How do grades/class rank affect job placement?

[staxxington]

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I know this question has probably been asked a million times, but how important are grades/GPA after graduating and trying to find a job?

How does this compare to things such as volunteering and getting leadership experience through other organizations such as the APTA?

 

[Azimuthal]

Your license probably plays the largest role. Language and other personal skills next. Grades, involvement...probably not so much.

 

[WarriorPT]

I agree with Azimuthal.

 

[NewTestament]

I don't think employers will ask for your grades. Your ability to meet the clinic's needs, as well as your desire to learn, will probably weigh much more heavily than grades in the decision to hire you.

 

[truthseeker]

I know this question has probably been asked a million times, but how important are grades/GPA after graduating and trying to find a job?

How does this compare to things such as volunteering and getting leadership experience through other organizations such as the APTA?

Grades don't impact placement at all. I hire/fire PTs and getting into PT school and completing it verifies that you are not stupid, and in fact are pretty smart. interpersonal skills, professional/scientific curiosity, and communication skills are what separate a ho-hum PT from a star.

 

[NewDPT31]

Grades don't impact placement at all. I hire/fire PTs and getting into PT school and completing it verifies that you are not stupid, and in fact are pretty smart. interpersonal skills, professional/scientific curiosity, and communication skills are what separate a ho-hum PT from a star.

agree x1000. it's all about communication skills.

 

[DesertPT]

Your license probably plays the largest role.

Lol yep that's pretty much always gonna be a job requirment

 

[DesertPT]

...professional/scientific curiosity...

So in general are there ever opportunities for practicing PT's to be involved in research/studies without getting a PhD/becoming faculty somewhere?

 

[truthseeker]

sure, they are just more likely to occur in a large teaching hospital or be clinical studies rather than pure basic scientific studies. Those can be done too, but you need a lot of resources to do it. I am not personally involved in research but that is not what I really meant by "professional/scientific curiosity" what I meant was good professionals need to allow their paradigms to be challenged and change them when evidence warrants it. Do not protect dogma! When something comes out with compelling evidence, we must be willing and able to modifiy our treatment style and sometimes our fundamental way of thinking.

I have done that twice. Once with the Gary Gray functional/integrated approach to how/when muscles work vs the old open chain stuff we learned in PT school in the early 90s. And just recently, with the revolution in pain research lead by Melzack, Moseley, Butler, and Wall.

 

[USP45]

Nobody has EVER asked about my grades in any interview I've had.