How hard is Physical therapy school?

[mattiab3]

Hi there, I am currently an Exercise Science major (basically took all the Pre-PT classes).. completely nervous about PT school. I have the grades to get accepted (3.67 GPA currently) which is the average for accepted students in schools in Michigan. I am also a PT Tech, so I have good experience as well. However, I'm not sure how much harder PT school is. I usually took 1 hard class with 3 easy classes in undergrad which worked fine for me.

I found Physiology to be difficult and anatomy not so bad. I did good in Physiology, Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology only because I had fairly easy professors. But to be honest, I don't feel like I understand these subjects which is what worries me.

Anyway my questions are:

Do they usually help students who are struggling? And how do they help them?

Are there any options for tutoring available for students?

What is the best way to prepare? What are some important concepts to review before starting the program?

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[jblil]

Do they usually help students who are struggling? And how do they help them?
Usually, yes. If you go to a small program (say, 40 or fewer students), you are more likely to get personalized attention and help. Schools don't like to have students fail out as it looks bad for their program. This is even more relevant for small programs because even one single failure would make a relatively big impact, given the class size. "How they help" depends on the school. Ask the upper-class students at the school you'll go to.

Are there any options for tutoring available for students?
I think it depends on the program. At my school there was no formal tutoring per se, but professors and classmates, including from the years above, were always ready to help out. Always ask for help if you think you need it, most people -esp. folks who choose this line of work- do want to help others.

What is the best way to prepare? What are some important concepts to review before starting the program?
Best way to prepare: relax.
You could skim this thread for ideas, too:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/for-non-trads-things-i-wished-i-knew.990967/
While you are not a non-trad, most of the stuff there would still apply.

 

[starrsgirl]

PT school is hard, but I do feel like it's not impossible if you are willing to put in the work. I feel like my success and grades were correlated with how much quality work I was willing to put in. The emphasis being on "quality". Take a good look at your study habits. Are you effective when you study. Sitting around, reading the book is NOT effective. You have to be using every minute to maximize results. I would spend some time looking at how you study, what works or finding some better strategies now if you feel like you lack. Other than that, be religious in your scheduling and make space for studying.

 

[hawk777]

Like most things which give your life true meaning, it is difficult. As it should be - since you are directly impacting the lives and bodies of your patients. If you are motivated, relatively smart and dedicated to your studies you can do just fine. In my program the faculty are wonderful and make every effort to help when you need it. They treat you like family, even though our class is large (58 students.) They recognize when you're working hard and when you're not. When you are, and still having trouble, they are always ready to lend you a hand and spend extra time to make sure you understand. They're not interested in "A students," they are interested in creating caring and knowledgeable PTs. In my class, there are "B students" who I am certain will become better PTs than many of the straight A students. Much of it is about your mindset and dedication to the profession.

 

[ChefWu]

In my class, there are "B students" who I am certain will become better PTs than many of the straight A students.

What is special about B students that makes you certain they will be better PTs than A students?

 

[ptmonster]

What is special about B students that makes you certain they will be better PTs than A students?

Because he is a B student and his better than his A classmates

 

[hawk777]

Mind you, I'm not saying all, but rather some examples to help the OP have some perspective. There are some B students I know that have much better real-world clinical reasoning skills, better patient interaction and in general perform better in clinical settings. Some (note I say some) A students I know have a very hard time in real-world clinical settings or have poor patient interaction skills. Some of those items are things that don't always translate to test scores but are extremely important. I could go on, but hopefully that makes sense.


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[deezytide]

Also wondering this... I have had some people tell me that PT school is nightmare-ishly hard, but I've had others that said it's not bad at all. I already have a master's in a biomechanics based exercise science program(3.85 GPA), and have spent multiple years as a personal trainer and strength coach specializing in "prehab"(as much as I hate that word). Surely I will have a leg up on my classmates?

 

[NJ DPT HOPEFUL]

Also wondering this... I have had some people tell me that PT school is nightmare-ishly hard, but I've had others that said it's not bad at all. I already have a master's in a biomechanics based exercise science program(3.85 GPA), and have spent multiple years as a personal trainer and strength coach specializing in "prehab"(as much as I hate that word). Surely I will have a leg up on my classmates?

I'm a former exercise physiologist, my roommates are bio majors. Somethings I know better, some things they do better. We do a lot of studying together so it works out. I would strongly caution going in thinking you have a leg up, the information will be in much greater detail then you have learned in the past and you will probably have to unlearn some things you were taught in the past. Go in ready to work hard and learn a ton