Personal experience with broken bones?

[geronamo26]

Does it help when deciding to major in PT/PTA to have personal experience in rehab due to broken bones or other injuries treated by PT in order to more fully understand a career in PT/PTA?

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[elchino]

Not really, it might be more relatable as a patient of physical therapy yourself, but you can still observe/volunteer and understand the career.

 

[Chernz]

A lot of people first become interested in the profession from their own patient experiences. As the above poster said, spend some time observing clinicians and see if it's right for you. If you do decide to apply for PT school, though, I recommend that you have a better reason for choosing the profession than being a patient-literally everybody writes that.

 

[starrsgirl]

Sure, but don't base your decision on it or write about it.

 

[mv85dpthopeful]

I've been advised not to rely on stories like those. Admissions committees have heard a ton of them, and it won't make you stand out. They're really looking for a deeper KNOWLEDGE of PT, and personal experiences may have informed your interest, or passion for the field, but don't ultimately make you any more prepared for the rigors of school or working in the field.

 

[DesertPT]

If you have an exceptional experience as a patient in a less common area of PT (aka you were in an acute care wing and then a neurorehab center working with PTs for 6 months after barely surviving a massive car crash while driving orphans around Christmas shopping), then Adcoms might be interested. Other than that, nobody will give 2 craps unfortunately.

99% of PT school applicants have been treated by a PT for some sort of orthopedic issue at some point in their lives. Yes, this is how you got introduced to the profession and it is a meaningful experience for you. You can very briefly mention it if it happens to come up in an interview or something, but essentially nobody cares about how a PT helped you get back to playing soccer or whatever the case may be. Sorry if this burst your bubble.

Best of luck.

 

[swolecat]

Yes - and that's why I recommend that new DPT applicants break as many bones as possible and then rehabilitate them before applying