Honest advice?..

[Whenisittoolate]

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I received a bachelor’s degree in a business related field. I have racked up ~30k in debt. I have taken health science related courses (intro to chem and gen chem 1) in my last year to see how interested I would be in the health field. I decided that I do enjoy physical therapy, but I still have gen bio 1/2, anatomy 1/2, physics 1/2, 2 psychs and gen chem 2 to complete before I apply. Is it possible to get these done in time for the 2020 DPT program application cycle? If not, is this worth doing? Given the amount of time it would take and the amount of debt I’m already in? I have a degree in a field in which I can get a job for 60k/year and just get a masters in business and move up as another option.



Basically, is this too far fetched?

 

[kdubz7w7]

Depends on how passionate you are about it. If you are passionate about it, then it's totally doable and worth doing. If you only "enjoy" PT, then no, it probably isn't worth it, because it is a LOT of work and a LOT of money.
All of us are also in debt because a BS/BA is required, and a lot of people also have to take the pre-reqs separately because their undegrad didn't include them. Just saying there are lots of people in your same position, and they're doing it because they fell in love with PT.
For what it is worth - those science pre-reqs do not at all tell you anything about what PT school is like. Sure, the underlying principles often show up, but they aren't anything like PT school (I'm halfway through my second year).
Have you at least shadowed PT? You would have to anyway for your applications, but it will also give you a much better sense of whether or not this is worth it and what you want to be doing. And don't just shadow outpatient ortho - there is a lot more to PT than that. Shadow inpatient, geriatrics, pediatrics, neuro, whatever you can get to see.
In terms of timing - to choke all those hard sciences down in a year is rather a lot. Generally schools advise you take a max of two hard sciences per semester because they are so daunting.
Again, it is all possible. If it is WORTH it is entirely up to how badly you want it.

 

[wiseOldPT]

My suggestion would be to go ahead and get that business job, and take 1-2 classes at a time while you work. If you find you are happy in your job, great, no need to pursue a career change. If not, and the prereqs are going well, you'll be setting yourself up for PT school while making money in the meantime.

 

[ya1]

No, you do not have enough time to apply for 2020 cycle.
Debt of PT school may or may not be worth it for you. If PT does not seem to be your passion or exactly what you desire to do for the next decades of your life, do not go into PT. It IS EXPENSIVE and starting salaries are 60-90k a year depending on your location.