DPT applicant to DO?

[hopefullydpt]

Hello all,

I apologize if this posts comes off as a mess and emotional. I'm currently in the application process for PT programs, something I've been relatively set on for a couple years now. As an older student, (I'd be 29 starting PT school and well, 30 if I switched gears to DO), I'm having doubts as I receive interview letters. I know this could be normal, but it is also concerning. In my case, I have a good chunk of outstanding undergraduate debt that my parents are suppose to take care of for me, but have not to date. The PT programs I've applied to are all based on cost. I refuse to go anywhere for over 75k for three years when my starting salary will be somewhere around 65,000. With my debt load, it just isn't feasible. I'm starting to wonder if my whole loan repayment program will just cripple me for twenty years due to the salary of the average PT. I consider myself business savvy as I did work in the financial markets of a large city before diving head first into my prereqs.


Now, what do you all recommend? The manual therapy part of DO is obviously attractive, as well as the DO specific residencies that are available. Since returning to school, I've bounced around the idea of PA school and MD/DO programs while have doubts at certain times. I have full confidence that I could score a 30 or higher on the MCAT, perhaps more. Another concern is my low cumulative GPA @ 3.1. I graduated about 8 years ago from undergrad with a 2.6 so I've had to bust my tail to bring up that GPA (3.95 last 60 credits wight the lone B being in my first science class ever).

Again, I apologize for the wall of text and hope to hear back from some of you. I truly appreciate it.

Best,

Hopefulstudent

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[BestDoctorEver]

@hopefullydpt Have you shadowed a DO? DO school will be more expensive than PT school... Based on what you are saying, I think PM&R will give the opportunity to have a mixture of medicine and PT. However, your GPA might be too low for DO now... Retake a couple classes to get your GPA to 3.3+ and take the mcat to see how you do. I had the same issue choosing b/t PA/NP and MD/DO 3 years ago and decided MD/DO and don't regret it... I am older than you and just started med school. Shadow a DO and see if you like it...

 

[Mad Jack]

It is possible for you to go DO if you do well in the MCAT. OMM is actually pretty sweet, we do a lot of the same things that PTs do treatment wise, and it works surprisingly well for a lot of things in a very short period of time. The DO specific residencies will be gone by the time you apply though- ACGME and the AOA merged their GME systems, should be complete by 2020.

 

[NekoBeats]

Hello all,

I apologize if this posts comes off as a mess and emotional. I'm currently in the application process for PT programs, something I've been relatively set on for a couple years now. As an older student, (I'd be 29 starting PT school and well, 30 if I switched gears to DO), I'm having doubts as I receive interview letters. I know this could be normal, but it is also concerning. In my case, I have a good chunk of outstanding undergraduate debt that my parents are suppose to take care of for me, but have not to date. The PT programs I've applied to are all based on cost. I refuse to go anywhere for over 75k for three years when my starting salary will be somewhere around 65,000. With my debt load, it just isn't feasible. I'm starting to wonder if my whole loan repayment program will just cripple me for twenty years due to the salary of the average PT. I consider myself business savvy as I did work in the financial markets of a large city before diving head first into my prereqs.


Now, what do you all recommend? The manual therapy part of DO is obviously attractive, as well as the DO specific residencies that available. Since returning to school, I've bounced around the idea of PA school and MD/DO programs while have doubts at certain times. I have full confidence that I could score a 30 or higher on the MCAT, perhaps more. Another concern is my low cumulative GPA @ 3.1. I graduated about 8 years ago from undergrad with a 2.6 so I've had to bust my tail to bring up that GPA (3.95 last 60 credits wight he lone B being in my first science class ever).

Again, I apologize for the wall of text and hope to hear back from some of you. I truly appreciate it.

Best,

Hopefulstudent

DO schools have grade redemption, meaning if you retake a class and do better, it will replace your other grade. If the 60 credits include classes that you've retaken, then your GPA is probably higher than a 3.1. If it's actually a 3.1 then it's not the end of the world, but it is low. Do you know what your sGPA is? You haven't taken the MCAT yet so it's hard to say what your chances are. I would report back once you've taken it and gotten your score.

Have you shadowed an MD/DO? You'll need letters of rec. and be able to show adcoms why you're interested in the medical field/becoming a physician. Do you have any extra curricular activities that demonstrate this?

 

[hopefullydpt]

DO schools have grade redemption, meaning if you retake a class and do better, it will replace your other grade. If the 60 credits include classes that you've retaken, then your GPA is probably higher than a 3.1. If it's actually a 3.1 then it's not the end of the world, but it is low. Do you know what your sGPA is? You haven't taken the MCAT yet so it's hard to say what your chances are. I would report back once you've taken it and gotten your score.

Have you shadowed an MD/DO? You'll need letters of rec. and be able to show adcoms why you're interested in the medical field/becoming a physician. Do you have any extra curricular activities that demonstrate this?

I am a nationally registered EMT basic with a good chunk of hours on BLS and ALS trucks. This was something I did in potential preparation for PA school applications, and just for a general interest in EMS. As far as shadowing, I've done some PA/MD shadowing during my time spent pondering healthcare paths but I don't have any official DO shadowing at the moment. However, a friend of mine is a DO ER physician at a local hospital. I could talk to him and see what he thinks. I guess my question is, are my debt concerns valid? I don't want to make a hasty decision just based off of money. I know, this is my decision and I need to ultimately decide what is best for me, but I just want to see if others would share my concern if in my vaguely described situation. And as far as the MCAT, I'm sure if I put in the time I'd do well. I don't mean that to be arrogant, I take standardized tests well and have excelled in the life and physical sciences. I'm certain I could score a 30 or above as I've seen the type of student and study habits at my own university that have achieved this score. Obviously, everyone is different but having confidence is not a bad thing.

As far as grade replacement goes for DO, my last 60 credit hours are all fresh courses as I was a business major undergrad and graduate. I could go back retake the classes I bombed terribly (two of my three foreign languages, some political science classes and such). I could easily replace three or four D's with A's I'm sure. This would most likely get me to a 3.3 or higher. My original undergraduate degree was littered with Cs,Bs, a few As and a few Ds...embarrassing. I've managed to ace everything so far my second time around (organic I/II, Cell Bios, Genetics, Gen Chems etc). I'm currently full-time at the moment with 14 credits of new credits that was ever so slightly budge my GPA. If I do happen to make this switch, I'll start looking into what classes to retake for the spring. Even just a couple retakes could help me significantly.

Thank you so much for all of your time. Really, it's much appreciated.

 

[NekoBeats]

In my case, I have a good chunk of outstanding undergraduate debt that my parents are suppose to take care of for me, but have not to date. The PT programs I've applied to are all based on cost. I refuse to go anywhere for over 75k for three years when my starting salary will be somewhere around 65,000. With my debt load, it just isn't feasible. I'm starting to wonder if my whole loan repayment program will just cripple me for twenty years due to the salary of the average PT.

I guess my question is, are my debt concerns valid? I don't want to make a hasty decision just based off of money.

So is the reason why you want to go to medical school instead of PT school based on post-graduate salary and your current debt? As a resident you'll be making less than the starting salary you listed as a PT. Not to mention medical school itself is pretty dang expensive, with the exception of some state schools.

 

[hopefullydpt]

So is the reason why you want to go to medical school instead of PT school based on post-graduate salary and your current debt? As a resident you'll be making less than the starting salary you listed as a PT. Not to mention medical school itself is pretty dang expensive, with the exception of some state schools.

That is one factor, yes. This is the variable that is most confusing to me, one that I've been thinking about and can't seem to come to a conclusion on. I appreciate your response. I just don't want to be hamstrung for twenty years due to a low ceiling on earning potential and the burden of massive debt. It's something I'll continue to think about during the interview process for the schools I have heard back from. I'm not blindly choosing one or the other, based on one variable or the other, as there are pros and cons to both professions. I'm exploring alternative ways to alleviate some of my undergraduate debt. This is something I should have probably pondered on a bit more before I even applied to DPT programs. If I can find a way to reduce my undergraduate debt and attend an affordable PT program, things will be much better.

To sum it up, part of the reason I'm considering a possible change of heart is due to the lifestyle I might be forced to live post graduation (with the others including things such as autonomy, a better education IMO, prestige, ability to treat patients in a variety of ways and not just through therapy). If I'm making 70,000 a year and having to pay 1,500 per month (18k per year) for 7 to 8 years, that is going to significantly affect my life during my 30's and early 40's. Maybe this seems trivial, and if you think it is, please let me know. Any advice is welcomed.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Honestly, I don't know why anyone would want to go to PT school when you can go DO and specialize in OMM. I have seen several DOs making upwards of 300k doing manipulation only. Alternatively, you can do PM&R. On financial reasons alone you should choose DO, but even intellectually it is worth it.

 

[BestDoctorEver]

Honestly, I don't know why anyone would want to go to PT school when you can go DO and specialize in OMM. I have seen several DOs making upwards of 300k doing manipulation only. Alternatively, you can do PM&R. On financial reasons alone you should choose DO, but even intellectually it is worth it.

I agree with you 100%... I was shocked to see that many of these professional school (PT/OT/AuD/OD) tuitions are as high as MD/DO... Personally I think it's financial suicide to invest 125+k in a career with a potential salary of 65-75k/year... I would never do OT/PT because most of these schools charge 30k/year for tuition. That is about 150k COA for a degree that you might have a hard time making six figure salary.

 

[BestDoctorEver]

That is one factor, yes. This is the variable that is most confusing to me, one that I've been thinking about and can't seem to come to a conclusion on. I appreciate your response. I just don't want to be hamstrung for twenty years due to a low ceiling on earning potential and the burden of massive debt. It's something I'll continue to think about during the interview process for the schools I have heard back from. I'm not blindly choosing one or the other, based on one variable or the other, as there are pros and cons to both professions. I'm exploring alternative ways to alleviate some of my undergraduate debt. This is something I should have probably pondered on a bit more before I even applied to DPT programs. If I can find a way to reduce my undergraduate debt and attend an affordable PT program, things will be much better.

To sum it up, part of the reason I'm considering a possible change of heart is due to the lifestyle I might be forced to live post graduation (with the others including things such as autonomy, a better education IMO, prestige, ability to treat patients in a variety of ways and not just through therapy). If I'm making 70,000 a year and having to pay 1,500 per month (18k per year) for 7 to 8 years, that is going to significantly affect my life during my 30's and early 40's. Maybe this seems trivial, and if you think it is, please let me know. Any advice is welcomed.

I think your concerns are legitimate... I personally think it's financially unwise to invest that much money and not being able to make six figure salary in return--I would not do it.. However, if you think PT is the only career that will make you 'happy', do it... I think you can use OMM as a DO if you want to incorporate the PT aspect in your practice...