I chose physical therapy because, at the time, I was working in front of a computer locked in a cubicle. I made great money, but it felt purposeless. At the time, anything seemed better and working with one on one with patients seemed exciting and satisfying. I think that it is a combination of being disappointed by the career and school. There are a few things that make me feel uneasy:
1) Outpatient orthopedics, what I saw myself doing before starting the program, seems hellaciously boring to me for whatever reason. I'm going to go observe in Acute and hopefully that'll be more interesting.
Are you basing this only on your previous observation, or on the coursework you have had thus far in your academic preparation? If it's observation, find a better PT to observe. I'd recommend a board certifed PT in orthopaedics or sports. If it's based on your coursework, remember, you've had very little didactice preparation as of yet, and the more dry aspects of the basic sciences get far more interesting when you get to apply them in the clinic.
2) My school pairs us with undergraduate athletic training and exercise science students for the first two semesters of anatomy. We are essentially paying three times the cost, for the exact same class. Our school also uses PBL which is fine, but they seem like they rely on it too heavy as a result of having such a small staff. Oh yeah, basically the same four professors for the entire program- which could be good or bad.
3) Money. I looked at the tuition of 44k for the program and thought, "Not bad at all, I can pay this off in a few years." Then I realized I would have an additional 50k in loans from living expenses(I have a roommate, reduced my cellphone bill, and live within my means). Having 100k of loans scares me ****l*ss. I have no desire to be 'rich', but I want to live comfortably and be able to support family members.
I do'nt know of any PTs who can't support their family members. If you're going to be a two income family it is easy to live quite comfortably. If you're going to be the sole bread winner, it is harder, but still possible, particularly if you live somewhere with a lower cost of living.
4) I think I will enjoy working as a PT for awhile, but I could see myself getting bored and not being able to switch professions because of the aforementioned debt.
If you're "working as a PT" you'll get bored. If you're engaged in the profession, you won't. Get yourself engaged in evidenced-informed practice, sink your teeth into the coursework that interests you, and you'll set yourself up to be an engaged professional for the span of your career.
5) To be honest, I don't feel as enthusiastic as other classmates. I'm sure you've seen, or maybe you're one of these, people know that PT is their soulmate and no loan, crap school, etc would slow them down.
Those people are too touchy-feely and non-realistic for my taste. I really like being a PT, but if I couldn't live comfortably and didn't enjoy the work, I would do somehing else. The whole "I just know PT is what I really want to do and I don't care if I'm $250,000 in debt to do it" statements drive me crazy. It's all well-and-good until that first loan payment happens.
But, it sounds as though you've choseen a moderately priced program. I know of several PTs with debt similar to your and I wouldn't say they are struggling. They don't drive BMWs, but they don't drive 12 year old Ford Festivas either.
6) I'm a sociable person, but I don't know if I'm the kind of person who will enjoy the extended amounts of patient interaction that therapist encounter everyday. I think I'm suited more for shortened bursts of patient interaction (i.e. diagnosing) that PAs or DOs have.
I'm a natural introvert. You'll likely find that you develop a work personality and a home personality. At home, I could go weeks without speaking to someone. In the clinic, I'm able to engage with my clients comfortably. And remember, you're in the clinic to educate the patient, and direct their care, not socialize with them about kids, work, concerts, etc. You aren't going to spend 45 minutes with them chatting about the weather.
Sorry if that was hard to read, I'm just a little down from all of this. My undergraduate was exercise science so I thought it was a natural fit. I am realizing this degree is pretty worthless by itself, so I'm trying to consider what other options I have and have thought of doing bio engineering. I like healthcare, but I feel medicine would be a more natural fit but I've already got a semester of PT school down, and it would take me at least 2 years to start a medical program(pa).
