Not sure if I'm right for PT school...

[keys33]

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Hi everyone! I'm in the middle of applying for PT school and wanted to get some input from other people in a similar spot in life 🙂

Some background: I was exposed to PT when I needed it for myself several years ago, but only became interested in pursuing it as a career a year ago when I shadowed a pediatric PT and loved it. This past year I've done a lot of shadowing and worked briefly as an aide. I graduated this year as a pre-med major, and think my GPA, GRE scores, and experiences are competitive for PT school.

I've chosen to pursue PT because I want to work with kids with disabilities. However, I feel like a black sheep. I'm not an athlete, I didn't grow up playing sports, and am not very good at them. I like to run and workout some, but that's about it. I also hated science when I was younger. I decided to be a science major because I knew it would lead to a career where I could impact people's lives, but it never came naturally for me. I can say now that it's interesting, but it was hard for me and I'm worried that pursuing more intense studies will burn me out.

I'm also 5'1" and not very strong, and I know that is a limitation. I want to work with kids because they're more my size but that also means having to lift dead weight at times.

I guess I'm just worried that I'm trying to be someone I'm not and that I'll get into school and realize I don't belong. Also, I want to work with kids in the end but I know that's only a fraction of what we do in school.

Does anyone have any tips, advice, or similar experiences?

Thanks!

 

[PrePTatUofO13]

Hey! I am very similar to you! I am only 5' and I also want to be a pediatric physical therapist due to my height. I am also not an athlete nor am I very strong, but I have a passion to help others and for the human body. I feel like if you really want to work with kids, getting through the tough science classes the first two years of PT school will be worth it. I particularly love science so I am not worried about that, but I tend to feel like I won't belong either. I think if you find the right program to attend, you will fit right in. Since you have competitive stats, you should be able to find a school that you will be really happy with, and who knows, maybe once in grad school, your passion for science will start to grow because you'll be surrounded by passionate and dedicated students!

I wish you all the best with your future! There are other careers that involve working with kids with disabilities (OT, speech therapy, etc.) to consider as well that are not as science heavy. However, if you were a pre-med major for 4 years as an undergrad, adding a few more years in PT school shouldn't be too bad!

 

[Kuhdaytee]

Your height doesn't determine what types of patients you work with. I see plenty of smaller PT's working with larger patients. If someone is too heavy to lift, you can always get a 2nd person to help you, or use a mechanical lift. I'm also 5'1" and am interested in pediatrics, but I'm also definitely interested in working with adults that are much larger than I am.

There are plenty of PT's who struggle with science courses, and liking sports is definitely not a requirement to become a PT. Lots of people in PT school love sports, but that doesn't mean that everyone else doesn't fit in. Everyone has doubts at some point during PT school, so you're not the only one that feels this way.

Have you ever been to an open house and talked to current students and faculty? That might be reassuring, to realize that you can easily get along with your future classmates.

 

[katelly]

I wouldn't worry about not fitting in if you really want to do PT. It seems like people have really diverse backgrounds in my program, some not particularly active. Put that worry aside. Also the height worry, not something that should affect your decision like the other folks said.

The first thing that does occur to me is that there are tons of other elements of PT that won't involve working with kids. For example geriatrics is the fastest growing demographic and a really big group of the patients that PTs see. I don't know if this would be the case, but I have to wonder if you would feel limited in the available positions if you are strictly interested in pediatrics. I would try to talk to as many pediatric PTs as you can to get a feel for that, or watch job listings for awhile maybe too. Im just shooting from the hip there so don't take my word for it.

On the other side of the coin there are tons of careers that involve working with kids, therapy and otherwise. Speech therapy comes to mind as something that I wish I had looked into a little more. You might look into education instead of therapy too. There are probably so many other careers that have their own little niches. I would spend more time looking into what those might be and see if one of them speaks strongly to you from more angles than just the demographic that you will work with.

Basically I think being worried about height and if you will fit in shouldn't be concerns. I would look a little deeper into the career though, and others, to find out what else you want to do and see if you can broaden your reasons for choosing a particular career.

 

[keys33]

Hey! I am very similar to you! I am only 5' and I also want to be a pediatric physical therapist due to my height. I am also not an athlete nor am I very strong, but I have a passion to help others and for the human body. I feel like if you really want to work with kids, getting through the tough science classes the first two years of PT school will be worth it. I particularly love science so I am not worried about that, but I tend to feel like I won't belong either. I think if you find the right program to attend, you will fit right in. Since you have competitive stats, you should be able to find a school that you will be really happy with, and who knows, maybe once in grad school, your passion for science will start to grow because you'll be surrounded by passionate and dedicated students!

I wish you all the best with your future! There are other careers that involve working with kids with disabilities (OT, speech therapy, etc.) to consider as well that are not as science heavy. However, if you were a pre-med major for 4 years as an undergrad, adding a few more years in PT school shouldn't be too bad!

Thanks for your response! I'm glad to know I'm not the only person in this kind of a scenario! I think I'm just nervous to go through more years of intense science. At least during undergrad I had gen eds to balance out the demand of my science classes. I think I can make it through in the end, I just don't want to be forcing something that isn't right, ya know? I'm focused more on physical therapy because I believe there's more overseas/missions opportunities than OT or speech therapy, but those are definitely good considerations.

Question: does the U of O in your name stand for the University of Oregon? If so, I'm an Oregonian too, born and raised! And while I'm not really into sports, if I had to choose a college team, it'd definitely be the ducks 🙂

 

[keys33]

Your height doesn't determine what types of patients you work with. I see plenty of smaller PT's working with larger patients. If someone is too heavy to lift, you can always get a 2nd person to help you, or use a mechanical lift. I'm also 5'1" and am interested in pediatrics, but I'm also definitely interested in working with adults that are much larger than I am.

There are plenty of PT's who struggle with science courses, and liking sports is definitely not a requirement to become a PT. Lots of people in PT school love sports, but that doesn't mean that everyone else doesn't fit in. Everyone has doubts at some point during PT school, so you're not the only one that feels this way.

Have you ever been to an open house and talked to current students and faculty? That might be reassuring, to realize that you can easily get along with your future classmates.

It's nice to hear this from a current PT student! One of my goals this gap year is to get stronger to help make up for my lack of height, but it's good to know that it is possible to maneuver patients who are larger than me. I've never been to an open house but that's a really good idea I've never considered. I think that would help alleviate some of my concerns. I'll definitely see if there's any going on near me. Thanks for the advice!

 

[keys33]

I wouldn't worry about not fitting in if you really want to do PT. It seems like people have really diverse backgrounds in my program, some not particularly active. Put that worry aside. Also the height worry, not something that should affect your decision like the other folks said.

The first thing that does occur to me is that there are tons of other elements of PT that won't involve working with kids. For example geriatrics is the fastest growing demographic and a really big group of the patients that PTs see. I don't know if this would be the case, but I have to wonder if you would feel limited in the available positions if you are strictly interested in pediatrics. I would try to talk to as many pediatric PTs as you can to get a feel for that, or watch job listings for awhile maybe too. Im just shooting from the hip there so don't take my word for it.

On the other side of the coin there are tons of careers that involve working with kids, therapy and otherwise. Speech therapy comes to mind as something that I wish I had looked into a little more. You might look into education instead of therapy too. There are probably so many other careers that have their own little niches. I would spend more time looking into what those might be and see if one of them speaks strongly to you from more angles than just the demographic that you will work with.

Basically I think being worried about height and if you will fit in shouldn't be concerns. I would look a little deeper into the career though, and others, to find out what else you want to do and see if you can broaden your reasons for choosing a particular career.

Thank you for your advice! I know not everyone going into PT school is a strong, tall, athlete, but when I tell people I'm interested in PT, I tend to get that questioning look, wondering if I'm the type of person suited for it. :/

I know choosing pediatrics is limiting the amount of job opportunities I would have. That is a conversation I should have with a pediatric PT, but that is ultimately what is drawing me to the field so I wouldn't want to give that up. I know the need for pediatric therapy is not going away. Kids will continue being born with disabilities (unfortunately), and I want to be able to help them. I know school will require working with all populations and I'm willing to learn all of it, it's just not what intrigues me with PT as much. And as stated above, I like PT because I can go on mission trips with it and I don't really see that potential with speech therapy or OT. Thanks again for your input!