Dentistry or PT

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ScienceOSU

ScienceOSU

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I have been thinking about both being a dentist and a PT. I will give reasons for both
Dentist:
Pros:
-Its fun
-Good salary 120k-200k
-Not too demanding 4-5 days a week if that
Cons:
-Huge loans anywhere from 200k-350k

Physical Therapist
Pros:
-Its fun
-I enjoy everything about muscles and therapy
-Seems like I would be a top PT
-In-State looking at 80k-100k debt
-If I apply to PT school I will most definitely get in
Cons:
-Schooling for 7 years only to start with 60k

I realize do what your heart wants but I like both professions, also I am realistic and an oppertunist if I am going to school for 7-8 years (undergrad & Grad) I want to make at least a 100k or more. Also after taxes PTs are not looking at much. I just want to know all of your opinions and also how common is for a PT to make a 100k?
 
Be a dentist if you want to make over 100K and are passionate about it
 
Its hard to make over $100K in PT unless you own your own practice or work 50-60 hours a week
 
............this sounds to me like you need to sit down and think about what your own value metric of success is......

-money, stability, work is work, more stressful, more extravagant lifestyle

-lower pay, meaningful patient relationships, low stress and humble lifestyle

No matter what you do, definitely be sure you can do the day to day. Almost all of the dentistry kids my age that were just accepted are literally doing it just for money and to avoid medicine. I know some who couldnt even craft a halfway believable personal statement. I'm biased though.
 
If you really like dent's day to day habits, then apply.
 
If I was equally interested and equally passionate about both, I'd probably be a dentist just for the money alone to be honest.

But as I'm not interested in being a dentist...no amount of money could really make it interesting.

I will say though, from the little bit I know, dentistry seems like a fantastic profession in a lot of ways. If you really would like to be a dentist just as much as you'd like to be a PT, I'd seriously consider it.

The two professions are wildly different in what they do each day so of course we'd all recommend thorough shadowing of both.

If money is the sticking point for you with PT, you'll have to eventually get over it to be happy in therapy. If making $65-70k as a new grad after 7 years of school is a major psychological sticking point for you, you'll have to really decide if you can get past it or not.
 
The fields are wayyyyy different. You need to do some shadowing. I noticed that you posted this in the Pre-Dental forum also, which was a smart move. However, I saw a lot of misinformed people who believe that PTs just stretch their patients all day... That's like saying dentists only fill cavities. Make sure you have a very thorough understanding of both fields before you make a decision.
 
PTs don't just stretch their patients... they massage them, too. GEEZ, the nerve of some people not knowing what we PTs do. :wtf::troll: :laugh:
 
Watson27 said:
The fields are wayyyyy different. You need to do some shadowing. I noticed that you posted this in the Pre-Dental forum also, which was a smart move. However, I saw a lot of misinformed people who believe that PTs just stretch their patients all day... That's like saying dentists only fill cavities. Make sure you have a very thorough understanding of both fields before you make a decision.
Click to expand...

Just read that thread too. :smack: I cleared up all the bad information for the record, but I imagine my efforts were in vain. In general people over there seemed to be a lot more closed minded.
 
@knj27 Good job, clearing that up. :highfive: I just read your post over there.

I highly detest having to explain to people what we, PTs, do for a living... so many misconceptions and assumptions out there.
 
DjT3kN said:
I highly detest having to explain to people what we, PTs, do for a living... so many misconceptions and assumptions out there.
Click to expand...

As far as I can tell in my limited PT experience so far, it seems to come with the territory. It's going to depend on what the person's past experience as a patient in PT might have been as well.
 
It seems like you care about the money more, so go with that. Not much more to say.
 
I know both professions and obviously PT is much more than stretching patients some people are ignorant. I am thinking about money and obviously the amount of intrest I have in both professions, thank you everyone this was more informative than the dental forums lol.
 
knj27 said:
Just read that thread too. :smack: I cleared up all the bad information for the record, but I imagine my efforts were in vain. In general people over there seemed to be a lot more closed minded.
Click to expand...

This is your alternative Facebook huh? Lol.
 
anybody got that link? itll be amusing to read im sure.
 
Why don't you try applying for both programs? I applied for two different programs and using the admission decisions to help me decide on what path I want to pursue.
 
@knj27 Let's not feed the troll OP anymore :troll:. I read the posts on the other forum, Dentistry... and your points are valid. He is definitely not the type to be in any healthcare profession. For someone to say, "if someone says childish things to me, then I will respond in a childish manner". Pretty much means, I will stoop down to sheer stupidity in order to get my point across. Only immaturity will allow such a behavior. :hijacked:
 
DjT3kN said:
@knj27 Let's not feed the troll OP anymore :troll:. I read the posts on the other forum, Dentistry... and your points are valid. He is definitely not the type to be in any healthcare profession. For someone to say, "if someone says childish things to me, then I will respond in a childish manner". Pretty much means, I will stoop down to sheer stupidity in order to get my point across. Only immaturity will allow such a behavior. :hijacked:
Click to expand...

👍

I kinda like these cross-disciplinary threads though...we should try to hijack threads in other forums more often
 
ScienceOSU said:
I have been thinking about both being a dentist and a PT. I will give reasons for both
Dentist:
Pros:
-Its fun
-Good salary 120k-200k
-Not too demanding 4-5 days a week if that
Cons:
-Huge loans anywhere from 200k-350k

Physical Therapist
Pros:
-Its fun
-I enjoy everything about muscles and therapy
-Seems like I would be a top PT
-In-State looking at 80k-100k debt
-If I apply to PT school I will most definitely get in
Cons:
-Schooling for 7 years only to start with 60k

I realize do what your heart wants but I like both professions, also I am realistic and an oppertunist if I am going to school for 7-8 years (undergrad & Grad) I want to make at least a 100k or more. Also after taxes PTs are not looking at much. I just want to know all of your opinions and also how common is for a PT to make a 100k?
Click to expand...


I ran across this post reading something else.. But this is exactly what I just dealt with. A little bit about me.. I was dentistry all the way. I received my Bachelor's and didn't have the GPA or DAT to get into Dental School so I did a PostBacc/Master's program at Hampton University (will have my master's degree in May). I did not ever consider PT because I had tunnel vision with dentistry. Last year 2014, I lost about 58lbs and became a fanatic with the entire body and working out. I began to evaluate the reasons why I wanted to do dentistry. Mainly they were that: I wanted to be my own boss, have a comfortable living, be a doctor, create my own schedule, own my own practice, and employ whom I saw fit. It wasn't that I just love teeth like some people say (I don't think anyone just loves teeth lol). I applied and am currently in the application cycle with AADSAS and received an interview offer from a dental school because both my DAT and GPA are both solid. However, I no longer want to be a dentist.

On the flip side, I decided to talk with my mentors about career options and one of my professors mentioned PT. So, I applied to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the same school I am working on Master's degree at (Hampton University).I had to rush to get everything in last semester so that I could start fall 2015. I had to take the GRE (a test I was unfamiliar with because of my heavy science background) but I found it to be a little easier than the DAT. I took it and did well. I JUST found out Monday that I was accepted into HU's DPT program. Now I have options because I have been told that I am more than likely going to get into that dental school who wants me to interview from an admission person. (I don't want to provide names).

My choice, I am going to choose to become a Doctor of Physical Therapy. My reasons: it will give me everything I wanted in dentistry plus more (I wanted to be my own boss, have a comfortable living, be a doctor, create my own schedule, own my own practice, and employ whom I saw fit). I am taking a pay cut for sure, but the money is still great. I know a PT that has 5 practices in each specialty and makes close to 150K per year. Starting off is rough but PT allows you to do SOOOO much more than I feel Dentistry does in the long run. You could work with the government, school system, Military, Private practice, Professional and/or collegiate sports teams, hospital, home health, travel, etc. Just to name a few. Not to mention start up costs for private practice is significantly cheaper because of the equipment used. Nonetheless, I decided ultimately to do PT because I wanted to focus on the body system as a whole vs working ONLY in the mouth. I worked for an Oral Surgeon for 2 years and shadowed General Dentistry for years. I also did a dental mission trip to Panama, so I feel that I have seen it all. But when I shadowed a PT I was amazed at the different types of things we did and the variety was great. Another reason I switched is because the patient-doctor interactions are much better and the work is more gratifying than in dentistry in my opinion.

I know that this is long, but I wanted to give you my unique perspective on both fields and why I made my decision for PT. I hope that this help you out. If money is your focus, then you need to evaluate what you could put up with not necessarily what you're passionate about. Be in the field to feel good about helping people. But I feel you on that question nonetheless lol Money is important. If you have any questions feel free to PM me and I will be happy to help you out! 🙂😉
 
darrylerich said:
I ran across this post reading something else.. But this is exactly what I just dealt with. A little bit about me.. I was dentistry all the way. I received my Bachelor's and didn't have the GPA or DAT to get into Dental School so I did a PostBacc/Master's program at Hampton University (will have my master's degree in May). I did not ever consider PT because I had tunnel vision with dentistry. Last year 2014, I lost about 58lbs and became a fanatic with the entire body and working out. I began to evaluate the reasons why I wanted to do dentistry. Mainly they were that: I wanted to be my own boss, have a comfortable living, be a doctor, create my own schedule, own my own practice, and employ whom I saw fit. It wasn't that I just love teeth like some people say (I don't think anyone just loves teeth lol). I applied and am currently in the application cycle with AADSAS and received an interview offer from a dental school because both my DAT and GPA are both solid. However, I no longer want to be a dentist.

On the flip side, I decided to talk with my mentors about career options and one of my professors mentioned PT. So, I applied to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the same school I am working on Master's degree at (Hampton University).I had to rush to get everything in last semester so that I could start fall 2015. I had to take the GRE (a test I was unfamiliar with because of my heavy science background) but I found it to be a little easier than the DAT. I took it and did well. I JUST found out Monday that I was accepted into HU's DPT program. Now I have options because I have been told that I am more than likely going to get into that dental school who wants me to interview from an admission person. (I don't want to provide names).

My choice, I am going to choose to become a Doctor of Physical Therapy. My reasons: it will give me everything I wanted in dentistry plus more (I wanted to be my own boss, have a comfortable living, be a doctor, create my own schedule, own my own practice, and employ whom I saw fit). I am taking a pay cut for sure, but the money is still great. I know a PT that has 5 practices in each specialty and makes close to 150K per year. Starting off is rough but PT allows you to do SOOOO much more than I feel Dentistry does in the long run. You could work with the government, school system, Military, Private practice, Professional and/or collegiate sports teams, hospital, home health, travel, etc. Just to name a few. Not to mention start up costs for private practice is significantly cheaper because of the equipment used. Nonetheless, I decided ultimately to do PT because I wanted to focus on the body system as a whole vs working ONLY in the mouth. I worked for an Oral Surgeon for 2 years and shadowed General Dentistry for years. I also did a dental mission trip to Panama, so I feel that I have seen it all. But when I shadowed a PT I was amazed at the different types of things we did and the variety was great. Another reason I switched is because the patient-doctor interactions are much better and the work is more gratifying than in dentistry in my opinion.

I know that this is long, but I wanted to give you my unique perspective on both fields and why I made my decision for PT. I hope that this help you out. If money is your focus, then you need to evaluate what you could put up with not necessarily what you're passionate about. Be in the field to feel good about helping people. But I feel you on that question nonetheless lol Money is important. If you have any questions feel free to PM me and I will be happy to help you out! 🙂😉
Click to expand...
Did the person who owned their own clinic recommend getting an MBA first beforehand?
 
No, he doesn't have one. One of my mentors who is a dentist, went back after his DDS and to get a MBA, through a special program at the University of Tennessee for physicians, dentists, etc. He told me that it wasn't worth it, and that the best way was to learn under someone who has done it.
 
darrylerich said:
No, he doesn't have one. One of my mentors who is a dentist, went back after his DDS and to get a MBA, through a special program at the University of Tennessee for physicians, dentists, etc. He told me that it wasn't worth it, and that the best way was to learn under someone who has done it.
Click to expand...
Cool, thanks for the info!
 
@ktachiba It would be interesting to know if PT clinic owners who also have a MBA are able to run a more successful clinic. Though I think (and hope) that many DPT programs cover the basics of running and owning a clinic, since that is a very common goal. And Emory offers a dual DPT/MBA.
 
Watson27 said:
Though I think (and hope) that many DPT programs cover the basics of running and owning a clinic...
Click to expand...

It seems to be a very cursory treatment at most programs (read: only really one class on it), at least from what I've read/seen/heard.
 
Watson27 said:
@ktachiba It would be interesting to know if PT clinic owners who also have a MBA are able to run a more successful clinic. Though I think (and hope) that many DPT programs cover the basics of running and owning a clinic, since that is a very common goal. And Emory offers a dual DPT/MBA.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I think those with an MBA are probably at a greater advantage. But then again, I majored in Economics with a minor in Management and don't really remember much haha. I'm not sure if I would want to spend an additional 2 years getting my MBA though.
 
How many years do you think a person should practice before opening up his or her own clinic? I wanna say ~5 years
 
Ill be honest......Im a firm believer that someone who gets an in with a clinic and has a great relationship with the head can definitely learn the business side of everything.....making the time they pay off their debt essentially an apprenticeship. Maybe its just me, but I know that you can have the personality and determination to acquire the skill set while having a close relationship with someone who is successful. Id rather do that than the MBA for fiscal reasons and because *cough* a large portion of my undergrad has been unnecessary *cough* and simply because gaining work experience and seeing where things go wrong and right while paying your debt off seems so much more responsible and conducive to your health than launching into a stress zone of debt management and startup business.

Ive been hearing these stories of these pt clinic owners making 150k.....needless to say, im astounded and I dont think people would exaggerate about these stories. at the same time, these have GOT to be some anomalies and new grads should plan to budget to 60k starting regardless.
 
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