Does working as PT aide really boost chances of getting accepted?

[reesetee]

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Some people think it's not necessary but a lot of people I see getting accepted have that experience. Anyone get into school with just volunteer hours BUT NO MEDICAL FIELD TRAINING (in other areas)?

 

[Dnguyen124]

id say it helps tremendously because not only do you get that experience, but you can talk about that experience and how it shaped your beliefs on physical therapy, why you like or love physical therapy, and the things you've learned from it.

 

[ptbusiness]

Some people think it's not necessary but a lot of people I see getting accepted have that experience. Anyone get into school with just volunteer hours BUT NO MEDICAL FIELD TRAINING (in other areas)?

It is not necessary to work as an aide. Observation hours are the only necessity to get in PT school. I never worked as a aide and did just fine in PT school.

 

[PhysicalTherapyDP]

I’d say it definitely helps for those with stats that may be weaker in other areas, such as a lower GPA.

 

[Sci36]

I don’t have any aide experience, just did lots of observation hours and I got accepted into 5 schools! Just make sure you’re involved in school (clubs/orgs/maybe research) and do well in your classes and you should be good!

 

[mmabeza509]

I dont think its absolutely necessary but I honestly thinks it helped in my interview process. I had terrible grades but during my interview they really dug into my experiences and asked me a lot of questions pertaining to them. Working as an aide shaped my beliefs and how I want my style of treatment to be.

My Stats:
Overall GPA: 2.76
Pre-Req GPA:2.93
GRE: 149V, 151M, 3.5 W

Volunteer/Work experience:

PT Aide @ outpatient clinic: 1 year, 500~ hours
Rehab Tech @ Morristown Medical Center: 3 years, 2500~ hours (I honestly think this is what helped me a ton)

Not only did working in the hospital expose me to the acute side of PT, but it showed how to work in an interdisciplinary setting with nursing, OTs, speech, etc.

 

[reesetee]

It is not necessary to work as an aide. Observation hours are the only necessity to get in PT school. I never worked as a aide and did just fine in PT school.

But how many hours did you complete and did you have any experience working with patients hands-on in a different or similar field?

 

[reesetee]

I dont think its absolutely necessary but I honestly thinks it helped in my interview process. I had terrible grades but during my interview they really dug into my experiences and asked me a lot of questions pertaining to them. Working as an aide shaped my beliefs and how I want my style of treatment to be.

My Stats:
Overall GPA: 2.76
Pre-Req GPA:2.93
GRE: 149V, 151M, 3.5 W

Volunteer/Work experience:

PT Aide @ outpatient clinic: 1 year, 500~ hours
Rehab Tech @ Morristown Medical Center: 3 years, 2500~ hours (I honestly think this is what helped me a ton)

Not only did working in the hospital expose me to the acute side of PT, but it showed how to work in an interdisciplinary setting with nursing, OTs, speech, etc.

Thanks for posting stats. What schools did you get accepted to and what year are you in now?

 

[deleted797640]

I agree its not necessary but it can make your life a lot easier in some course work. I got in with over 3000 hours of aiding experience and 3000 hours across EMT, Pharm tech and ER scribe. I do know some schools only care if you meet their minimum observation requirement and others do look more deeply into your hours so it really depends.

 

[FutureDPT_MN2015]

I had lower end stats and didn’t work as a PT aid, but worked with patients in an orthopedic setting for 2.5 years before applying. I think my experience helped solidify my goals in working in this field and helped me to be more confident when discussing patient care and will hopefully make me feel more confident working with patients during my first CE. I think it definitely boosted my application.

 

[kdubz7w7]

Some people think it's not necessary but a lot of people I see getting accepted have that experience. Anyone get into school with just volunteer hours BUT NO MEDICAL FIELD TRAINING (in other areas)?

My entire cohort got in with just volunteer hours and we are doing just fine! I'm sure it helps, but it definitely isn't NECESSARY. We're wrapping up our 4th tri and about to head out to clinic

 

[reesetee]

Thanks for all the responses. It seems like having the PT aide experience is more beneficial for getting accepted when your stats are a bit lower. Idky that is but that's what I'm getting from this..

 

[deleted797640]

Thanks for all the responses. It seems like having the PT aide experience is more beneficial for getting accepted when your stats are a bit lower. Idky that is but that's what I'm getting from this..

I would say most schools don't even look as long as you "check" check the box. When it comes to your hands on modality courses and exercise courses and things like that the experience helps make the courses easier but its not necessary, youll probably just need to study a little less.

 

[ptbusiness]

But how many hours did you complete and did you have any experience working with patients hands-on in a different or similar field?

Had zero hands-on experience or working with patients. Worked only at the front desk in OP clinic for 6 months or so. Observations: 200h in OP, 200-250 in SNF, 50h inpatient pediatrics. GPA: undergrad 2.9-3; cumulative GPA around 3.1; post-undergrad 3.7; pre-reqs 3.5. Didn't have any experience in research, community services, or any other extra curriculum. I believe some schools care more about you being exposed to different settings rather than number of hours you get there (50-100 h in 2-3 settings are usually enough for many schools unless stated otherwise).
And I completely agree with cmquin12's statement above.

 

[DPThopeful7]

I dont think its absolutely necessary but I honestly thinks it helped in my interview process. I had terrible grades but during my interview they really dug into my experiences and asked me a lot of questions pertaining to them. Working as an aide shaped my beliefs and how I want my style of treatment to be.

My Stats:
Overall GPA: 2.76
Pre-Req GPA:2.93
GRE: 149V, 151M, 3.5 W

Volunteer/Work experience:

PT Aide @ outpatient clinic: 1 year, 500~ hours
Rehab Tech @ Morristown Medical Center: 3 years, 2500~ hours (I honestly think this is what helped me a ton)

Not only did working in the hospital expose me to the acute side of PT, but it showed how to work in an interdisciplinary setting with nursing, OTs, speech, etc.

I had very similar stats to you and just got into my top school. I also think working as an aide is going to help us tremendously when clinicals come around. I really don’t think there is anything that will help prepare us more!

 

[NJ DPT HOPEFUL]

Just something to consider when you interview - know your states laws/what you are allowed to do as an aide for your state/ the state your school is in. During a group interview i did, the applicant next to me mentioned doing things as an aide that were not at all legal in the state and the interviewer became pretty upset, and idk if it affected his chances, but I can say that he is not in my class.

tl;dr - misuse of aides is a bit of a trigger for a lot of PTs, so know your states laws/practice act before you bring up past "hands on" experience

 

[mmabeza509]

Just something to consider when you interview - know your states laws/what you are allowed to do as an aide for your state/ the state your school is in. During a group interview i did, the applicant next to me mentioned doing things as an aide that were not at all legal in the state and the interviewer became pretty upset, and idk if it affected his chances, but I can say that he is not in my class.

tl;dr - misuse of aides is a bit of a trigger for a lot of PTs, so know your states laws/practice act before you bring up past "hands on" experience

Out of curiousity, What did the prospective student say that he did as an aide that wasnt legal/upset the interviewer?

 

[CareerSwitcheroo]

It depends on where you're applying, I think. I asked one school if experience as a PT aide/tech could give applicants an advantage. Their answer was something along the lines of "no; while some PT techs may have a lot of responsibilities, that isn't always the case." Sad for me to hear because techs are basically the backbone of our clinic. 😛

 

[JCK279]

I got into my top school with 60 hours of observation at an outpatient PT clinic.

 

[NJ DPT HOPEFUL]

Out of curiousity, What did the prospective student say that he did as an aide that wasnt legal/upset the interviewer?

This was a few years ago, but it was along the lines of how training your techs to take patients through exercises can save the PTs time and how he does that now as a tech. It varies by state by in NJ this is not legal and providing a poor level of care.

 

[CareerSwitcheroo]

This was a few years ago, but it was along the lines of how training your techs to take patients through exercises can save the PTs time and how he does that now as a tech. It varies by state by in NJ this is not legal and providing a poor level of care.

Might be a topic for a separate discussion but I'm interested to hear the various perspectives on this (at least among states where using techs in this manner is legal). At the clinic I work at (in TX), for example, PTs spend 20-30 min with each patient so they can see 2 patients per hour. Techs take over the remainder of their session to guide them through exercises. Most exercises aren't rocket science and I would say our quality of care is actually quite high. PTs step in when they need to. There's another argument I've heard which is that moving away from the one-on-one model helps create different expectations for patients (i.e. they won't be "babied" and gain a sense of independence from having to do some stuff with minimal supervision). Of course patients who require more attention will receive it, but generally that's the model we follow. One of many that might be successful. Anyway, just figured I'd add my two cents. 😉

 

[seazy995]

I've worked as an aide for over 4 years now (throughout undergrad), and got accepted into PT school one of the things the schools I have interviewed at said that my experience in the PT field shows lots of promise and that going forward through PT school should be a little bit smoother because of my knowledge of some of the different mannerisms and how the patient therapist interactions are. I believe it is a huge boost for pt applications bc of the exposure you have, but having observation hours in various settings is also very important since PT is such a diverse field with different scopes and how changing healthcare is and how all bodies are different!

 

[ohhihello]

Might be a topic for a separate discussion but I'm interested to hear the various perspectives on this (at least among states where using techs in this manner is legal). At the clinic I work at (in TX), for example, PTs spend 20-30 min with each patient so they can see 2 patients per hour. Techs take over the remainder of their session to guide them through exercises. Most exercises aren't rocket science and I would say our quality of care is actually quite high. PTs step in when they need to. There's another argument I've heard which is that moving away from the one-on-one model helps create different expectations for patients (i.e. they won't be "babied" and gain a sense of independence from having to do some stuff with minimal supervision). Of course patients who require more attention will receive it, but generally that's the model we follow. One of many that might be successful. Anyway, just figured I'd add my two cents. 😉

I agree. I think the biggest factor is having well trained aides/ techs. I think it might be a good idea to require some sort of cert to be an aide so that there’s at least some standard of care. Aides where I work are well trained but I’ve interviewed at places where I watched aides just watch patients performing exercises with dangerous postures without correcting or explaining anything. Immediately denied those job offers. Of course Medicare has strict rules on aides so my facility can’t bill for therex for them but it ultimately allows patients more visits since we can’t bill as much and they don’t meet their cap as quickly. The way I see it is as long as the aides are good the patient is the one winning.

 

[izzy_dpt]

I have been a Rehab Tech/PT Aide at a pediatric outpatient practice for the past 5 years so I have thousands of observation hours and great experience/knowledge about the PT field. I got promoted two years ago to Supervisor for PT Aides and Director of Aquatic PT.

I definitely thought it would help with my application/interview process with being able to talk about my experiences and the knowledge that I learned from it especially working in a pediatric setting, which can be hard to observe. However, I have been denied (and waitlisted once) at all schools that I have applied to the past two application cycles, which can be very discouraging especially with the experience I have.

Stats:
Major: Biolog
Overall GPA: 3.50
Science GPA: 3.40
GRE: 150V, 155Q, 3.5W
I also have over 200 hours of observation hours at 3 other settings (outpatient, inpatient, sports and spine injuries).

 

[deleted797640]

I have been a Rehab Tech/PT Aide at a pediatric outpatient practice for the past 5 years so I have thousands and thousands of observation hours and great experience/knowledge about the PT field. I got promoted two years ago to Supervisor for PT Aides and Director of Aquatic PT since I have been with the company for a long time and exhibit great leadership skills and knowledge.

I definitely thought it would help with my application/interview process with being able to talk about my experiences and the knowledge that I learned from it especially working in a pediatric setting, which can be hard to observe. However, I have been denied (and waitlisted once) at all schools that I have applied to the past two application cycles, which can be very discouraging especially with the experience I have.

Stats:
Major: Biolog
Overall GPA: 3.50
Science GPA: 3.40
GRE: 150V, 155Q, 3.5W
I also have over 200 hours of observation hours at 3 other settings (outpatient, inpatient, sports and spine injuries).

Have you considered retaking the GRE for a 4.0W score instead of a 3.5? Looking at your stats that seems to be what is holding you back, unless you are getting interviews but maybe come off as too "cocky" about your experiences as a PT aide. I have over 6000 hours in various medical fields including lead aide and now work as a graduate assistant in my current PT program and assist with admissions. Some faculty do not look extremely highly on tons of aide experience especially if the student sees themselves as overly knowledgeable in the field or ahead of others because of the experience. Programs do not wish to un-teach bad habits.

To the others discussing the us of aides and the legality of it, I was an aide in CA so the law there allows aides to perform treatments which they were taught to do by the therapist and while under observation of the therapist. I didn't feel like this reduced the quality of care since any new exercises the patient would be shown would be done by a PTA or PT.

 

[izzy_dpt]

Have you considered retaking the GRE for a 4.0W score instead of a 3.5? Looking at your stats that seems to be what is holding you back, unless you are getting interviews but maybe come off as too "cocky" about your experiences as a PT aide. I have over 6000 hours in various medical fields including lead aide and now work as a graduate assistant in my current PT program and assist with admissions. Some faculty do not look extremely highly on tons of aide experience especially if the student sees themselves as overly knowledgeable in the field or ahead of others because of the experience. Programs do not wish to un-teach bad habits.

To the others discussing the us of aides and the legality of it, I was an aide in CA so the law there allows aides to perform treatments which they were taught to do by the therapist and while under observation of the therapist. I didn't feel like this reduced the quality of care since any new exercises the patient would be shown would be done by a PTA or PT.

Yes, I have thought about retaking the GRE. I have only had one interview and that went very well and I mentioned my job, but also my other experiences when answering. The panel was very intrigued in it. I do not consider myself to be "cocky" or "over knowledgeable" at all, instead the exact opposite as I am extremely grateful and humble and it reminds me why I want to become a PT, but I also see your point. I have emailed programs that I got denied at and my "below average" GPA is what they said I could improve. I have retaken some courses, but with having a science major, retaking courses doesn't boost my science GPA very much due to already having a lot of credits. I don't think my stats are that terrible, but it's hard to know what admission committees are looking for regarding stats and experiences.

 

[wushuPT]

Yes, I have thought about retaking the GRE. I have only had one interview and that went very well and I mentioned my job, but also my other experiences when answering. The panel was very intrigued in it. I do not consider myself to be "cocky" or "over knowledgeable" at all, instead the exact opposite as I am extremely grateful and humble and it reminds me why I want to become a PT, but I also see your point. I have emailed programs that I got denied at and my "below average" GPA is what they said I could improve. I have retaken some courses, but with having a science major, retaking courses doesn't boost my science GPA very much due to already having a lot of credits. I don't think my stats are that terrible, but it's hard to know what admission committees are looking for regarding stats and experiences.

Did you apply to schools that recalculate your GPA by replacing your previous grade with the retaken course grade? I think you’d have a better chance at getting into those programs.

 

[deleted797640]

Yes, I have thought about retaking the GRE. I have only had one interview and that went very well and I mentioned my job, but also my other experiences when answering. The panel was very intrigued in it. I do not consider myself to be "cocky" or "over knowledgeable" at all, instead the exact opposite as I am extremely grateful and humble and it reminds me why I want to become a PT, but I also see your point. I have emailed programs that I got denied at and my "below average" GPA is what they said I could improve. I have retaken some courses, but with having a science major, retaking courses doesn't boost my science GPA very much due to already having a lot of credits. I don't think my stats are that terrible, but it's hard to know what admission committees are looking for regarding stats and experiences.

Wait that makes no sense unless your pre-req gpa is very low a 3.5cGPA is not considered below average for many schools unless you are applying to insanely competitive choices. If thats the case I would look at schools who have average accepted GPAs below a 3.5 and apply to a few of those this upcoming year to ensure a spot in a program.

 

[izzy_dpt]

Wait that makes no sense unless your pre-req gpa is very low a 3.5cGPA is not considered below average for many schools unless you are applying to insanely competitive choices. If thats the case I would look at schools who have average accepted GPAs below a 3.5 and apply to a few of those this upcoming year to ensure a spot in a program.

I've applied to schools with averages of low 3.6, mainly because they are good programs and in state so I wouldn't have to be paying on student loans for the rest of my life. lol But it seems like most of the schools around Wisconsin and the surrounding Midwest have higher averages than mine, so we will see what other programs I find to apply to.

 

[izzy_dpt]

Did you apply to schools that recalculate your GPA by replacing your previous grade with the retaken course grade? I think you’d have a better chance at getting into those programs.

Yeah, I am looking into that, but have only found a couple schools that do that, otherwise, I know most just take the average,

 

[pelado]

Dallas?

Might be a topic for a separate discussion but I'm interested to hear the various perspectives on this (at least among states where using techs in this manner is legal). At the clinic I work at (in TX), for example, PTs spend 20-30 min with each patient so they can see 2 patients per hour. Techs take over the remainder of their session to guide them through exercises. Most exercises aren't rocket science and I would say our quality of care is actually quite high. PTs step in when they need to. There's another argument I've heard which is that moving away from the one-on-one model helps create different expectations for patients (i.e. they won't be "babied" and gain a sense of independence from having to do some stuff with minimal supervision). Of course patients who require more attention will receive it, but generally that's the model we follow. One of many that might be successful. Anyway, just figured I'd add my two cents. 😉

 

[deleted797640]

I've applied to schools with averages of low 3.6, mainly because they are good programs and in state so I wouldn't have to be paying on student loans for the rest of my life. lol But it seems like most of the schools around Wisconsin and the surrounding Midwest have higher averages than mine, so we will see what other programs I find to apply to.

A student from a less prestigious program still passes the NPTE and becomes a great PT, a student who never gets into a program doesn't become one at all 😉 not saying to not apply to the best instate programs near you but check out programs at least 1-3 you are very competitive for to guarantee you a spot in a program since waiting another year to apply only to go to a specific school is a year you could be making a full PT salary and paying off those student loans.

 

[izzy_dpt]

A student from a less prestigious program still passes the NPTE and becomes a great PT, a student who never gets into a program doesn't become one at all 😉 not saying to not apply to the best instate programs near you but check out programs at least 1-3 you are very competitive for to guarantee you a spot in a program since waiting another year to apply only to go to a specific school is a year you could be making a full PT salary and paying off those student loans.

Thanks for the very obvious statement 😉 I have done my research and most of the surrounding schools (whether in-state or not) have higher GPA averages than mine. I've applied to ones that I am competitive for, but you are never "guaranteed a spot" in the program as applicants with just above the minimal requirements are sometimes accepted over those who have 3.7+ GPAs. I've definitely learned that you never know what a program is looking for. I don't care about prestigious or specific programs at all or where they are ranked nationally... In my opinion, as long as they have a high NPTE passing rate, are accredited, and aren't $150K+, that's all that matters.

Yes, it would suck if I don't get accepted off the waitlist and have to wait another year to make a full PT salary, but it's not like I'm currently making minimum wage... Another year of work isn't the end of the world either and I can save up another $40K+ allowing me to pay for some of my tuition with cash and not having to pay off those student loans (+interest) from ridiculously expensive programs. 😉

 

[deleted797640]

Thanks for the very obvious statement 😉 I have done my research and most of the surrounding schools (whether in-state or not) have higher GPA averages than mine. I've applied to ones that I am competitive for, but you are never "guaranteed a spot" in the program as applicants with just above the minimal requirements are sometimes accepted over those who have 3.7+ GPAs. I've definitely learned that you never know what a program is looking for. I don't care about prestigious or specific programs at all or where they are ranked nationally... In my opinion, as long as they have a high NPTE passing rate, are accredited, and aren't $150K+, that's all that matters.

Yes, it would suck if I don't get accepted off the waitlist and have to wait another year to make a full PT salary, but it's not like I'm currently making minimum wage... Another year of work isn't the end of the world either and I can save up another $40K+ allowing me to pay for some of my tuition with cash and not having to pay off those student loans (+interest) from ridiculously expensive programs. 😉

Well best of luck, I see my actual attempt to give thought out advice having been through the situation has been triggering, if you end up getting accepted I would leave the attitude at the door. GL.

 

[izzy_dpt]

Well best of luck, I see my actual attempt to give thought out advice having been through the situation has been triggering, if you end up getting accepted I would leave the attitude at the door. GL.

I am sorry, I didn't mean it like that at all. 🙁 Getting your opinion on my experiences from someone who has been through it is definitely appreciated and I have taken your advice. I'm going to retake the GRE to increase my writing and have been researching other programs where I would be more competitive as I do agree I should broaden my range of schools when I am applying. However, it can be frustrating not finding many schools that I can "be competitive and guaranteed a spot." I didn't mean to sound like I had an attitude problem at all and feel extremely bad it came of that way as that was not my intentions, but thank you for your help and thought out advice, it's much appreciated. 🙂

 

[reesetee]

I have been a Rehab Tech/PT Aide at a pediatric outpatient practice for the past 5 years so I have thousands of observation hours and great experience/knowledge about the PT field. I got promoted two years ago to Supervisor for PT Aides and Director of Aquatic PT.

I definitely thought it would help with my application/interview process with being able to talk about my experiences and the knowledge that I learned from it especially working in a pediatric setting, which can be hard to observe. However, I have been denied (and waitlisted once) at all schools that I have applied to the past two application cycles, which can be very discouraging especially with the experience I have.

Stats:
Major: Biolog
Overall GPA: 3.50
Science GPA: 3.40
GRE: 150V, 155Q, 3.5W
I also have over 200 hours of observation hours at 3 other settings (outpatient, inpatient, sports and spine injuries).

Thanks for responding.. Honestly, I would love to have those stats and be grateful to apply to any affordable school that would accept me. In my case, I had to complete a masters degree just to get my cgpa up to a 2.98 and so I can possibly get into a school that's 2000 miles away... And to top that off I still have a course to take this summer! But for me it's worth it. I want to see my dreams come true more than I want to get paid well and because I know the profession does pay well, I'm not so worried about how much I'll owe as long as it's reasonable. And I'm not saying you don't want it bad enough or your only in it for the money, but you're taking the long route for nothing. So I say take a leap of faith and apply outside your area if you're serious about it. There's no reason why you aren't in a program already.

 

[ptbusiness]

Out of curiousity, What did the prospective student say that he did as an aide that wasnt legal/upset the interviewer?

I know we are not allowed to bill for therapeutic exercises if an aide is doing exercises with a patient. So our aide is not participating in exercises at all. He can put ankle weights on patients, but exercise "instructions" have to come from PT/PTA. But yes, there are many PT clinics who pass patients to aides and are not even watching what aides are doing... Saying that you were working as an aide under constant direct supervision of PT/PTA and not autonomously would always be a good idea.