Is It Wise To Do A Postbacc for PT?

[failureisnotfatal]

Okay, so here is my situation. I am currently a junior at my university. I am planning to take anatomy and physiology over the summer. In the fall I will be studying abroad. Then in the spring I will be back and I will be graduating. I am basically trying to decide whether or not to go into PT or OT for graduate school. Basically, I really like both areas and could go either way at this point and be happy. Now, here is the thing. If I decide to go to OT school, I would be able to go right after I graduate from college, but if I want to go to PT school, I cannot go after graduation because I still have not taken some of the prerequisites(chemistry, physics, exercise physiology, maybe need another semester of biology, and some sort of math class). So, I'm considering doing a formal Post bacc(because the pre-reqs I need are pretty much all the same as pre-med ones) if I decide to do PT or possibly just taking the classes at a community college. But I want to know if it is worth it financially to go this route. From what I have seen PTs and OTs make about the same amount of money.

TL; DR S0 basically, would it be financially worth it to do a post bacc or take community college classes for PT after graduation, if I have another career path that I am also considering strongly? Do PTs and OTs make almost the same amount of money( <$10,000 difference)??

Debt with OT route
-Undergrad debt
-2 years of grad school debt

Debt with PT route
-Undergrad debt
-Postbacc / prereq at community college debt
-3 years of grad school debt

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[ClimbPT]

I don't know what your Bachelors will be in, but I got mine in biology and was therefore barred from even applying to my local postbac program. Apparently this program at Cal State Fullerton is designed for people with bachelors in business, engineering, etc... However, this ended up working in my favor; I filled out my FAFSA and was able to take all my prereqs at a CC for free.

Have you observed/shadowed either profession? That's what I'd do first. Also, USA has a program where you can earn a Masters in OT while earning your DPT (University of St. Augustine - https://www.usa.edu/p40-51-Dual-Degree.aspx) unfortunately its quite expensive.

Good luck!

 

[failureisnotfatal]

I don't know what your Bachelors will be in, but I got mine in biology and was therefore barred from even applying to my local postbac program. Apparently this program at Cal State Fullerton is designed for people with bachelors in business, engineering, etc... However, this ended up working in my favor; I filled out my FAFSA and was able to take all my prereqs at a CC for free.

Have you observed/shadowed either profession? That's what I'd do first. Also, USA has a program where you can earn a Masters in OT while earning your DPT (University of St. Augustine - https://www.usa.edu/p40-51-Dual-Degree.aspx) unfortunately its quite expensive.

Good luck!

So you're saying it's possible to get financial aid for classes after graduation even if i'm not enrolled in a formal program? Even if I'm just taking prerequisites.

 

[ClimbPT]

So you're saying it's possible to get financial aid for classes after graduation even if i'm not enrolled in a formal program? Even if I'm just taking prerequisites.

Yep, age and income are the main factors but I'm a prime example of it being a reality. Check out fafsa.gov and see if you'll qualify, otherwise the postbacc route might be your best option.

 

[failureisnotfatal]

Yep, age and income are the main factors but I'm a prime example of it being a reality. Check out fafsa.gov and see if you'll qualify, otherwise the postbacc route might be your best option.

Well, I did not know that. I know that community colleges are cheaper overall and if it could be partially covered by financial then that would remove a lot of the cost. Some of the postbaccs I have seen are quite expensive and I don't know if it would be worth it from a purely financial standpoint if PT doesn't make much more than OT. I'm looking at it from a purely financial standpoint. From an emotional standpoint, I do like one a bit more than the other, but not so much more that I would be unhappy doing the other. I would be happy doing either from what I have seen.

 

[obeshy]

OTs had a median salary of $75,400 in 2012 according to the BLS. PTs made about $81,030 according to the BLS. I'm sure a quick google search could have told you that.

I think you should observe or volunteer in both fields and see what you enjoy more if you haven't already. At that point it should be easy to say, I wanna be a PT over an OT or vice verse. Then you can choose what path to take-- CC or post bac.

 

[failureisnotfatal]

OTs had a median salary of $75,400 in 2012 according to the BLS. PTs made about $81,030 according to the BLS. I'm sure a quick google search could have told you that.

I think you should observe or volunteer in both fields and see what you enjoy more if you haven't already. At that point it should be easy to say, I wanna be a PT over an OT or vice verse. Then you can choose what path to take-- CC or post bac.

Thank you for your condescending reply that didnt really answer my question. If I posted the question here, it probably means that I want to hear an answer from real people and not a search engine.

 

[obeshy]

Thank you for your condescending reply that didnt really answer my question. If I posted the question here, it probably means that I want to hear an answer from real people and not a search engine.

The BLS was taken from real people- a lot of them. Besides, this is the pre-PT forum- I'm guessing the majority of viewers here are pre-PT. you'd get a better response of what "real" PTs and OTs make in their forum. Here I thought I was being helpful.

 

[hmmmatt]

In my case, which obviously can't be generalized, doing a post-bacc is basically what has gotten me into PT school. You didn't mention anything about your grades, so you're probably not too worried about that, but that's basically why I did a post-bacc. I graduated with a degree in psychology with a GPA around 3.1. I applied to a bunch of schools and didn't get in anywhere. I decided to do a post-bacc at a different school in my area that has an actual pre-PT program (and a DPT progam), and I took classes that were mostly redundant but helped out a lot because they were very PT focused. I had already done all my chem/physics/etc for my first bachelors, so while that was all done, I was able to take some pretty cool classes that are required for pre-PT students at this school (Cleveland State University) which included Human Gross Anatomy with a full student-led cadaver dissection lab, and neuroscience with a wet lab. These classes are mostly unheard of for undergrads, so I think having them and doing well in them really helped me out. I raised my GPA up a bit and was accepted to a few different schools and given interviews at others.

I know that this situation may really not apply to you, but I gave a summary of my story just to say that doing a post-bacc can definitely help with getting into PT school. Also remember that salary for PTs and OTs is extremely dependent on where you work. Average salary for a PT in the greater metropolitan area of Las Vegas is 117k/year, as opposed to say... Colorado where it's 74k/year... that's quite the difference when considering paying back loans! Good luck! Let us know what you choose!

EDIT: The BLS just updated their site with 2013 numbers and the average salary for a PT in the greater Las Vegas area is now 124k/year.