Do different PT schools tend to have a different "focus"

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johncronejr

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I was having a discussion today with an ATC professor today and we were discussing my future plans for a PT practice. I told him that I really hoped to have a small, private clinic that focused on sports rehab and ortho rehab. He then asked me if I was "set" on attending my state school. When I asked him why, he said that although it was a really good school, the school actually had more of a spinal/neurological perspective on their teaching perhaps due to the faculty having predominantly spinal/neuro specialties. He said that I should take a look at some other PT schools that had a faculty with strong sports/ortho specialties and backgrounds.

What is your opinion?

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All schools prepare you to become a general practitioner. But, I'm sure there are some schools that are much stronger in specific areas. Do your research and find out the certifications of the faculty and that may shed some light on the subject. I'm sure some schools may even explicitly state they emphasize in a certain area. Also some common sense might be useful -- school with division 1 athletes will probably have a good sports rehab or a school attached to a hospital would be good at acute/inpatient care. Huge generalizations, I know. But, they may be correct.
 
I've heard similar things but such a thing would be hard to measure as they likely all have the same hours that areas are covered from CAPTE oversight.
 
Your ATC prof is correct (although you will learn everything while in PT school). Some schools have better focus on certain specialties and it's definitely something you want to consider when choosing schools.

To anyone still interviewing or deciding which school to go to: If you get a chance to meet and greet current students, you should ask them about this. Sometimes schools will list adjunct profs with strong backgrounds in the specialty of interest. However, that prof may only teach one class. Kind of misleading. On the other hand, a school may have a ton of well published profs in a specialty, but are more concerned with their research vs teaching. Thus, their teaching skills may be sub-par. Finally, the schools with a smaller number of profs in a specialty area may actually have some of the best teachers in that specialty.

Just my thoughts.
 
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