Looking for advice. What if PT is wrong for me?

[DocTAP87]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hello,

I'm about to finish my bachelors in health science degree. I've applied to a DPT program with a pretty solid application including academic awards, nearly 10,000 hours experience (full time tech for nearly 5 years), good letters of recommendation, and I did well on the GRE. I feel like I might get accepted but there's a problem...I don't know if PT is right for me. There's a few reasons:

1. Biology, chemistry, anatomy, etc are not that interesting to me. I got A's in these classes but that was mostly due to good memorization. I really don't get excited over this stuff. I find it interesting but not very stimulating. Math is horrible for me...I just don't understand math.

2. I really love to write about and discuss social issues. I do really well in social science courses and it doesn't require memorization. I just love the material and I love talking about it and reading about it. The other day, I walked into my cultural competence class and the instructor wrote my name on the board with "religion" under it. She wanted me to talk about religion and I was very excited about that. I never get that excited over PT.

3. I've always wanted to be an instructor especially at the college level. The DPT program I applied to has a PhD program as well and I've been considering that so I can teach. Then I think, do I want to teach a subject that bores me?

4. I'm a personal trainer and I like it okay but I'm missing the passion. The most fun I have is when I can sit down with my clients and talk about food addiction, making better choices, how food affects our bodies, the mind-body connection, etc. The training is actually really boring to me. In fact, my knowledge of anatomy is limited due to my lack of enthusiasm. My brother, a former personal trainer who found a lot of success, gave me advice and his enthusiasm was so obvious. When I talk about training, it's like I'm fighting to keep myself awake. I can barely form a cohesive sentence because I'm not even interested in what I'm saying!

I have fears like what if I get in the program and realize it was a big mistake? I'll make decent money as a PT and I have a family to support but what I'm not a good therapist because I lack passion for the field? I don't know if I'm on the right path. I think I really need to do some soul searching. Maybe go see what kind of jobs exist related to social science and whether or not they're a good fit for me. Sure, I enjoy discussing and reading about those topics but does that mean it'd make a good career?

Sorry about the long post. I'm going to go talk to a counselor tomorrow. I don't know if this is the proper place to post such a question but I'm just really confused. I'm just hoping there might be somebody out there that might have some advice to share.

For you PTs, did you have passion for the field? Did it matter to you?



Thank you

 

[jblil]

You know the field relatively well since you were a PT tech for 5 years. If you don't like it, by all means don't sink 3 years of your life + significant money for tuition and living expenses into it. Not liking what you do makes for a very long day. It will be absolute torture if you had to do it for 30-40 years.

Your school's Career Center should have plenty of resources for exploring other fields. Once you have identified a couple of careers that appeal to you, tap into your alumni network and see if you can talk to folks who are doing those jobs. That way you'll have an idea of what it's like to be "in the trenches."

Personally, I made pretty drastic changes in my professional career whenever I stopped liking what I did. So far, I haven't regretted it.

 

[NewTestament]

You should not apply to PT school. You really have to want to do it. It will cost three years of your life, not including the time it takes to take the pre-requisites. It will also cost between $50-$90k in tuition alone.

Your lack of interest in science is also another indicator you do not belong in PT school. There is a lot of science, including biomechanics, anatomy, and pathology. If you don't like elementary science classes, you will not like the more technical classes of PT school. If you don't like math, you will not do well in physics and chemistry.

 

[DesertPT]

I totally agree with the above two posts. If PT schools cost $20,000 and you would be making $150k/year afterwards then maybe one might seriously consider doing it for the money despite not liking it, as social sciences is going to be a harder area to find a truly relevant job easily. But the student debt to potential income ratio for PT is much different than that, not to mention the fact that you would be miserable through school and possibly throughout your life and as a PT who didn't like your job you'd have no motivation to stay up on current research and provide the best patient care.

None of the points you have listed are in and of themselves a good enough reason to bail on PT, but collectively they definitely make a case for doing so. Have you observed any settings other than where you work as a tech (which I am assuming is outpatient ortho but maybe not). Maybe you could go to something like a rehab setting and end up totally loving it. Inpatient PT is very, very different from outpatient.

But if you want to get into PT school, you are going to have to pull some serious fake enthusiasm out of your butt...adcom members' BS meters are pretty good and so you'll definitely need an academy award winning performance to make it through the process. You don't have to be bouncing off the freakin walls about how much you love PT, but you do need to sincerely want to be one.

You mention that you don't like personal training, but most people don't from what I've seen and heard. How did you like your work as a PT tech?

One can certainly be a hard worker and be successful in any career even if they don't think it is their "calling" in life or something, but based on the description you have given, it seems like it would be somewhat bogus for you to be taking a seat in a PT program from someone who actually wanted to be there.

 

[okramango]

I definitely agree that you should explore some other careers, as PT really doesn't sound like the career for you. PT school is hard enough to get through even with an interest in the field. I don't think I could survive it if I wasn't even interested in it! It would also be a waste of time and money, only to go work in a field that bores you. Take some time to see what else is out there. If you're interested in the health field, maybe look into a masters in public health or health administration? There are a lot of different directions that you could go in with those that can include involvement in social issues. Good luck!

 

[starrsgirl]

I would put things on pause and go work for a few years after graduation. There is no rush at all! I fear the first year of PT school will be horrendous for you. The level of work is insane and the difficulty is high. If you aren't into it it's very hard to make yourself study 8 hours a day on the weekend. What about public health? Health advocacy? Social work?

 

[NewTestament]

Just work full time and take long walks so you can pontificate about your future. Analyze your strengths and choose the career that exploits them.

 

[DocTAP87]

I didn't realize so many people replied. Thank you for the advice. I've contacted a couple of professors I admire that work in social science fields and I'm hoping they can help point me in the right direction or tell me how I can get some opportunities to explore different careers. I definitely need to think about my strengths and motivation before committing to PT school. I find out in February if I've been accepted so I hope to have a clearer picture by then. I may take the year off.

 

[DocTAP87]

You mention that you don't like personal training, but most people don't from what I've seen and heard. How did you like your work as a PT tech?

I like it okay. When I first started I was all about it. I tried to be the best tech I could be and I started supervising exercise programs, I was the go to person, nominated for employee of the month, started a recycling program, became the tour guide for the new facility, etc. But now, the bureaucracy of the hospital and the tedious work has driven any passion I had away. Combine that with my uncertainty of passion in the field it's just not a good place for me anymore I'm so apathetic toward being a tech that I disappoint myself by being there. They dropped me to on call and I put in my notice two weeks ago that I will no longer be working there.

 

[DesertPT]

I find out in February if I've been accepted so I hope to have a clearer picture by then. I may take the year off.

If by chance you have decided not to go to PT school at that point, just make sure to reject that offer ASAP so that some poor person can get off the waiting list and have some serious anxiety relief. 🙂

 

[DesertPT]

I like it okay. When I first started I was all about it. I tried to be the best tech I could be and I started supervising exercise programs, I was the go to person, nominated for employee of the month, started a recycling program, became the tour guide for the new facility, etc. But now, the bureaucracy of the hospital and the tedious work has driven any passion I had away. Combine that with my uncertainty of passion in the field it's just not a good place for me anymore I'm so apathetic toward being a tech that I disappoint myself by being there. They dropped me to on call and I put in my notice two weeks ago that I will no longer be working there.

You do have to realize that being a PT tech is nothing like being a PT. So don't base too many of your assumptions about PT just off of that one experience. But all the above points made still stand.