DPT vs. DC

[Tavibu]

Okay, I have been on the pre-PT route since freshman year of undergrad. Now that I'm getting close to graduating I've been getting cold feet. What if I don't get in? What if I bomb the GRE?

Well, not to long ago a friend of mine decided to make the switch from PT to Chiropractic. So, I did some research and it sounds like a dream. The two schools in Texas don't even require you to have a bachelors - just 90 hours. All you need is 24 hours worth of science courses with half of them having labs and a 3.0. They don't even require observation hours or the GRE!

But at the same time it seems fishy. It's a doctoral degree so why are the requirements so few? Parker University in Dallas even had what seemed like a remedial option you could choose if you didn't meet the requirement of a 3.0. Also, it seems like EVERYONE wants to be a PT. Why not a DC? Is chiropractic just a hidden gem or is there a reason why I don't hear about it much?

So, I'm looking for some input from both PTs and DCs. TIA.

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[Skyris]

I don't know much about chiropractors, but one thing that strikes me immediately is that their average wage nationwide (BLS) is somewhere around $60k, and most of their programs are 4 years long. People bemoan the poor debt-to-income ratio of DPT's, and that seems even worse.

 

[UpDownPT]

Okay, I have been on the pre-PT route since freshman year of undergrad. Now that I'm getting close to graduating I've been getting cold feet. What if I don't get in? What if I bomb the GRE?

Well, not to long ago a friend of mine decided to make the switch from PT to Chiropractic. So, I did some research and it sounds like a dream. The two schools in Texas don't even require you to have a bachelors - just 90 hours. All you need is 24 hours worth of science courses with half of them having labs and a 3.0. They don't even require observation hours or the GRE!

But at the same time it seems fishy. It's a doctoral degree so why are the requirements so few? Parker University in Dallas even had what seemed like a remedial option you could choose if you didn't meet the requirement of a 3.0. Also, it seems like EVERYONE wants to be a PT. Why not a DC? Is chiropractic just a hidden gem or is there a reason why I don't hear about it much?

So, I'm looking for some input from both PTs and DCs. TIA.

Most chiros are broke. A few do make really good money but that is a very small percentage.

Beyond money, Chiros aren't really part of standard medical care. You'll be selling a placebo which Insurance only pays because chiros are good at persuading less sophisticated people from perusing real medical care which can be more expensive. It's why they use such words as "Portal of care" and "Physiotherapy". I've seen one quack advertise weightloss and radiology.

I've worked with chiros in a business setting on and off for 10 years. Nice people but definitely a very low reward career.

Chiro school is very easy to get into for a reason...It's like going to a restaurant and finding a empty parking lot.

 

[starrsgirl]

My biggest turn off with chiro is generally you are looking at starting your own business from when you leave school. So you are talking business startup, mega sales, and a lot of risk to just get started. I also see that the failure rate seems to be pretty high with chiros. One I know works 2 other jobs in addition to running a private practice just to make ends meet. PTs aren't particularly well paid but I feel it's a bit more sure than that. But then again, very successful chiros are very successful and make great money and probably do help people feel better.

 

[webulu]

Okay, I have been on the pre-PT route since freshman year of undergrad. Now that I'm getting close to graduating I've been getting cold feet. What if I don't get in? What if I bomb the GRE?

Well, not to long ago a friend of mine decided to make the switch from PT to Chiropractic. So, I did some research and it sounds like a dream. The two schools in Texas don't even require you to have a bachelors - just 90 hours. All you need is 24 hours worth of science courses with half of them having labs and a 3.0. They don't even require observation hours or the GRE!

But at the same time it seems fishy. It's a doctoral degree so why are the requirements so few? Parker University in Dallas even had what seemed like a remedial option you could choose if you didn't meet the requirement of a 3.0. Also, it seems like EVERYONE wants to be a PT. Why not a DC? Is chiropractic just a hidden gem or is there a reason why I don't hear about it much?

So, I'm looking for some input from both PTs and DCs. TIA.

Wait - you're saying a school would give a DOCTORATE level degree to someone who hadn't finished a bachelor's degree? Red flag IMO

 

[Cheezy89]

I do not know anything about chiro. I am a PT student and I will only praise the PT profession, which to me is the best profession out there. You can already tell I'm biased. You cannot give up on applying to PT school without giving it your all. "Might bomb the GRE" "what if I don't get in": that mentality will set you up for failure. Don't make decision on what might happen, just make it happen if that's what you want. This guy is my mentor and he can tell you first hand why PT is the best profession out there: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mentorwithgreg/

 

[OptimusBear]

I don't want to sound like I'm coming off rude, but it sounds like you don't have a strong conviction to become a physical therapist. DCs and PTs have their similarities, but enough differences to set them apart as professions. So I feel like what'd be best for you (in terms of deciding what path to go down) is for you to go back to your roots and take a look at what got you into physical therapy in the first place. Take some time to shadow and talk to both physical therapists and chiropractors and see what the appeal is for both professions as well. I know numbers are important for getting into PT schools, but so are your motives and convictions. The "why PT" or "why this profession and not another one like chiro" is a question you'll have to answer once you get to the interview stage, and based off your question earlier, I feel like you'd have a tough time answering that one. I would try to look at your future profession as less "wow I can totally get into this program/what a breeze it would be" and more of "wow, I'm really impressed by (insert profession here), I want to become one." Just my two cents.

But if PT is a path you want to head down, then there are a couple of things you can do. I'm not sure how much shadowing/volunteer work you have under your belt, but that tends to be something most people do to strengthen their applications if they aren't admitted in a cycle. Since you're close to graduating, your grades aren't going to change too drastically, so GREs will be one of the things you can still influence. How you study for those depends on your strengths and weaknesses, and I can see a tutor helping you out for the writing section is that's something you're weak in. The other sections you can, in theory, just teach yourself. Outside of that would just be research into schools you'll want to apply to and considering things such as first time and ultimate NPTE pass rates, cost tuition, cost of living, learning format, etc.

Hope this helps a bit, and again, I didn't/don't mean to sound rude with my earlier comment, but I do think evaluating each profession and being true to what you want in life will help you get a clearer picture of what you ultimately end up choosing as a profession.

 

[DesertPT]

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[doctordopps]

I do think evaluating each profession and being true to what you want in life will help you get a clearer picture of what you ultimately end up choosing as a profession.

As a Board Certified Doctor of Chiropractic and owner of a chiropractic clinic, I can say that when you are looking for a profession, you definitely need to like what you want to do and even better have a passion for it or else you will regret it for the rest of your life and be very disheartened about your career choice. You will feel stuck , unhappy, unfulfilled in life, and your patients or clients will see it and receive it from you as well. I absolutely love my job and love helping people to live pain free, but before you make that career choice, you really need to investigate each profession. Then when you make a choice, be happy knowing you made a well informed decision and strive to be the best you can be in that job.

 

[Deecee2DO]

Practicing DC here. If you like non-surgical MSK, and really love fixing people with your hands then chiro is for you. If you like sports injuries and orthopedics but don't want to do surgery and would rather manually help alleviate people's pain then chiro is for you. If you are more interested in systemic disease/pathophys etc and would rather order and interpret labs, give injections, deal with more life/death clinical situations then chiro is not for you. Personally, I enjoy more systemic pathology and I feel quite limited often times as a DC, that is why I am switching to DO. As far as DPT vs DC, in my opinion DCs get way more clinical training and knowledge overall than a DPT does (DC curriculum is way more comprehensive, avg DC curriculum is about 300 credits, avg DPT is about 120). As much as DCs get crap for being quacks the first two years of the DC curriculum is strikingly similar to DO and MD programs. DCs get way more training in rads, derm, ENT, ortho, cards, rheum, endo, phys dx, pulm, immuno, peds, OB than DPT students do and thus I feel like you will be a more well rounded clinician going the DC route, you will also have more autonomy. If you simply want to make a lot of money as a DC you can, but your practice will look more like an assembly line than anything else and you might compromise the quality of your care. You also have to be a really good business man to make a lot of money, unfortunately. I know some DCs that make 60K and others that make 500K to 1M per year, so it all depends on how you set up your practice. If you do go the DC route, I highly suggest multi-disciplinary setting that is what will pay your loans off and allow you to live comfortably but also allow you to learn the most practicing with other providers (MDs, DOs, DPTs etc). Hope this helps

 

[Deecee2DO]

Most chiros are broke. A few do make really good money but that is a very small percentage.

Beyond money, Chiros aren't really part of standard medical care. You'll be selling a placebo which Insurance only pays because chiros are good at persuading less sophisticated people from perusing real medical care which can be more expensive. It's why they use such words as "Portal of care" and "Physiotherapy". I've seen one quack advertise weightloss and radiology.

I've worked with chiros in a business setting on and off for 10 years. Nice people but definitely a very low reward career.

Chiro school is very easy to get into for a reason...It's like going to a restaurant and finding a empty parking lot.

Easy to get into chiro school, VERY difficult to get through (very challenging program).

 

[nd_dpt]

Okay, I have been on the pre-PT route since freshman year of undergrad. Now that I'm getting close to graduating I've been getting cold feet. What if I don't get in? What if I bomb the GRE?

Well, not to long ago a friend of mine decided to make the switch from PT to Chiropractic. So, I did some research and it sounds like a dream. The two schools in Texas don't even require you to have a bachelors - just 90 hours. All you need is 24 hours worth of science courses with half of them having labs and a 3.0. They don't even require observation hours or the GRE!

But at the same time it seems fishy. It's a doctoral degree so why are the requirements so few? Parker University in Dallas even had what seemed like a remedial option you could choose if you didn't meet the requirement of a 3.0. Also, it seems like EVERYONE wants to be a PT. Why not a DC? Is chiropractic just a hidden gem or is there a reason why I don't hear about it much?

So, I'm looking for some input from both PTs and DCs. TIA.

There's a reason as to why you wanted to become a PT. Don't start looking for another career just because you're afraid of not getting in or not doing well on a test. What if you DO get in? What if you ACE the GRE? And if you don't get in the first time, there's no shame in taking another year to continue learning while doing observation before applying again. The road to becoming a PT may be more difficult, but if you really love the field it's worth it.