My rant about PT!

[PTrant]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I am a recent Canadian PT grad (07) who is now attending med school.

Upon graduating from undergrad, I was not accepted to any Canadian medical schools. So I decided to go for the next best thing, physio, thinking I could have a great career working in sports med or with some sports team.

I sufferred through 2.5 years of memorizing heart medications, lab values and neural pathways. I spent an amazing 6 internships in hospitals where I had the honor of having smart @ssed med students tell me to walk their patients or tap on their chests to perform life-saving lung drainage! I felt like a complete tool.

So what I'm trying to say to all you keeners who are looking forward to canadian PT education (i've read your posts on this board) is that if you are one of those "I didn't get into med school" types, just wait it out. Go work or travel for a year and reapply. PT is not worth it in the long run.

I've worked 6 months in a private practice and the money is NOT there, and with the current economy, patients do not come back for treatment. And why would you blame them? Who would pay $60/visit to have me slap some cold gel on their shoulder and show them how to do a biceps curl. I wouldn't.

 

[Trueblue12]

well if you were expecting a salary comparable to an MD salary I can understand your angst. I think you make a good point about waiting med school out though if you dont get in on the 1st try. Im not canadian, but I have a couple of friends who did not get into med school their 1st try(with very good stats I might add), and they worked hard to improve their application in that year off and got in. As long as you have a realistic chance of getting into med school, its worth waiting it out instead of committing to something youre just not that in to.

 

[jesse14]

I am a recent Canadian PT grad (07) who is now attending med school.

Upon graduating from undergrad, I was not accepted to any Canadian medical schools. So I decided to go for the next best thing, physio, thinking I could have a great career working in sports med or with some sports team.

I sufferred through 2.5 years of memorizing heart medications, lab values and neural pathways. I spent an amazing 6 internships in hospitals where I had the honor of having smart @ssed med students tell me to walk their patients or tap on their chests to perform life-saving lung drainage! I felt like a complete tool.

So what I'm trying to say to all you keeners who are looking forward to canadian PT education (i've read your posts on this board) is that if you are one of those "I didn't get into med school" types, just wait it out. Go work or travel for a year and reapply. PT is not worth it in the long run.

I've worked 6 months in a private practice and the money is NOT there, and with the current economy, patients do not come back for treatment. And why would you blame them? Who would pay $60/visit to have me slap some cold gel on their shoulder and show them how to do a biceps curl. I wouldn't.

As a 2nd year PT student in Ontario, this thread scares the $hit out of me. This person has, in a single post, outlined my fears for this profession. I however do disagree with the "Who would pay $60/visit to have me slap some cold gel on their shoulder and show them how to do a biceps curl. I wouldn't" statemnt. I know that i'll used modalities rarley in practice because they are not backed up by research. Plus, if you treat pts well and with the best therapy possible, they will appreciate it. I've seen it many times over!

About the hospital PT... couldn't agree more. I'm on my last day of my first in-pt hospital placement and i HATED it. All the PT's did there was ambulate ppl ALL day..it's crap. I did not do a 4 year honors degree and a 2 year masters to do the kind of mindless work i've seen every hospital physio do..i know this is going to oftend some people but what i'm saying is from my own experiences!

 

[Cronos]

The OP didn't like working in the hospital setting, which it doesn't seem many do, so change settings. The OP did but made no comment on that other than a dislike of the pay. What pay were you expecting vs. what you received and what did you not like about the private setting? Don't piece around with what you dislike, give your full argument.


If you suffer through the education of the job and simply memorize everything you need to know then that's a pretty good signal that you do not want to go into the profession and honestly, patients aren't going to want you treating them. You should have gotten out immediately.

Lastly, thinking you are going to graduate and be working for a sports team is ridiculous. It takes a lot of working to get to that point, a job many dream of. You are not going to memorize the basics to get to position.

Jess made the other good point.

It seems like you spent no time making sure you wanted to go into PT and no time researching the profession. It seems like you put no heart into it and you walked away with what you put in. I hope you do not make the same mistake with medical school. Good luck with medical school and I hope it delivers all you desire of it.

 

[soccer31]

Out of curiosity, does Canada have something similar to direct access or do PTs simply follow physicians recommendations? Just asking because I believe that is how it is in a lot of countries and that would make a HUGE difference.

 

[jesse14]

Out of curiosity, does Canada have something similar to direct access or do PTs simply follow physicians recommendations? Just asking because I believe that is how it is in a lot of countries and that would make a HUGE difference.

In canada, PT's are primary contact. You don't need a referral to see a PT in an outpt setting. However, some insurance companies won't pay for it without a referral. In the hospital setting, the Dr gives the referall for physio and the PT is essentialy a puppet for what the DR wants to do with the patient.... Private clinic> hospital in my opinion!

 

[Elbrus]

The OP didn't like working in the hospital setting, which it doesn't seem many do, so change settings. The OP did but made no comment on that other than a dislike of the pay. What pay were you expecting vs. what you received and what did you not like about the private setting? Don't piece around with what you dislike, give your full argument.


If you suffer through the education of the job and simply memorize everything you need to know then that's a pretty good signal that you do not want to go into the profession and honestly, patients aren't going to want you treating them. You should have gotten out immediately.

Lastly, thinking you are going to graduate and be working for a sports team is ridiculous. It takes a lot of working to get to that point, a job many dream of. You are not going to memorize the basics to get to position.

Jess made the other good point.

It seems like you spent no time making sure you wanted to go into PT and no time researching the profession. It seems like you put no heart into it and you walked away with what you put in. I hope you do not make the same mistake with medical school. Good luck with medical school and I hope it delivers all you desire of it.

Agreed. Also given the nature of this first post & new member status, I sense a troll.

 

[bigdan]

I am a recent Canadian PT grad (07) who is now attending med school.

I sufferred through 2.5 years of memorizing heart medications, lab values and neural pathways. .

*Disclaimer: I'm not a PT, and did not train in Canada*

I was an OT for seven years before heading to medical school, and I'm now in residency.

If you think that medical school - or even residency, for that matter - is gonna get you out of memorizing heart medications, lab values, and neural pathways, or get you away from smart assed medical students, you've got another thing coming...

dc

 

[lee9786]

So the question is what's the difference between working in Canada as a PT and working in the US as a PT? What are the similarities and differences?

 

[DPT ATC]

So the question is what's the difference between working in Canada as a PT and working in the US as a PT? What are the similarities and differences?

in Canada you have to end every sentence with "Eh?"

seriously, it sounds like PTs aren't given as much respect and autonomy in the acute care setting in Canada as they are in the US. hopefully Canadian PTs can advocate for themselves and make some changes.

 

[PTrant]

*Disclaimer: I'm not a PT, and did not train in Canada*

I was an OT for seven years before heading to medical school, and I'm now in residency.

If you think that medical school - or even residency, for that matter - is gonna get you out of memorizing heart medications, lab values, and neural pathways, or get you away from smart assed medical students, you've got another thing coming...

dc

Thanks for the heads up!!

What I was trying to say, is that in PT school, we were forced to memorize excruciating details for no reason. As PTs who cares if we know every neural pathway, once you get to the hospital you just read the little note the doctor wrote "please mobilize my patient" go find yourself a walker and then try to convince a nice 70 year old granny that you are just the person whose job it will be to come see her every day to watch her walk 100 steps a day until she is discharged!

I wouldn't mind memorizing the details if I could actually put the knowledge to use. It's not like anyone is going to listen to the PT who puts their hand up to argue with the doctor about hemoglobin levels or the exact location of the lesion in the spinal cord.

Really, from my experience, my dog could probably learn to walk people around the hospital.

 

[MinnDasota]

Thanks for the heads up!!

What I was trying to say, is that in PT school, we were forced to memorize excruciating details for no reason. As PTs who cares if we know every neural pathway, once you get to the hospital you just read the little note the doctor wrote "please mobilize my patient" go find yourself a walker and then try to convince a nice 70 year old granny that you are just the person whose job it will be to come see her every day to watch her walk 100 steps a day until she is discharged!

I wouldn't mind memorizing the details if I could actually put the knowledge to use. It's not like anyone is going to listen to the PT who puts their hand up to argue with the doctor about hemoglobin levels or the exact location of the lesion in the spinal cord.

Really, from my experience, my dog could probably learn to walk people around the hospital.

If you want to put those "lab" values and such to use, you should've looked into working at a hospital with a TBI, SCI, or cardiac unit. You gotta know your stuff there from my experience.

Either way, good luck in med school!

 

[DPT ATC]

when you are a med student, a resident, and an attending use your experience to make a positive change for PTs. don't let the status quo continue. that's the only way things will ever change.

 

[truthseeker]

Thanks for the heads up!!

What I was trying to say, is that in PT school, we were forced to memorize excruciating details for no reason. As PTs who cares if we know every neural pathway, once you get to the hospital you just read the little note the doctor wrote "please mobilize my patient" go find yourself a walker and then try to convince a nice 70 year old granny that you are just the person whose job it will be to come see her every day to watch her walk 100 steps a day until she is discharged!

I wouldn't mind memorizing the details if I could actually put the knowledge to use. It's not like anyone is going to listen to the PT who puts their hand up to argue with the doctor about hemoglobin levels or the exact location of the lesion in the spinal cord.

Really, from my experience, my dog could probably learn to walk people around the hospital.

Wow, I can't begin to explain to you how limited your view of PT is. Sure there are PTs who do just what you described. There are others who are the primary orthopedic evaluators in many settings. there was even a study done that compared the appropriateness of imaging orders from FPs, Orthopods, and Army PTs (who can order imaging) and the PTs ordering was as appropriate as the orthos, more appropriate than the FPs.

Before you piss all over an entire profession, try to take the time to learn about what they do, over the entire scope of their practice.

To turn it around on you, ' my dog could learn to tell you to take two aspirin and call me in the morning, or stick your finger up someones butt, or grab a 12 yo boys balls and tell them to cough'

See, what I just did is exactly what you did. You took the most mundane of a dynamic profession and blew it up as if it is the majority of what we do. Medicine is just the same, there are things that are very mundane and arguably others could do them but it is often the thought process behind the mundane that makes it skilled.

Lighten up, you might need help someday and if you keep the attitude that you have, there might not be many helpers.