I am doing well in classes but I am not truly learning the content. Is this a big problem?

[PtHopeful_2016]

I am currently a second semester Junior and am going through a dilemma. I have taken many pre-req courses (Anatomy, Physiology, Chemistry 1, Chemistry 2, Cell Biology, Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, and Statistics) but I do not feel like I "remember" the information that I learned. I am particularly concerned with my Anatomy and Physiology knowledge. The A&P courses were easy (to everyone) and I received an A in both courses, but I feel like I do not remember much information from the class. Is this a problem and should I be studying additionally to be prepared for PT school? I guess I am wondering if I need to really know A&P before PT school or else I will flunk out. Does anyone else struggle with this or have advice?

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[mv85dpthopeful]

I've wondered about this too. I took A&P a couple of years ago now and so it's rusty. Luckily I've always kept all of my notes and textbook from those classes. Should I be accepted I will definitely be doing a lot of "pre-studying" to refresh my knowledge. It's interesting how much variation there is in those classes. At my university, the A&P classes were extremely difficult and not many of us got As.

 

[a7rcana]

It depends on how your anatomy PT curriculum is run. Much of what I couldn't remember from undergrad A&P was the minute physiology details (and the relevant details were covered in another course for our first year of PT).

My PT anatomy class is less physiology but even more anatomy packed on to the basics you learned in undergrad. It's honestly difficult to remember everything when you aren't using the information on a regular basis but I would say it's not a bad thing to be reviewing basic broad muscles and actions. You will be memorizing every nerve, artery, attachment etc in the body during your PT program and it isn't super helpful to try to review those now.

I do think going in having a really solid idea of the major muscles in the body and what they do will keep you on track. The most helpful thing for me when remembering those is to practice them during daily activity - when I'm engaging muscle groups I think about what's controlling that set of motions. Oh I just lifted my foot up into dorsiflexion - must be using my tibialis anterior. Being familiar with anatomical terms, directions, motions etc will be easy to review and super helpful going into your first semester. Good luck!

 

[DesertPT]

After doing 4 years of college and having the prospect of 3 years of PT school ahead of me, I think I would find it nearly impossible to start studying after graduation until somebody makes me...

 

[mv85dpthopeful]

It depends on how your anatomy PT curriculum is run. Much of what I couldn't remember from undergrad A&P was the minute physiology details (and the relevant details were covered in another course for our first year of PT).

My PT anatomy class is less physiology but even more anatomy packed on to the basics you learned in undergrad. It's honestly difficult to remember everything when you aren't using the information on a regular basis but I would say it's not a bad thing to be reviewing basic broad muscles and actions. You will be memorizing every nerve, artery, attachment etc in the body during your PT program and it isn't super helpful to try to review those now.

I do think going in having a really solid idea of the major muscles in the body and what they do will keep you on track. The most helpful thing for me when remembering those is to practice them during daily activity - when I'm engaging muscle groups I think about what's controlling that set of motions. Oh I just lifted my foot up into dorsiflexion - must be using my tibialis anterior. Being familiar with anatomical terms, directions, motions etc will be easy to review and super helpful going into your first semester. Good luck!

Thanks! This is great advice. Starting PT school is probably overwhelming enough; it sounds like doing some broad review is a smart plan.

 

[ktachiba]

After doing 4 years of college and having the prospect of 3 years of PT school ahead of me, I think I would find it nearly impossible to start studying after graduation until somebody makes me...

How old are you? I used to be that way too when I was an undergrad, but I actually look forward to studying now that I'm 28 (been like this for a couple years now). I'm currently studying for the CSCS even though I took a full course load last semester, and I actually wish my PT school started sooner haha. I would much rather be in a classroom learning things I enjoy than working at a job that I find boring (like I am forced to do right now lol). Plus I'm ready to get my career rollin'!

 

[a7rcana]

I am definitely the voice of dissent on this topic because I do regret not doing some review before PT school started. I took everyone's advice from this forum to not do any studying over the summer and it really hurt in the first few weeks of school. I was sluggish. You can focus more on the higher level material if you aren't stuck scratching your head at stuff you already should have learned and mastered.

If you knew you were entering a marathon would you sit on the couch until the day of the race or at least do a little warm up? I think it's not smart to act like you can predict the curriculum but PT school is the hardest, most-demanding schooling I've ever done and I wish I had eased into it a little bit more over the summer. It can be difficult to go from zero to 100mph right off the bat. /2cents

 

[futuredpt01]

The point of "not doing any studying over summer" is to allow yourself to get refreshed and ready to go for the start of PT school. The marathon analogy is somewhat irrelevant because you aren't taking exams the first day of school, they're a month down the road, although I do get your point. This topic has been discussed 1000s of times so there is no right or wrong answer. This is completely up to the individual. If you want to guess what to memorize for months and months before school starts and "most likely" waste away the last free moments of down time before school starts then go for it. Just realize you won't have "that much time" to see friends, significant others, family once school starts. That's the point majority of us usually make when this thread comes up again and again. Yes, obviously it's nice to know the basics going in (i.e, anatomical terminology, planes, axes, etc.) but studying the origin/insertion of medial and lateral pterygoid, when you'll forget it 2 days later is a waste of time.

 

[DesertPT]

How old are you? I used to be that way too when I was an undergrad, but I actually look forward to studying now that I'm 28 (been like this for a couple years now). I'm currently studying for the CSCS even though I took a full course load last semester, and I actually wish my PT school started sooner haha. I would much rather be in a classroom learning things I enjoy than working at a job that I find boring (like I am forced to do right now lol). Plus I'm ready to get my career rollin'!

I very much enjoy learning, but I wouldn't mind a break from formalized studying for a couple months before I start PT school...lot of programs start the 1st of June though...

Age is totally irrelevant.

 

[DesertPT]

The OP's original question was "I guess I am wondering if I need to really know A&P before PT school or else I will flunk out." The answer to that is no.

I agree with the idea that going 0 to 100 is difficult, and I agree that it is up to each individual preference. There doesn't have to be a right or wrong answer. What the question is and how it is asked determines the answer for me.

If the question is along the lines of "Should I pre-study so that the volume of information in PT school isn't so overwhelming?" My answer would be no, the volume is going to be huge no matter what you do. But if the question was along the lines of "Should I keep my mind active over the summer before PT school rather than watching 12 episodes of the Maury show every day until school starts?" my answer would be yes, of course you should. You can do a few crosswords or something if that's what suits you, it doesn't just have to be reviewing A&P.

 

[DesertPT]

I am definitely the voice of dissent on this topic because I do regret not doing some review before PT school started. I took everyone's advice from this forum to not do any studying over the summer and it really hurt in the first few weeks of school. I was sluggish. You can focus more on the higher level material if you aren't stuck scratching your head at stuff you already should have learned and mastered.

I'm not saying your wrong if that's your opinion....but how do you select what to review before school starts when it is such a huge volume? Do you just throw a dart at the big board of A&P and figure anything is better than nothing?

 

[a7rcana]

I'm not saying your wrong if that's your opinion....but how do you select what to review before school starts when it is such a huge volume? Do you just throw a dart at the big board of A&P and figure anything is better than nothing?

In my original post I recommended against memorizing attachments, innervations, arteries etc but to review major muscles and their actions, along the lines of what will help you understand MMT. I didn't say anything about medial and lateral pterygoid because I wouldn't consider it a major muscle. Knowing generally where and what the deltoid muscle does or what the rotator cuff muscles are is probably relevant to PT school. Or knowing the difference between DIP and PIP. I'm not convinced that reviewing slightly for school before it starts is somehow going to keep you from being relaxed, refreshed, or seeing your friends and family.

This isn't about being right or wrong, everyone has a different circumstance. I am specifically telling someone who told us they didn't retain much of A&P they might want to go back to hit the important stuff if they aren't feeling confident - not telling everyone about to go to PT school what to do. I posted knowing this isn't a shared opinion but I think sometimes this message board can be a little echo-chamber esque.

 

[SwampPT]

Reviewing before PT school IS relaxing for me. I decided to buy flashcards of the muscles and will be studying them until school starts. I'm not going to go overboard or anything. I'm just going to go through them for maybe an hour a day. I know we will have to know them all. So I guess I'm taking the middle road between both options .

 

[Bluecase]

I think half the problems are people who listen to advice of people who haven't been through school or aren't PTs- always make a sound judgment on what the poster has actually done. People just say the same stuff over and over that they read here without actually going through it (even though they acknowledge that fact) so take that into consideration when judging the quality of their responses.

As for your question- do whatever makes you feel best- whether that is relaxing, studying, or memorizing. Whatever makes you happy is most important- ignore any other advice

 

[ptisfun2]

I will offer a different side of this question. As a faculty member, I completely expect you to know what you learned in your pre-requisite courses. I teach the first research course. About 2 weeks in, we give the 1st exam....all based on pre-requisite statistics. The pre-req we require must cover at least through ANOVA, so we write an exam up through there. If you do not remember it, that is fine. But I am not going to re-teach you something you already learned, so you have to go back to your books, notes, and other resources to review and study. We provide resources, and answer questions during office hours, but do not teach. Same with normal physiology (for Pathology). With a physiology pre-req, we expect you know the information. We have a 4 credit Patho course; there can be NO expectation we can cover normal physiology too. For example, I do not cover the normal endocrine physiology for glucose regulation before talking about diabetes. Now I teach at a single PT school, so I only know what my colleagues and I do, but I assume other schools are pretty similar. But this would be a good question to ask schools you are interested in. But think....there is a reason the pre-reqs are required, and it is NOT just to weed out weak students.

 

[DesertPT]

It's interesting how different the overall consensus in this thread is compared to the other "should I pre-study" threads that have happened over the years.

 

[TheDarkKnight14]

More informed opinions would be helpful ie current first year students/faculty members. I think it's an interesting question to ask faculty, yet awkward to phrase.

 

[Watson27]

I think a lot of this has to do with grade inflation and differing expectations among institutions. Unfortunately, at some schools you can get by and earn A's without actually learning and understanding the core concepts, as in your case. If I were you, I would have two concerns: 1. That you do not know the material you will be expected to know, and 2. The way in which you study allows for memorization and "learning," but not understanding and thinking critically.

I'm not an advocate for pre-studying, but if you actually don't remember basics from lower level A&P, you should at least skim A&P Clif Notes.

I know everyone hates on Exercise Science majors, but I'm glad I was required to take exercise physiology, pathophysiology, kinesiology, musculoskeletal anatomy, and gross anatomy. I feel very prepared for PT school.

 

[Bluecase]

I took 4 years off after undergrad and it was 6 years since A and P. If I would have had a test two weeks later then I would have failed. I studied the material as if it were new (which it pretty much was bc it had been so long) and did well. I think that testing off pre reqs is an isolated situation and never experienced that- it's not exactly fair to expect some
Students who have been out of school for years to remember specifics.

Schools will teach you what you need and what they want you to know. It was never an advantage to be an aid prior to school because our program like all programs was trying to get us thinking about PT in a specific critical way- not just reciting that someone did long arc quads with knee oa. That type of empirical info is worthless if you ask me.

 

[DesertPT]

Schools will teach you what you need and what they want you to know.

I guess this is why it doesn't super matter if you "pre-study" or not, everyone can do whatever floats there boat and then once PT school starts we're all gonna have to learn the same stuff anyway.

 

[Bluecase]

I guess this is why it doesn't super matter if you "pre-study" or not, everyone can do whatever floats there boat and then once PT school starts we're all gonna have to learn the same stuff anyway.

Exactly.

Greater point though- if ure nervous for school and studying will make you feel better and decrease anxiety more than banging out with ure friends/family, do what is right for you

 

[futuredpt01]

I know everyone hates on Exercise Science majors, but I'm glad I was required to take exercise physiology, pathophysiology, kinesiology, musculoskeletal anatomy, and gross anatomy. I feel very prepared for PT school.

Good point here by Watson27, I'm not really sure why this board tries to steer undergrad students away from being kinesiology or ex-sci majors. I can honestly say those in my class who are ex-sci majors are much more prepared for many classes as opposed to others who were bio, psych, public health, etc. I highly regret being a bio major in undergrad - there are many concepts I have to learn from scratch compared to many other students in my class who learned them previously in undergrad. That is one area in which I can say this board pushes younger pre-pt students in the wrong direction. That is just my own personal opinion and experience though, of course. Many of my fellow classmates who were not kinesiology majors echo the same feelings as well though.

 

[ktachiba]

I will offer a different side of this question. As a faculty member, I completely expect you to know what you learned in your pre-requisite courses. I teach the first research course. About 2 weeks in, we give the 1st exam....all based on pre-requisite statistics. The pre-req we require must cover at least through ANOVA, so we write an exam up through there. If you do not remember it, that is fine. But I am not going to re-teach you something you already learned, so you have to go back to your books, notes, and other resources to review and study. We provide resources, and answer questions during office hours, but do not teach. Same with normal physiology (for Pathology). With a physiology pre-req, we expect you know the information. We have a 4 credit Patho course; there can be NO expectation we can cover normal physiology too. For example, I do not cover the normal endocrine physiology for glucose regulation before talking about diabetes. Now I teach at a single PT school, so I only know what my colleagues and I do, but I assume other schools are pretty similar. But this would be a good question to ask schools you are interested in. But think....there is a reason the pre-reqs are required, and it is NOT just to weed out weak students.

Hi,

What are your opinions about being a traveling PT right out of school?

Thanks!

 

[Watson27]

Good point here by Watson27, I'm not really sure why this board tries to steer undergrad students away from being kinesiology or ex-sci majors. I can honestly say those in my class who are ex-sci majors are much more prepared for many classes as opposed to others who were bio, psych, public health, etc. I highly regret being a bio major in undergrad - there are many concepts I have to learn from scratch compared to many other students in my class who learned them previously in undergrad. That is one area in which I can say this board pushes younger pre-pt students in the wrong direction. That is just my own personal opinion and experience though, of course. Many of my fellow classmates who were not kinesiology majors echo the same feelings as well though.

Thanks, @futuredpt01 . I can understand that people recommend "more practical" degrees that allow for backup plans in case you do not go to PT school. I get that. It's important to be realistic, and it is true that more than half of applicants are not accepted to any program. But if the question is "What major will make me a successful PT student?" (instead of applicant), I fully believe that exercise science is the answer. And there are programs that recommend or require exercise physiology, medical terminology, and medical ethics. At some institutions, these classes are only available to exercise science students.

I have heard several forum members say that exercise science is an easy degree, and every school is different. But at my undergrad institution, it was a rigorous program designed to prepare us for graduate school, hence the many upper-level science courses.

@PtHopeful_2016 You are a junior. Will you be taking any additional anatomy or physiology courses during your final year? What is your major? It sounds like your previous courses did not challenge you. Maybe you know more than you think! Can you remember the basics of cell biology & metabolism, ATP, action potentials, muscle contractions? If these don't at least ring a bell, I would consider taking another physiology course. Or maybe you could audit the A&P course as a refresher? If A&P is a large class at your school, you could easily sit in on it unnoticed.

Or like I said in my previous post, the CliffsNotes A&P Quick Review could be a valuable resource. It is $10. I've used it many times to review concepts that might be fuzzy.

 

[DesertPT]

If A&P is a large class at your school, you could easily sit in on it unnoticed

I've thought about doing this a few times...then I thought wait all my classes are huge and I could just do this with all of them...sadly the university will only sell me a transcript that says I graduated for full price...

 

[DesertPT]

I have heard several forum members say that exercise science is an easy degree, and every school is different. But at my undergrad institution, it was a rigorous program designed to prepare us for graduate school, hence the many upper-level science courses.

I think it's more the Kinesiology majors we make fun of

 

[dancing_DPT]

@PtHopeful_2016 I don't want to say either side of the pre-study or don't pre-study is right or wrong, because everybody is different. But, I think it's important to remember if you took the tests, did the homework, and were present for most of the lectures in those classes, that information is somewhere in your brain. When you get to PT school, it may not be probable you will already know everything the teacher is talking about in these highly important subjects for PTs (namely physiology and anatomy), but there will be keywords and concepts the teacher mentions that will bring things back to the surface, and you may find you remember more than you realized. Also, PT school will have a laser-focus on certain nitty gritty details you haven't learned in undergrad, so everyone will be struggling to memorize those concepts together.

It's impossible to finish a class and remember EVERY important thing you learned, especially in undergrad where we aren't immediately applying these skills like we will be in PT school. I'm sure you're not the first who has had this fear.

 

[deleted671726]

I am currently a second semester Junior and am going through a dilemma. I have taken many pre-req courses (Anatomy, Physiology, Chemistry 1, Chemistry 2, Cell Biology, Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, and Statistics) but I do not feel like I "remember" the information that I learned. I am particularly concerned with my Anatomy and Physiology knowledge. The A&P courses were easy (to everyone) and I received an A in both courses, but I feel like I do not remember much information from the class. Is this a problem and should I be studying additionally to be prepared for PT school? I guess I am wondering if I need to really know A&P before PT school or else I will flunk out. Does anyone else struggle with this or have advice?

Hi, I am a first year student at Northwestern. I want to be very direct: Don't worry about it. Just do your best right now and relax. You will be fine.

From my experience, the professors do not expect you to have memorized the origins and insertions of every muscle coming into PT school. As long as you know that the femur is in the leg, you are good. We are taught the material and given ample time to study it before the exam. I took a year off after undergrad and I remembered almost nothing from A&P. I basically pulled all-nighters the night before for all of my A&P exams, barely got B's, and forgot 80% of the material within a few weeks. I am really not good at memorizing things, but I have been doing fine in anatomy in PT school. Once you are in PT school, you will probably not be able to recite the O/I of the all the muscles in the arm, but hopefully you will recognize terms here and there. You will also probably be approaching anatomy in multiple classes - doing exams/evaluations, anatomy, dissecting your own cadaver, and biomechanics - which helps to remember it. They do not blaze through anatomy to a point where I don't have time to keep up. You will have lectures, cadaver lab, and study a few days every week to get your anatomy down. I would not recommend stressing yourself out and trying to learn everything before school.

If you really insist and have a lot of time on your hands, you can try to learn anatomy through actions. For example, if you are working out and doing squats, then first think about what actions you are doing and what muscles you are using. You are doing hip extension, knee extension, and a bunch of muscles. This is more interesting, concrete, and hits across several PT school classes. Again, don't stress yourself out over. Just pursue knowledge based on things that interest you, which is really easy especially with smart phones. This is not to memorize everything but to just get in the habit of how PT's think - see an action, know what muscles are working, and know where those muscles are on the body.

tl;dr - You do NOT have to have the origins, insertions, actions, and innervations of every muscle memorized going into PT school. What you need to be able to do: see an anatomy word like "brachioradialis" and think to yourself, "Oh that is probably a muscle in the arm." If you can do that, you are good.

 

[DesertPT]

As long as you know that the femur is in the leg, you are good.

At an interview I went to a few weeks ago, during the department tour, in the cadaver lab, cadaver that they've been working on has femur dislocated and rotated 90* so that head of femur is sticking up. One of the girls on the tour points and goes, I bull crap you not: "Is that an eyeball?!?" She was deadly serious.

Perhaps some people really do need to review their anatomy before PT school starts...

 

[SwampPT]

At an interview I went to a few weeks ago, during the department tour, in the cadaver lab, cadaver that they've been working on has femur dislocated and rotated 90* so that head of femur is sticking up. One of the girls on the tour points and goes, I bull crap you not: "Is that an eyeball?!?" She was deadly serious.

Perhaps some people really do need to review their anatomy before PT school starts...

LOL that's hysterical! Watch her end up getting accepted!

 

[PT2Bee]

OP, do what you feel is best for you. If you are worried that not studying will somehow put you at a disadvantage, do what others suggested and review some muscles/origins and insertions/whatever you want. I often feel like I am not truly learning all the material in class, but it is actually amazing what you retain when it comes down to it. That information is cemented when you go to your clinicals. You will be fine. Do your best and forget the rest!!!! (but don't forget too much...)

 

[PT2Bee]

At an interview I went to a few weeks ago, during the department tour, in the cadaver lab, cadaver that they've been working on has femur dislocated and rotated 90* so that head of femur is sticking up. One of the girls on the tour points and goes, I bull crap you not: "Is that an eyeball?!?" She was deadly serious.

Perhaps some people really do need to review their anatomy before PT school starts...

I think I have you beat...during anatomy first quarter of PT school a woman at the next table said, "OMG guys someone cut the thumb off!" It was the poor cadaver's genitals (that somehow ended up near the hand while transferring the body bag from another table) that the professor had cut to let us observe the inner structures. She was serious and I was hoping she wasn't lol.

 

[SwampPT]

I think I have you beat...during anatomy first quarter of PT school a woman at the next table said, "OMG guys someone cut the thumb off!" It was the poor cadaver's genitals (that somehow ended up near the hand while transferring the body bag from another table) that the professor had cut to let us observe the inner structures. She was serious and I was hoping she wasn't lol.

Good lord!!! Is this person still passing PT school? If so, my confidence level will be soaring

 

[Carson Ranger]

One of the girls on the tour points and goes, I bull crap you not: "Is that an eyeball?!?" She was deadly serious.

I was there. My blood pressure dropped and for the first time in this whole process I thought, "Hmm, maybe I've got this PT thing."

 

[DesertPT]

I was there. My blood pressure dropped and for the first time in this whole process I thought, "Hmm, maybe I've got this PT thing."

That one was definitely a pre-PT whopper for the ages...I'm glad somebody else was here to relive the moment with me

 

[DesertPT]

I think I have you beat...during anatomy first quarter of PT school a woman at the next table said, "OMG guys someone cut the thumb off!" It was the poor cadaver's genitals (that somehow ended up near the hand while transferring the body bag from another table) that the professor had cut to let us observe the inner structures. She was serious and I was hoping she wasn't lol.

Well this thread just took a wonderfully hilarious turn...head of femur confused with eyeball, or thumb confused with penis...I don't know which is worse but ya I think you might have me beat

 

[SympatheticTrunk]

I am in my first semester of PT school taking gross anatomy and physiology (among other courses). I think the most important aspects to be able to recall are the planes of the body, and directional terms. If you took a combined A&P course in undergrad I will tell you that gross anatomy is a different beast. Having a basic idea of where the muscles are is not a bad idea, but it is very different from combined A&P. Even if you were to go over all of your notes from undergrad before PT school, there will still be tons of new information and detail that you need to learn. That being said, if you feel uncomfortable with the very basics, looking over that material may not be a bad idea for you. As far as memorizing all of the OIINNA's, that may not be the best course of action. My professor let us know what he wanted us to know about the muscles. Also he did a 4 hour review before the formal start for our anatomy class. In a good program the professors are there to help you succeed, and it has been my experience that they don't expect you to have every detail memorized from undergrad. Also, you may be in class with people who have more anatomy experience than you do, and on the other hand some people may have more clinical experience if they worked as an aid prior to starting school. The purpose of the first year of PT school is to get everyone onto the same level of anatomy knowledge and clinical skills and then build from there.

 

[SwampPT]

I don't think anyone remembers everything from anatomy. Most people can probably only remember about 10%. However, when you see it again in PT school I will bet it will jump start your memory and you'll say, "Oh yeah I remember that now!".

 

[dptkbrown_1385]

By the time my program starts it will be 3.5 years since I took A&P. I remember some of the major muscles but nothing else. Do you think this will be a problem when starting PT school?

 

[SwampPT]

By the time my program starts it will be 3.5 years since I took A&P. I remember some of the major muscles but nothing else. Do you think this will be a problem when starting PT school?

I have seen plenty of non traditional students who do very well even though it has been a few years since they have had A&P. I think the prerequisites are just the hoops we have to jump through to get accepted. Once we start classes I think everyone will be in pretty much the same boat and it will come down to study habits. If I'm off base here DesertPT will undoubtedly correct me . Its been a year since I had A&P so I've been reviewing the muscles a bit.

 

[DesertPT]

By the time my program starts it will be 3.5 years since I took A&P. I remember some of the major muscles but nothing else. Do you think this will be a problem when starting PT school?

I feel like I remember very little of what I learned in undergrad A&P, but I picked up a $20 used copy of Rohen's atlas this week and started flipping through it and was surprised at how much started quickly coming back to me. I wouldn't stress too much, everyone will be studying their butts off just like you. Worst case scenario is you have to clock a couple extra hours of studying each week for the first semester.

 

[emespt]

Hi,

What are your opinions about being a traveling PT right out of school?

I only know what I remember being told by a travel PT about a year ago, but she said its not a good idea to travel directly out of PT school. Its good to take off at least a year or at least until you are completely comfortable working alone with absolutely no guidance. She said you are pretty much just thrown into a new setting, handed a patient list and expected to know exactly what to do, so if you are still second guessing yourself, its not a good idea. Its possible that the travel PT is the only PT on site at the time, so there is no way to ask another one for advice/assistance.

But who knows, if you are super comfortable working alone and adapt quickly to new environments right out of school then it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[ktachiba]

Yeah I've heard arguments from both sides...right now I'm leaning on doing residency right after graduation so that I can be more comfortable being on my own..but that's assuming that I find a particular specialty that I REALLY enjoy... If not, I think travel PT would be a good idea to get exposed to the different types of settings and help you find which one you enjoy the most. Plus I really love to travel, so I can picture myself doin' that for a long time.

 

[ktachiba]

Now that I think about it...it might be a better idea to work 50-60 hour weeks doing PRN jobs while practicing in 2 different settings rather than doing travel PT immediately after school or residency...but we'll see...I'm future trippin' too much right now lol

 

[emespt]

Now that I think about it...it might be a better idea to work 50-60 hour weeks doing PRN jobs while practicing in 2 different settings rather than doing travel PT immediately after school or residency...but we'll see...I'm future trippin' too much right now lol

I was thinking of doing the same thing. Work in two different settings PRN for a year or so until I feel as though I am completely confident working alone, then travel. Hopefully clinicals will give you an idea of the kind of setting you like, then the work experience will just solidify it. But I'm also assuming that most travel PT openings will be in areas where people don't really want to live or work for long periods of time lol.

 

[ktachiba]

Yeah, I agree...I'm hoping clinicals will help me decide which setting I like most, but I'm not sure if 12 weeks will be enough time for me to decide. As for travel PT, I have been researching job openings on various travel company websites, as well as on Indeed.com and such, and I have been able to find a place at EVERY single city I want to live in temporarily . The only city which seemed to have very little openings is NYC...but that's a not my type of city, so I'm cool with it haha (too fast paced for me...I love to travel there for vacation though)

 

[emespt]

I'm hoping clinicals will help me decide which setting I like most, but I'm not sure if 12 weeks will be enough time for me to decide.

I'm in the same boat. I liked a lot of the settings I've volunteered in and can't really decide which one I like the best. As long as I have a variety of disorders and patients and such, I'll be happy. Which is why I think I'll love traveling haha. Haven't looked at openings yet, but I remember a PT I shadowed looking at openings in Alaska..... nope. Not for me. And NYC.... yeah temporary visits are great lol.

 

[ktachiba]

Yeah, I love how we can work in multiple settings by doing PRN work, as well as being able to travel. I'm actually kinda interested in living in Alaska for 3 months haha. But I'm more of an outdoor person than a big city person. I've already compiled a list of like 40 cities I wanna travel to haha.