Hello! I feel like I'm having a bit of a crisis. I am in the interview process for DPT school and am getting a little concerned about some of the threads I have read on this site. It's discomforting to see that many PT's are wishing they would have pursued a different career path, such as PA or MD. I really am passionate about PT and believe I will find it to be very rewarding, but seeing the extreme debt vs starting salaries and hours is freaking me out a little bit. I would love any or all advice from others who are possibly having the same feelings or concerns. I would also love to hear some positive things from those who are physical therapists and are happy with their career path!
Is DPT worth it?
- Thread starter jjorde1
- Start date
- Joined
- May 26, 2019
- Messages
- 192
- Reaction score
- 146
If you want cash, yeah, there are other options, but I've yet to meet an actual PT who didn't love their job. It has a very high job satisfaction rate, and the ones you hear who are unhappy are more likely to be vocal in the first place by virtue of dissatisfaction. Get into it if you love it, and don't if you don't! Are you thinking of MD? There's definitely more cash in that one by a factor of at least 4.
If you can attend a program where the total cost is, say, $75K or less, I think it's worth it. I do like my job as a PT. But the financial realities make it hard to justify spending more than that on your education, in my opinion.
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2016
- Messages
- 350
- Reaction score
- 146
I think it's all about the expectations you set for yourself going in. If you're passionate about the field and okay living modestly with a large chunk of your paycheck going to student loans for the next 10-20 years then go for it. You'll be comfortable, but some of the more lavish things in life might be more out of reach. If you're expecting a 6-figure salary with a nice car and luxury vacations, consider a different field. There are ways to earn more money in PT but you'll have to work hard. I've met PTs at both ends of the spectrum who are either very happy or very disappointed, and it's all about what kind of expectations they had to begin with. Talk to PTs about their toughest days, their gripes, etc. They exist in every profession. Are you willing to deal with all of those things for a middle class salary?
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2018
- Messages
- 1,402
- Reaction score
- 2,371
Look at what it costs to get DPT and what DPT usually make. Will the 35 yo version of you be happy with your decisions?
PS. Requiring 10-20 years to pay off loans means it’s not worth it.
PS. Requiring 10-20 years to pay off loans means it’s not worth it.
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2016
- Messages
- 350
- Reaction score
- 146
I wouldn't go as far as to say what is "worth it" for another person. It all depends on personal circumstances, the tuition you end up paying, the satisfaction you have in your work, the purpose it gives you, etc. Considering all these things, I ultimately decided it is worth it for me.
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2016
- Messages
- 350
- Reaction score
- 146
Of course, that's not to say PTs aren't underpaid and this is something that we need to fight for. It's just another factor in the equation.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2017
- Messages
- 143
- Reaction score
- 104
My plans are to die with my loans. Sure there's MD, but what they don't have to sacrifice in money, they have to sacrifice in so many other areas of their life, namely their personal lives, and that's not worth it to me. The debt's inevitable, and as long as you're paying something, no one's coming after you. You might die in ten years, and you won't be regretting the loans. You'll be regretting all the vacations you didn't take because of trying so hard to pay them off. That's what I think, anyway. So I ultimately want a career that's going to bring me satisfaction.
It is absolutely worth it. Just go to a cheap school, it's an amazing profession. Avoid even applying to private schools because you will end up paying loans for the rest of your life. It's the same education regardless of where you go, so save as much money as you can.
All the PTs I know love their job. I always like to ask what advice they would give their younger selves, and they always reply with "go to the cheapest accredited program". All accredited programs MUST teach the same material. It's just a matter of how they teach it. Yeah there are going to be loans, but as the other people mentioned, you get a lot of other positives. I know a lot of doctors and children of doctors that say they never have time to spend with their families because they're always working. They only eat dinner together at 9PM and it's always take out because they don't have time to cook. Obviously this varies between specialties, but every career makes sacrifices. You really just need to weigh the pros and cons. I think that PTs have a very rewarding job and you're not going to be crazy rich, but you'll definitely be comfortable. Just be smart with your money and borrow less if you can.
There ALWAYS will be people who are unhappy with the career they chose. If you are confident that your decision is solid, then it is more likely you will be happy with your career.
I am a PT and love it. My job is fun and pretty much no stress. I work 40-ish hours a week. I am paying 2-3 times more than the minimum monthly payment for the student loan and live a comfortable life.
You can work as many or as little hours as you want. There are full-time jobs, part-time jobs, per diem - you choose the jobs that offer you the hours you want.
I am a PT and love it. My job is fun and pretty much no stress. I work 40-ish hours a week. I am paying 2-3 times more than the minimum monthly payment for the student loan and live a comfortable life.
You can work as many or as little hours as you want. There are full-time jobs, part-time jobs, per diem - you choose the jobs that offer you the hours you want.
Jordanbarnes24567
New Member
- Joined
- May 1, 2020
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 11
Physical Therapy vs. PA
Is DPT worth it?!
Hello,
First and foremost, if you are here to bash ANY of the professions I’m going to talk about walk away. This is not for that purpose. One of my students approached me, and I thought it would be an insightful read to balance out some of the readings and various opinions out there on this subject. I am a PT. My qualifications began by obtaining an MPT and recently I have gone through recent schooling to complete my DPT. I’m not an expert on the issue, but I am going to give my opinions based on the knowledge of healthcare, experience, and other clinician remarks.
In general
So this post may be long 🙂, but I really want to help people battling this decision. It is quite daunting when facing what you want to do for a career, not to mention the hours, money, and time into accomplishing that dream. So let’s get into it. First let’s talk about these two professions. Physical therapy focuses on rehabilitation of a person, primarily speaking about function, gait, strengthening, and endurance. A Physician Assistant focuses on aiding the head physician in whatever capacity they can. This includes diagnosis, treatment, and writing scripts for various medications among other things as well, a more generalized scope. I want to emphasize the IMMENSE gap there is, these two professions completely focus on different avenues. The only way I can see them coinciding is if maybe we were speaking about an Ortho PA. For those who want to get nitty gritty, everyone who has done any medical degree knows, we come into problems when we interfere outside of our scope of practice. A physical therapist has no business going into a medical diagnosis performed by a PA or MD. In that same capacity a PA or MD cannot come into our scope of a PT’s practice either.
Rank
I don’t like talking about this subject, it seems quite childish to be honest. The fact of the matter is there’s always a delegation of duties in each sphere of the work place. The MD is the lead and head physician then the PA and then we go down the list. I do want to address, and you can corroborate this with any DOs/MDs/ or Surgeons you know. When it comes to PT we are the leading person of our field— we are the head specialist— this is why the pt is referred to us. Although a PA may hold some of the same duties an MD has unfortunately they cannot challenge our findings and ultimately have to answer to the leading physician.
Salary
Let’s be real, most people who have this contemplation all mention student loans and the salary, this is a subject that really bugs me! PA’s average salary SEEMS higher, but in reality PT’s CAN make the equivalent and sometimes bring home a little bit extra with less burn out. However, not all PT’s want to work extra hours so the difference isn’t really a bother. Thankfully our schedule is a little bit more relaxed compared to a PA, so we can pick up these extra shifts! PA’s however make an excellent salary due to their high job demand and with their comparative schooling costs. Both are really similar and it all comes down to why you practice!
My experience
For the most part I have found wonderful camaraderie when it comes to PA’s, it may sound corny, but it is a wonderful thing to see healthcare professionals working together in order to get things done, because at the end of the day it’s ALL about the patient!
However many PT’s struggle when PA’s try to interfere in matters that just frankly aren’t up to them. Many a times PT’s have bypassed PA’s and gone straight to the MD, as I alluded to before, due to a lack of knowledge and trust on the PA’s part. (There are not many PA’s who fall into this category but make sure you don’t dismiss your team, we were trained same as you)
This is when it becomes a problem, where many PT’s feel to establish our turf🙂. Of course this is where PT’s can be wrong. Although we are the head of our field, we should never undermine any professional, they worked hard to get where they are as well! Bottom line: stick to what you know!
Now I’m going to leave it you readers to look up some of the statistics for yourself. For me it all comes down to one thing—passion! Lately I’ve been hearing more about financial gain or comparative job duties. What do you like to do!? For me I have fell in love with rehab. I love to dive into the personal aspects of my patients, you really become intimately involved in these people lives, helping them in their most vulnerable moments. There are experiences you never forget! Physical therapy combines the frailty of humanity and the hard core science all in one! But if you are more analytical and like to follow a more controlled orderly format, perhaps PA is for you. You can splurge on diagnostic testing and the other duties they have.
If you are only becoming a PA for the salary or the fact that it’s easier than just becoming an PT or MD I would encourage you to dig a little deeper and see what is right for you. The medical field is vast, and there are so many opportunities waiting—grab on! As for becoming a PT I will never regret any of it, I would do it all over again. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. All the schooling is critical and it’s worth it, and I think it all is balanced in the end. It is a gratifying job and I hope it never dies just because of the schooling changes, let it continue to inspire us all to give more back to our community!
Never settle, do what you LOVE!
Is DPT worth it?!
Hello,
First and foremost, if you are here to bash ANY of the professions I’m going to talk about walk away. This is not for that purpose. One of my students approached me, and I thought it would be an insightful read to balance out some of the readings and various opinions out there on this subject. I am a PT. My qualifications began by obtaining an MPT and recently I have gone through recent schooling to complete my DPT. I’m not an expert on the issue, but I am going to give my opinions based on the knowledge of healthcare, experience, and other clinician remarks.
In general
So this post may be long 🙂, but I really want to help people battling this decision. It is quite daunting when facing what you want to do for a career, not to mention the hours, money, and time into accomplishing that dream. So let’s get into it. First let’s talk about these two professions. Physical therapy focuses on rehabilitation of a person, primarily speaking about function, gait, strengthening, and endurance. A Physician Assistant focuses on aiding the head physician in whatever capacity they can. This includes diagnosis, treatment, and writing scripts for various medications among other things as well, a more generalized scope. I want to emphasize the IMMENSE gap there is, these two professions completely focus on different avenues. The only way I can see them coinciding is if maybe we were speaking about an Ortho PA. For those who want to get nitty gritty, everyone who has done any medical degree knows, we come into problems when we interfere outside of our scope of practice. A physical therapist has no business going into a medical diagnosis performed by a PA or MD. In that same capacity a PA or MD cannot come into our scope of a PT’s practice either.
Rank
I don’t like talking about this subject, it seems quite childish to be honest. The fact of the matter is there’s always a delegation of duties in each sphere of the work place. The MD is the lead and head physician then the PA and then we go down the list. I do want to address, and you can corroborate this with any DOs/MDs/ or Surgeons you know. When it comes to PT we are the leading person of our field— we are the head specialist— this is why the pt is referred to us. Although a PA may hold some of the same duties an MD has unfortunately they cannot challenge our findings and ultimately have to answer to the leading physician.
Salary
Let’s be real, most people who have this contemplation all mention student loans and the salary, this is a subject that really bugs me! PA’s average salary SEEMS higher, but in reality PT’s CAN make the equivalent and sometimes bring home a little bit extra with less burn out. However, not all PT’s want to work extra hours so the difference isn’t really a bother. Thankfully our schedule is a little bit more relaxed compared to a PA, so we can pick up these extra shifts! PA’s however make an excellent salary due to their high job demand and with their comparative schooling costs. Both are really similar and it all comes down to why you practice!
My experience
For the most part I have found wonderful camaraderie when it comes to PA’s, it may sound corny, but it is a wonderful thing to see healthcare professionals working together in order to get things done, because at the end of the day it’s ALL about the patient!
However many PT’s struggle when PA’s try to interfere in matters that just frankly aren’t up to them. Many a times PT’s have bypassed PA’s and gone straight to the MD, as I alluded to before, due to a lack of knowledge and trust on the PA’s part. (There are not many PA’s who fall into this category but make sure you don’t dismiss your team, we were trained same as you)
This is when it becomes a problem, where many PT’s feel to establish our turf🙂. Of course this is where PT’s can be wrong. Although we are the head of our field, we should never undermine any professional, they worked hard to get where they are as well! Bottom line: stick to what you know!
Now I’m going to leave it you readers to look up some of the statistics for yourself. For me it all comes down to one thing—passion! Lately I’ve been hearing more about financial gain or comparative job duties. What do you like to do!? For me I have fell in love with rehab. I love to dive into the personal aspects of my patients, you really become intimately involved in these people lives, helping them in their most vulnerable moments. There are experiences you never forget! Physical therapy combines the frailty of humanity and the hard core science all in one! But if you are more analytical and like to follow a more controlled orderly format, perhaps PA is for you. You can splurge on diagnostic testing and the other duties they have.
If you are only becoming a PA for the salary or the fact that it’s easier than just becoming an PT or MD I would encourage you to dig a little deeper and see what is right for you. The medical field is vast, and there are so many opportunities waiting—grab on! As for becoming a PT I will never regret any of it, I would do it all over again. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. All the schooling is critical and it’s worth it, and I think it all is balanced in the end. It is a gratifying job and I hope it never dies just because of the schooling changes, let it continue to inspire us all to give more back to our community!
Never settle, do what you LOVE!
- Joined
- May 26, 2019
- Messages
- 192
- Reaction score
- 146
That is a thought rather than a fact. If you have the thought 15 years in that you made a mistake and it wasn't worth it, you'll feel badly. If you have the thought 15 years in that you chose what you love to do and the loan payments are just a dollar amount on doing something you enjoy, you'll have a different experience. It's all up to you. The 35 year old version of you gets to make her or his own decisions on how to feel, and so does the you today.
To everyone- don't let someone else's thoughts dictate your own. Make the decision what to think consciously and for yourself.
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2017
- Messages
- 143
- Reaction score
- 104
Right? Like we future PTs shouldn't even be complaining when pharmacy has it sooooooo much worse. Many can't even find jobs upon graduation while the sky's the limit for us.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2020
- Messages
- 577
- Reaction score
- 761
Yup, the worst job is the job not needed.
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2017
- Messages
- 143
- Reaction score
- 104
PT techs seem to have a much easier time because I know someone who is a PT tech who has been quitting his tech jobs at the drop of a hat and easily finding another one.
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2019
- Messages
- 312
- Reaction score
- 106
Where does he work because my company fired all of us techs across the country due to COVID and I need a job lmao