Medicine VS Physical Therapy

[Auron]

I've been told to have a back up just in case medicine doesn't work out for some reason - and I'm considering physical therapy. I was wondering what you guys thought of physical therapy as a career compared to medicine ( I know less salary, not as much prestige) but still a very respectable and highly in demand profession, you can still make a true difference in peoples lives, and earn 6 figures with ease.

Plus a DPT (doctor in physical therapy) is just 3 years, compared to 4 years med school, residency, fellowship etc. I'm going to shadow a PT for a couple of days to get a better idea, but what are your thoughts on PT, and some pros and cons of when comparing it to medicine. Would you ever consider becoming a PT?

any help is much appreciated.

thanks.

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[Critical Mass]

Some recent threads that come to mind which may be of interest:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=377874

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=377267

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=349910

Life is too short to not do what you truly want to do. Do PM&R as an MD or DO.

 

[Green Pirate]

I would expect PT salaries to only go up given the aging population.

 

[Auron]

I would expect PT salaries to only go up given the aging population.

yeah so do I. I have a therapist in the family who's making 125k and its preety low stress, easier life style compared to medicine.

and another thing....you don't have to take o-chem to do PT..that itself makes it worth it

(I hate o-chem right now, Its driving me nuts)

 

[Green Pirate]

yeah if I weren't a masochist, and wanted an easier life, I probably would have looked more seriously into PT. ah well... medicine it is.

 

[NonTradMed]

You may want to do look at the DPT forum for more information. PT doesn't sound like a bad profession to go into.

 

[searun]

Physical therapy is a great profession with good prospects and those folks make good money with alot less stress than docs.

 

[ptdoctor]

yeah so do I. I have a therapist in the family who's making 125k and its preety low stress, easier life style compared to medicine.

and another thing....you don't have to take o-chem to do PT..that itself makes it worth it

(I hate o-chem right now, Its driving me nuts)

I am currently a PT with about 5 years of experience, and I am making far below 125K despite the fact that I have a very competitive salary for the field. I went into PT with the idea that it would fulfill my desire to work with patients and help people but without all the schooling and long hours... It turns out that I still have the calling to medicine. I have no regrets because it is a nice profession (I work only 40 hours per week) which has its rewards, but it is NOT medicine. I would strongly encourage you to look into the field A LOT before deciding on it. I know very few PTs over the age of 35, but I know many doctors over the age of 60. It has a very high drop-out rate as a profession. It is definitely less competitive than med school. I applied to 7 schools and was accepted at all of them. Now I have applied to 30 med schools and been accepted to two.

And FYI...my PT school did require ochem.

 

[PEN15]

I've been told to have a back up just in case medicine doesn't work out for some reason - and I'm considering physical therapy. I was wondering what you guys thought of physical therapy as a career compared to medicine ( I know less salary, not as much prestige) but still a very respectable and highly in demand profession, you can still make a true difference in peoples lives, and earn 6 figures with ease.

Plus a DPT (doctor in physical therapy) is just 3 years, compared to 4 years med school, residency, fellowship etc. I'm going to shadow a PT for a couple of days to get a better idea, but what are your thoughts on PT, and some pros and cons of when comparing it to medicine. Would you ever consider becoming a PT?

any help is much appreciated.

thanks.

You also don't want to fall into the trap of going after your back-up plan only to realize that if you tried a little harder to get into medicine years ago you wouldn't be re-applying in your late 20s early 30s. It seems to me that you really want to do medicine, but you're afraid that you might not get in. Have some confidence and everything will work out. (Well that was somewhat nice? no?)

 

[Auron]

You also don't want to fall into the trap of going after your back-up plan only to realize that if you tried a little harder to get into medicine years ago you wouldn't be re-applying in your late 20s early 30s. It seems to me that you really want to do medicine, but you're afraid that you might not get in. Have some confidence and everything will work out. (Well that was somewhat nice? no?)

thanks pen...you're right - I really do want to do medicine. I think I was freaking out a bit about the competition etc. My parents really believe that I can get to medicine...so I guess its all in my hands now. I'll still keep PT as a back up for now.

 

[Dr_Dan_the_man]

I am a graduated PT as well...

I also thought it would satisfy my desire to work with patients and it is very rewarding, but as others have noted, it is NOT medicine.

money and prestige aside, you should NOT get into the field if it is a "backup" to medicine since you will never be happy.

For me it wasnt so much a backup but more of a way to compromise my career aspirations with years of schooling etc... although i really do like my job, I am planning to apply to medicine now because:
a) I don't know if I see myself doing this in 10 years
b) I feel as a profession we are undervalued and underpaid
and c) I still have the 'itch' for medicine. I guess it's something you can't get rid of.... I know that down the line I will regret not giving it a try.

Good luck to you

 

[Eric Lindros]

yeah so do I. I have a therapist in the family who's making 125k and its preety low stress, easier life style compared to medicine.

and another thing....you don't have to take o-chem to do PT..that itself makes it worth it

(I hate o-chem right now, Its driving me nuts)

Couple things

1) A typical Physical Therapist does not make anywhere near 125K Try more like 60-70K

2) Physical therapy typically requires heavy education and training. Not as much as a doctor, but if you think PT is low stress, well, you don't really know much about pt (no offense)

3) Many PT programs do require o-chem

My personal opinion: Physical therapists are extremely underpaid for the amount of training and work that the career requires. In that regard, I think it sounds like a pretty terrible choice. Most people who actually do it long enough really, and i mean really, love it. Those people are few and far between.

 

[Auron]

Couple things

1) A typical Physical Therapist does not make anywhere near 125K Try more like 60-70K

2) Physical therapy typically requires heavy education and training. Not as much as a doctor, but if you think PT is low stress, well, you don't really know much about pt (no offense)

3) Many PT programs do require o-chem

ok:

1. Yes I'm aware of this. This person in question does a lot of PRN work in addition to their main job, that pushes them above 100k

2. I know a PT education is rigorous, I was comparing it to medicine. Same with stress levels compared to medicine - its lower in PT for a number of reasons. I have been set on medicine since I exited the womb and just now looking into PT, so forgive me If I'm not an expert on the field. No need to be harsh. Why do you think I made this thread?

3. All the programs I have looked into for DPT only require one year of gen chem, which I have fulfilled. Not a single one requires o-chem. I'm sure their will be some exceptions....

 

[ropeadope1983]

In my extensive experience dealing with physical therapists I have come to know the vast majority of them more as "sales-people" than medical professionals. A great deal of the things that physical therapists advocate are not backed-up with scientific research. This is, in fact, epidemic in allied health professionals in sports medicine because they lack the prescriptive power that doctors enjoy in their practice. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of important things that physical therapists do (and I'm sure plenty of pre-PT's and PT students will jump in and flame this post just to show you). But I just know that I personally couldn't live with myself if I knew that the M.O. of the profession I entered was to deceive my clients into trusting me and believing that I am the "world's authority" on something, when in fact not a whole lot of what I say is grounded in scientific research. Meanwhile you are motivated to get these clients hooked onto your services and even a line of products that you may market and peddle on the side (as many successful physical therapists do).

Just my $0.02.

 

[Eric Lindros]

ok:

1. Yes I'm aware of this. This person in question does a lot of PRN work in addition to their main job, that pushes them above 100k

2. I know a PT education is rigorous, I was comparing it to medicine. Same with stress levels compared to medicine - its lower in PT for a number of reasons. I have been set on medicine since I exited the womb and just now looking into PT, so forgive me If I'm not an expert on the field. No need to be harsh. Why do you think I made this thread?

3. All the programs I have looked into for DPT only require one year of gen chem, which I have fulfilled. Not a single one requires o-chem. I'm sure their will be some exceptions....

Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I just thought your previous post of "low stress, high pay" was a terribly inaccurate description of PT as a field.

 

[Dr_Dan_the_man]

In my extensive experience dealing with physical therapists I have come to know the vast majority of them more as "sales-people" than medical professionals. A great deal of the things that physical therapists advocate are not backed-up with scientific research. This is, in fact, epidemic in allied health professionals in sports medicine because they lack the prescriptive power that doctors enjoy in their practice. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of important things that physical therapists do (and I'm sure plenty of pre-PT's and PT students will jump in and flame this post just to show you). But I just know that I personally couldn't live with myself if I knew that the M.O. of the profession I entered was to deceive my clients into trusting me and believing that I am the "world's authority" on something, when in fact not a whole lot of what I say is grounded in scientific research. Meanwhile you are motivated to get these clients hooked onto your services and even a line of products that you may market and peddle on the side (as many successful physical therapists do).

Just my $0.02.

What makes you such an expert? You asked for a flame, here it is.

Physical Therapy is COMPLETELY evidence-based.
Do you know how much research is going on as we speak in every aspect of the field??

prescriptive power??? Wait so if the doctor prescribes you some pain medication that puts a mask on your pain for a few days then that's better than physio treatment which can relieve the pain and prevent future episodes?
*********ASK EVERY FAMILY MD AND THEY WILL TELL YOU THEY PRESCRIBE ANTI-INFLAMM MEDS DAILY TO PATIENTS WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING THE DIAGNOSIS. THEY MISS AND WE PICK UP FRACTURES, NEURAL SIGNS, LIGAMENT TEARS AND OTHER MEDICAL EMERGENCIES THEY SHOULD BE SCREENING FOR.

Let me explain something to you ... having MD beside your name does not make you the "world's authority" on ANYTHING.

I've only been working 8 months in the field and I cant tell you the number of people who tell me they've gone to 6 diff docs who were useless and I was the only one who could help them.


We don't need to "peddle" our services. We are not sales people. But physio is a BUSINESS and therefore you need to MARKET your service.

I think that the results of our treatment speaks for itself.

 

[msundi83]

I was accepted into several PT programs and decided to switch to medicine my senior with enough time to study for the MCAT and shadow some docs. The reason I switched had a great deal to do with my experience shadowing PTs. First I should echo there are benifits to the career in that you don't have to work insane hours and still make a competitive salary. Depending on where you work, you can also have the chance to be around patients that interest you. Still, the more PTs I met the more I realized that for the amount of knowledge they had, they were not given the opportunities to use it as much as they liked. Maybe that will change down the road, but I was not willing to take that chance. Every PT I met felt this way to some extent. Half of them I'd say wished they'd done medicine. The rest said they were happy with their choice, but they still housed that frustration that they were kinda on a leash. I just knew that any sort of a leash would bug me more than them probably.

That is one perspective...and just reflects my experiences.

 

[ropeadope1983]

What makes you such an expert? You asked for a flame, here it is.

Physical Therapy is COMPLETELY evidence-based.
Do you know how much research is going on as we speak in every aspect of the field??

prescriptive power??? Wait so if the doctor prescribes you some pain medication that puts a mask on your pain for a few days then that's better than physio treatment which can relieve the pain and prevent future episodes?
*********ASK EVERY FAMILY MD AND THEY WILL TELL YOU THEY PRESCRIBE ANTI-INFLAMM MEDS DAILY TO PATIENTS WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING THE DIAGNOSIS. THEY MISS AND WE PICK UP FRACTURES, NEURAL SIGNS, LIGAMENT TEARS AND OTHER MEDICAL EMERGENCIES THEY SHOULD BE SCREENING FOR.

Let me explain something to you ... having MD beside your name does not make you the "world's authority" on ANYTHING.

I've only been working 8 months in the field and I cant tell you the number of people who tell me they've gone to 6 diff docs who were useless and I was the only one who could help them.


We don't need to "peddle" our services. We are not sales people. But physio is a BUSINESS and therefore you need to MARKET your service.

I think that the results of our treatment speaks for itself.

This flame reminds me of another negative aspect of physical therapy...feeling inferior to anyone with an MD and spending the rest of your life convincing yourself that you are smarter/better than anyone who has an MD....

 

[SupergreenMnM]

If you wanted a back up for medicine...why in the world PT? Geesh, nursing isn't medicine, physical therapy isn't medicine, occupational therapy isn't medicine. I'd guess the closest you could get to a medicine backup is PA.

 

[ocwaveoc]

I've been a PT for 12 years. I'd say that unless one starts his own business, the ceiling salary for the following settings as a staff PT are:
Hospital: 80K/yr
Outpatient clinic: 80K/yr
Nursing home: 90K/yr
Homehealth 90K/yr.

Of course there are exceptioins where people who make more than above. But, vast majority of the people top out of the above salary if not significantly lower.

 

[msundi83]

If you wanted a back up for medicine...why in the world PT? Geesh, nursing isn't medicine, physical therapy isn't medicine, occupational therapy isn't medicine. I'd guess the closest you could get to a medicine backup is PA.

or witch doctor

 

[SupergreenMnM]

or witch doctor

Is the residency short?

 

[msundi83]

Is the residency short?

Not at all, its not even required.

 

[MahlerROCKS]

Have you thought about genetic counseling?

 

[Auron]

I want to become a doctor, not a PT. This thread has helped clear my thoughts.

 

[Never2L8]

I've been lurking on sdn for a little while now, but didn't really feel the need to post something until now. I'm a somewhat older nontraditional student (I'll be thirty next month) who has just recently been accepted to med school. My girlfriend, however, is a DPT, and I feel obligated to defend her very underrated and underpaid profession.

The notion that PT is not evidence based is nonsense. My girlfriend's job is almost 100% research. She is employed as a researcher in the field of geriatrics. She submits grants, keeps herself funded, and collects data.

By the way, she is also a professor of gross anatomy and clinical internal medicine at the local medical school. So be nice, she just might be grading you some day.

 

[Dr_Dan_the_man]

This flame reminds me of another negative aspect of physical therapy...feeling inferior to anyone with an MD and spending the rest of your life convincing yourself that you are smarter/better than anyone who has an MD....

Not at all.

Some people, yes, are resentful of MD's. Those are the people who are not happy in their profession.

The main reason people feel resentful is :

A) The general public generally respects the opinion of an MD over that of a PT (even though, as i made reference to in my post, most referrals we get are from MDs who don't even take the time to do a proper evaluation and blindly prescribe medication)

and B) The hierarchy of the interdisciplinary team. While the physician's job is to lead the team, in many settings (NOT ALL MD's) they are condescending to PT's and do not respect their judgement.

MD's and PT's have different jobs, and they are both extremely important.
Teamwork and mutual respect are what we strive for.


PLEASE dont resort to using old cliches like "all PTs are jealous of MDs" or "a PT is just a pre-med who didn't get in" --- They are dead wrong, and extremely disrespectful to the profession.

 

[ropeadope1983]

I want to become a doctor, not a PT. This thread has helped clear my thoughts.

Good for you! I think you are making an excellent decision. At this point in your life you should keep your mind focused on plan A (getting into medical school and becoming a physician). Don't concern yourself with plan B because you can accomplish plan A (and plan B just distracts from plan A).

You will have so many more opportunities available to you as an MD. If you are truly interested in sports medicine you can become an Orthopedic Surgeon, a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation doctor, or any of the many specialties that offer fellowships in sports medicine (such as family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, etc.). You could become the team physician of a local high school or university. The sky is truly the limit when you have your MD, whereas physical therapy is quite limiting in scope.

Good luck to you!

 

[Auron]

Good for you! I think you are making an excellent decision. At this point in your life you should keep your mind focused on plan A (getting into medical school and becoming a physician). Don't concern yourself with plan B because you can accomplish plan A (and plan B just distracts from plan A).

You will have so many more opportunities available to you as an MD. If you are truly interested in sports medicine you can become an Orthopedic Surgeon, a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation doctor, or any of the many specialties that offer fellowships in sports medicine (such as family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, etc.). You could become the team physician of a local high school or university. The sky is truly the limit when you have your MD, whereas physical therapy is quite limiting in scope.

Good luck to you!

thanks ropeadope, I really appreciate your help.

 

[Dr JPH]

Go to DO school then do a residency in sports medicine.

Phillies, 76ers, Flyers, Eagles. All have DO sports med & ortho docs on staff.

Of course, it doesnt say much for their on-field performance.

www.phillysucks.com

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Tired]

You will have so many more opportunities available to you as an MD. If you are truly interested in sports medicine you can become an Orthopedic Surgeon, a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation doctor, or any of the many specialties that offer fellowships in sports medicine (such as family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, etc.). You could become the team physician of a local high school or university. The sky is truly the limit when you have your MD, whereas physical therapy is quite limiting in scope.

Let me offer two opinions:

1) There is a tendency to speak about Ortho, PMR, and Sports Medicine all in the same sentence, usually under the heading of "Musculoskeletal Medicine". In my (admittedly limited) experience, this is inappropriate. Orthopods are surgeons first and foremost. In my 3mo of Ortho sub-i's this year, I had multiple occassions to work with PT, but never even met a Sports Med doc or PMR. Orthopedics is Surgery, and non-op cases are usually referred out to PT for medical management, or sent back to Sports Med. If you don't love to operate, don't waste your time with Ortho.

2) All Ortho docs love PT. They do more for our patients than most medicine docs. If I had the money, I would see one regularly for tips on stretching, injury prevention, and strength training. Anyone ripping on PT doesn't know what the hell they are talking about.

Carry on.

 

[Dr_Dan_the_man]

Let me offer two opinions:


2) All Ortho docs love PT. They do more for our patients than most medicine docs. If I had the money, I would see one regularly for tips on stretching, injury prevention, and strength training. Anyone ripping on PT doesn't know what the hell they are talking about.

Carry on.

Thanks for your vote of confidence.

Unfortunately, not ALL orthos love PTs. Many of them have ego problems and think they are king of the world.
While there are many gifted orthopedic surgeons, a great majority see patients for about 2 minutes and send them to physio with a complete misdiagnosis.... then we have to tip toe around them so as not to bruise their ego if we want to suggest an alternative treatment.

They may have many more diagnostic tools at their disposal, but in a physical exam, the PT clearly has the edge.