I think I'm dropping the DPT route....Advice?

[sea212]

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I'm in the middle of taking prerequisites to apply and I'm pretty much at my wits end with them. I can't stand chemistry or physics and I'm just miserable trying to push through. I also am working in a PT office(outpatient) and can already tell that I'll dread the "factory line" that is outpatient PT after a year or two.

My biggest dilemma and the main reason I'm thinking about switching to something else is the loans I'm going to have to take on to get this job. I don't have the grades to get into in-state schools so I'm looking private or out of state. I just don't think I love PT enough to justify going through with it so I'm at such a stand still to figure out what I should do. 150k in loans with 60-70k salary is insane and I'm having a hard time willingly signing myself up for the poor house. I also feel like I don't have many other options for career right now either so I'm not sure what to do.

Any and all advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[GoDux1016]

I'm in the middle of taking prerequisites to apply and I'm pretty much at my wits end with them. I can't stand chemistry or physics and I'm just miserable trying to push through. I also am working in a PT office(outpatient) and can already tell that I'll dread the "factory line" that is outpatient PT after a year or two.

My biggest dilemma and the main reason I'm thinking about switching to something else is the loans I'm going to have to take on to get this job. I don't have the grades to get into in-state schools so I'm looking private or out of state. I just don't think I love PT enough to justify going through with it so I'm at such a stand still to figure out what I should do. 150k in loans with 60-70k salary is insane and I'm having a hard time willingly signing myself up for the poor house. I also feel like I don't have many other options for career right now either so I'm not sure what to do.

Any and all advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

You're already dreading outpatient PT? You don't love PT enough to justify going through with "it"? I would say you should not take out $150,000 to pursue a DPT. That's a lot of money, invest wisely.

I don't believe how much you enjoy chemistry or physics should influence how you feel about rehabilitation science.

I don't know your situation, but saying you don't have many other options for a career is a really dour statement. Try to keep an open mind.

 

[Buzz1012]

I would agree with you in saying you should strongly consider dropping DPT. But... there are a lot of sides to consider.

On the one hand, your general outlook on the profession suggests, like you said, a lack of interest to back up how much debt and work you would have to take on to be successful. I'm willing to bet that although they are different subjects, the coursework you would be doing in grad school for PT will be much more intense than your chemistry and physics prereqs. I was not an A student in neither physics or chemistry (at least not for all semesters), but I understood that completing those courses was just one of the many steps I had to take to pursue my desired career. That would be the first red flag.
Secondly, if you are dreading the environment of outpatient PT, that's another reason to consider dropping. There is going to be a large demand for outpatient as joint replacements continue to be done and the general population's mean age increases.

The loans are something that everyone will battle with, regardless of the degree of how adamant you are that PT is your "destiny" or "dream job." That said, 150k for loans? Are you talking tuition alone, or does that include living expenses? You should look around at other, cheaper schools, and make a realistic budget for how you will be living in school. From what I've been told by current students, a PT program won't eat up ALL of your free time, but you definitely won't have time to be blowing money doing whatever you want all day. I think the possibility of traveling to meet your financial needs both in pursuit of the right program and the right job after graduation is a strong one, and something that you may need to be open-minded to.

On the other hand, there are some arguments that can be made for you to continue to pursue PT. In the case of you not liking outpatient PT, there are other fields to go into for PT. Neuro, acute care, long-term/SNF care (where you will build even strong relationships with your patients), maybe even sports teams at various levels...there are lots of possibilities that offer varying types of experiences. Also, if you are very strong in movement science and other sciences than chem and physics and you really want to do PT, then just push through.

BOTTOM LINE is that you need to do some soul-searching (as well as do some research on the profession) to learn more about yourself and PT. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what other people think...you weigh the pros and the cons and make the decision of what you should do. Everything else is just "two cents", which will only have so much worth in your life decisions.

 

[steveyk]

I would agree with you in saying you should strongly consider dropping DPT. But... there are a lot of sides to consider.

On the one hand, your general outlook on the profession suggests, like you said, a lack of interest to back up how much debt and work you would have to take on to be successful. I'm willing to bet that although they are different subjects, the coursework you would be doing in grad school for PT will be much more intense than your chemistry and physics prereqs. I was not an A student in neither physics or chemistry (at least not for all semesters), but I understood that completing those courses was just one of the many steps I had to take to pursue my desired career. That would be the first red flag.
Secondly, if you are dreading the environment of outpatient PT, that's another reason to consider dropping. There is going to be a large demand for outpatient as joint replacements continue to be done and the general population's mean age increases.

The loans are something that everyone will battle with, regardless of the degree of how adamant you are that PT is your "destiny" or "dream job." That said, 150k for loans? Are you talking tuition alone, or does that include living expenses? You should look around at other, cheaper schools, and make a realistic budget for how you will be living in school. From what I've been told by current students, a PT program won't eat up ALL of your free time, but you definitely won't have time to be blowing money doing whatever you want all day. I think the possibility of traveling to meet your financial needs both in pursuit of the right program and the right job after graduation is a strong one, and something that you may need to be open-minded to.

On the other hand, there are some arguments that can be made for you to continue to pursue PT. In the case of you not liking outpatient PT, there are other fields to go into for PT. Neuro, acute care, long-term/SNF care (where you will build even strong relationships with your patients), maybe even sports teams at various levels...there are lots of possibilities that offer varying types of experiences. Also, if you are very strong in movement science and other sciences than chem and physics and you really want to do PT, then just push through.

BOTTOM LINE is that you need to do some soul-searching (as well as do some research on the profession) to learn more about yourself and PT. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what other people think...you weigh the pros and the cons and make the decision of what you should do. Everything else is just "two cents", which will only have so much worth in your life decisions.

Well said!

Also for the original poster,
I'm an accepted student (starting PT school in the fall) and have shadowed in 6 different facilities. I enjoy OP ortho the most but I would say a SNF is a close second. After working as a tech at a private op clinic, I def see PTs (particularly new grads) get burnt out or overwhelmed with the pt load. If you like working with people one on one and have a heart for the elderly and more dependent patient demo, you should shadow a SNF PT. Also, you can't beat the autonomy of working at a SNF. and since you mentioned the whole salary thing, my friend as a new grad started out at $85k at a SNF. If you're still wanting to work at an OP setting, you also have an option of working at a hospital based OP unit, which may require one on one treats with pts. I'm just trying to show you what kind of options you have, certainly more than what you have mentioned. Just to give you one more idea, I work weekends at an inpatient rehab unit and met many PTs working 4-5 days at OP and a few weekends out of the month at IP or SNF as PRN staff and that is an excelling way to pay off your loans (if you have that drive) and it's nice to see and work with various populations as u bounce back and forth. From reading your post, I would recommend you do some more shadowing in other facilities before you make a final decision. I hope this was helpful and good luck!

 

[AP191]

new grad started out at $85k at a SNF

Just curious, in what state did your friend get a job with this starting salary?

 

[steveyk]

Just curious, in what state did your friend get a job with this starting salary?

Decatur, GA

 

[starrsgirl]

Don't do it if you don't love it. It's really not worth the money. There are plenty of other jobs out there that pay more if you are going to do something you don't like. That said, from personal experience, working a job you hate sucks....even if the pay is great.

If you are still unsure, try to shadow at a variety of locations. Also possibly take a kinesiology class or exercise physiology class. If you find you are really into those subjects (oh, and anatomy), than PT school might be a good fit. We don't do a ton of chemistry or physics day to day in school.

Why not get good grades from here on out and try for that state school? Worse case, you still graduate with great grades and have good job prospects. Don't count yourself out on that one. I started with the worst grades possible in undergrad and I go to my state DPT school now. You never know until application/admission time.