full time approach?
3) In the interest of avoiding the use of loans as much as possible, I would like to stay at my current position while fulfilling pre reqs. I am really leaning towards a slower approach (1-2 pre req courses/semester) in the hopes that I can possibly work some magic and have my company reimburse me for some of the courses. Assuming I take the slow approach and have some control over my own course schedule, which of the science classes do you recommend I take/get out of the way first? Which ones should I try to pair up? Is a slower approach even an option or do I absolutely have to attend a structured post bacc program?
4) Can I fulfill all the pre reqs at one of my local community colleges/universities? I ask this because Ive come across some posts online that have said you need to be sure that the school you attend for your pre reqs will be acceptable when it comes to eventually applying for DPT grad school. What I think was meant by this is that obviously you cant just do some online only school, which is not to be confused with taking online courses such as psychology or writing during a summer session through an actual community college or local university. Am I correct in assuming that so long as the courses are taken through an actual brick and mortar community college/ local uni, they will be acceptable or is there some special accreditation the school needs to have for the pre reqs to count?
5) What other things can you think of that you may have overlooked when you went back and feel would be something that I should square away before going back to school/committing to physical therapy as a career path?
6) Any questions/comments/advice for me? I know I can be very wordy so did you need me to clarify a question so you can better understand what Im asking?
Just wanted to note - Once I am done with my own physical therapy for my shoulder which should be about the first week in April, I plan on applying to volunteer for PT at a hospital near home and/or near my job to make sure this is something Im actually committed to in addition to needing volunteer hours for DPT programs. Ive already verified the 2 hospitals accept volunteers for PT so thats not a concern as of right now.
Thanks for your responses!
***Once I finished typing this, I realized its hella long. Tried trimming it down but I only end up adding more to it and cant bring myself to getting rid of something I put all this thought and effort in to lol. If you care to read all of it then I hope you enjoy, but please feel free to scroll about halfway down to get to my quick background info and the questions I currently have. Also, please let me know if this actually belongs in the pre-PT forums, pretty sure I'm in the right spot but I'm new..
I am currently in the process of doing my research on a possible career change to become a physical therapist and I have a few questions about the process. Ive been at my job for a little over 2 years and have excelled within the company, but I really dont get any satisfaction with the work I do and dont see that changing with any further ladder climbing or lateral moves in the corporate environment. Becoming an orthopaedic surgeon was my initial desire going into college after being an often injured student athlete and recovering from a rather serious motocross accident when I was 15. Due to a lack of maturity and making a poor transition from the high school workload to the college workload, I became discouraged at my initial struggle freshman year and hastily decided that I should pursue a different career path. After the change, I feel I made great strides in becoming a responsible adult, however, I have always been haunted by succumbing to the pressure of feeling overwhelmed and taking another path. My desire to change lives has always been with me, and after having pursued other ambitions but not gaining the satisfaction I seek, I feel that I am in a great position to successfully shift my lifes trajectory to a career Im almost certain will provide me the personal gratification that I crave and not simply a paycheck.
The problem for me when I first went to college was that at the time I was more intrigued with the idea of being a doctor than actually becoming a doctor. Terrible, I know, but at the time I wasnt who I am currently which is a proactive person who makes careful and informed decisions by doing my research, testing the waters and ultimately being true to myself rather than committing to things on impulse and simply hoping for the best. Revisiting another attempt at a career in health care initially came to me after a lot of reflection over this past summer. After pinpointing what drives me wholly as a person, what my interests and strengths are, and what I truly want out of a career, I began to weigh a few different options and once I got to physical therapy on my list of careers that have always interested me but never thought to explore, I pretty much stopped caring about the rest of the list. I began to casually do research at work and home but no matter how many times I kept coming back to the idea I would end up discouraging myself by saying that 25 is too early for a mid life crisis and it would be irresponsible for me to pursue a brand new career so late in the game. Then I came across these forums and the discouragement turned into encouragement, at which point I realized that its too early in my life to be dissatisfied with a career I dont enjoy and a career change is just that - a change - and not a mid life crisis. Im happy to know Im not stuck in a career I rushed in to for little more than a paycheck and that there are others like me out there who simply needed to do a little more wandering before finding their way.
Now, after being sent back to PT after a shoulder surgery (L posterior labrum repair) in January, I have been consumed with making the move to a career that is in line with my desire to directly make a difference in the lives of others by improving their quality of life and rebuilding their self confidence through an active hands on approach. I know full well that being a physical therapist is so much more than what the patient sees and I still need to volunteer to gain a better view of the profession and the passion it takes to become one, but since my most recent surgery I have never been more obsessed with getting back to 100% so I can spend extra time working for free. With the benefit of experience, I know going back to school will require a great many sacrifices along with an intense desire and focus to succeed to make it through what I understand is an extremely difficult 3 years of DPT school once I complete the pre reqs to be accepted into a program. In addition to tons of research, I sat down and wrote a constantly-being-added-to essay on why I feel this career would be right for me which I can post for anyone that cares to read it and understand my constantly growing motivations (as if this wasnt enough).
Hopefully there is someone here that has been in a similar position and can guide me through taking the plunge and avoiding any missteps. Ive done countless hours of research on this to the point where I cant get any more information that Id like to know without asking specific questions to people who have been in my position. Heres some background about myself to better help you guys answer my questions:
- I am 25
- single w/ no kids
- lead an active lifestyle outside of work
- hold a bachelors degree in Business and HR Management earned from a state school with a 3.0 GPA (awful fresh year but grades improved dramatically as classes got harder- go figure)
- have approx 50k in student loans (Half Fed. Stafford mostly unsubsidized/other half Sallie Mae unfortunately which I try to put extra toward on top of min. payment when able)
- currently employed full time in an administrative type job with full benefits outside Philadelphia
- still living at home rent free since job is relatively close by
- reside in an area with many options in terms of post baccalaureate pre-med certificate programs which dont necessitate a need for me to live on campus
- In late winter/early spring of 2013 I will be out of the country for a few weeks so I am heavily leaning towards taking a slower approach due to its flexibility in scheduling which would allow me to take that spring semester off. Obviously, I cant fully commit to classes if for 2-3 weeks of it Ill be in a different hemisphere half way across the planet (lets be honest haha).
My employer requires a year commitment to the company after reimbursing me for a class and will only pay for classes relevant to my current position which the pre reqs dont directly, but I can do some trickery and probably (read: hopefully) find a workaround. Assuming I cant find a workaround, I will just pay out of pocket. Also, I am somewhat open to leaving my job to complete a post baccalaureate pre med program in a full time capacity if someone can present a bulletproof argument for it. I will say though, I am very apprehensive on that approach and probably just need an experienced career changers opinion thrown at me to strengthen my confidence in my plan of taking it slow while I can with the pre reqs since DPT school will be a social life annihilator and a huge financial strain during and after. Lastly, if I do decide that this is what I want to do as a career after completing at LEAST 100 volunteer hours (will prob continue to volunteer up until acceptance into a DPT program so long as schedule permits), I will not be going back to school until probably fall 2012 in a part time capacity or summer 2013 if I choose one of the structured post bacc programs. WHEW...
Sorry if these questions give you nightmares about exams in college, I just want to make the very best decision possible seeing as how I only want to make a huge life change like this only once. Just answer what you can/want with as little or as much detail as you think is necessary. Any answers and brutal honesty are greatly appreciated!!!
OK questions below:
1) Did you take a structured part time/2 year post bacc route to complete your pre reqs or did you leave your job and go back full time/1 year post bacc for the pre reqs? Would you recommend one over the other OR would you recommend neither and instead go with a slower approach i.e. 1-2 pre req courses a semester? Why?
2) If you left your job and chose the full time/1 year route for your pre reqs, what did you do in terms of health insurance? COBRA through your ex employer? School sponsored plan? Separate individual plan? Went commando and just prayed you wouldnt need to fill a prescription or see a doctor/dentist for a year? Would you recommend the choice you made or would you steer me towards another avenue if I took the full time approach?
3) In the interest of avoiding the use of loans as much as possible, I would like to stay at my current position while fulfilling pre reqs. I am really leaning towards a slower approach (1-2 pre req courses/semester) in the hopes that I can possibly work some magic and have my company reimburse me for some of the courses. Assuming I take the slow approach and have some control over my own course schedule, which of the science classes do you recommend I take/get out of the way first? Which ones should I try to pair up? Is a slower approach even an option or do I absolutely have to attend a structured post bacc program?
4) Can I fulfill all the pre reqs at one of my local community colleges/universities? I ask this because Ive come across some posts online that have said you need to be sure that the school you attend for your pre reqs will be acceptable when it comes to eventually applying for DPT grad school. What I think was meant by this is that obviously you cant just do some online only school, which is not to be confused with taking online courses such as psychology or writing during a summer session through an actual community college or local university. Am I correct in assuming that so long as the courses are taken through an actual brick and mortar community college/ local uni, they will be acceptable or is there some special accreditation the school needs to have for the pre reqs to count?
5) What other things can you think of that you may have overlooked when you went back and feel would be something that I should square away before going back to school/committing to physical therapy as a career path?
6) Any questions/comments/advice for me? I know I can be very wordy so did you need me to clarify a question so you can better understand what Im asking?
Just wanted to note - Once I am done with my own physical therapy for my shoulder which should be about the first week in April, I plan on applying to volunteer for PT at a hospital near home and/or near my job to make sure this is something Im actually committed to in addition to needing volunteer hours for DPT programs. Ive already verified the 2 hospitals accept volunteers for PT so thats not a concern as of right now.
Thanks for your responses!
