PharmD vs DPT vs OD

[jmnj06]

So I am in a turning point in my life, I just turned 30. I have my degree in clinical lab science and have been working in the hospital setting for over 7 years.

I want to ge out of the field and get into something new, I was looking into pharmacy, did not do so well on my PCATs, do not want to retake it. Been on the pharmacy forums and different people talking about the surplus so not sure if I want to go that route.

I have a friend who is a OD that works in a OMD office and he gets little to no respect, not sure if I want to take my OAT pursue a career with little respect.

I find that the PT profession has potential, but is it very difficult to get in like pharmacy? I don't think OD is very competitive either but the future potential does not look very good.

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[lee9786]

So I am in a turning point in my life, I just turned 30. I have my degree in clinical lab science and have been working in the hospital setting for over 7 years.

I want to ge out of the field and get into something new, I was looking into pharmacy, did not do so well on my PCATs, do not want to retake it. Been on the pharmacy forums and different people talking about the surplus so not sure if I want to go that route.

I have a friend who is a OD that works in a OMD office and he gets little to no respect, not sure if I want to take my OAT pursue a career with little respect.

I find that the PT profession has potential, but is it very difficult to get in like pharmacy? I don't think OD is very competitive either but the future potential does not look very good.

PT programs are extremely competitive. The average GPA of applicants that get accepted to the PT schools that I'm looking at are around a 3.6. The one program has 200 applicants and 50 seats. There has also been an increase in applications due to the poor economy. Not a career to get into for the money. A lot of good, high-quality people working in this profession.

 

[MinnDasota]

So I am in a turning point in my life, I just turned 30. I have my degree in clinical lab science and have been working in the hospital setting for over 7 years.

I want to ge out of the field and get into something new, I was looking into pharmacy, did not do so well on my PCATs, do not want to retake it. Been on the pharmacy forums and different people talking about the surplus so not sure if I want to go that route.

I have a friend who is a OD that works in a OMD office and he gets little to no respect, not sure if I want to take my OAT pursue a career with little respect.

I find that the PT profession has potential, but is it very difficult to get in like pharmacy? I don't think OD is very competitive either but the future potential does not look very good.

I'm assuming you meant DO (not OD)? If so, it is actually very competitive as it's med school with a slightly different focus. Gotta get pretty good MCATs to get in. The respect is there (especially from those not an MD).

If you're looking at salary, you will find a modest living in PT. Not the 6 figures you'd get as a PharmD or DO. All are great fields to go into. PT has been known to have high job satisfaction.

PT school can be hard to get into as many apply for the steady hours (vs the on-call hours). With decent stats, you should be able to get in.

 

[jmnj06]

I did mean OD (doctorate of optometry)

 

[lee9786]

The PT field is looking to have strong job prospects for a long time so job security seems to be very good. No one seems to really know what to expect with the reimbursement issue. Right now reimbursement rates aren't increasing with inflation. At the same time the cost of attaining a degree in PT has increased significantly due to both the entry-level doctorate degree and the annual increase of tuition that occurs in all schools.

I believe the future of this field is bright. One big reason is the emphasis on evidence-based practice. The big issue with health-care reform is ultimately cost so the utilization of EBP will be essential. PT is pretty strong in this area and is only growing stronger with more research being performed.

The big issue is the utilization of "Direct Access." Due to the cost conundrum of healthcare, I believe this will become more commonplace. It only makes sense to me. The key is training the PTs to recognize other signs and symptoms that could suggest something other than a MSK disorder. One in doubt, refer it out should be the motto. If safety and effectiveness are demonstrated with the utilization of direct access, this profession can become more autonomous and in the process make the healthcare system more effecient. This is all yet to be seen so there is no gaurantee that this is what's going to happen. Right now the majority of pts are referred to the PT by a Physician in most situations. The Physician are the "gate keeper." (are you the key master? <<kidding )

This and other forums/blogs have a plethora of information easily found in the "search" function if you'd like to delve deeper. Hope this helps a bit.

http://physicaltherapy.rehabedge.com/

 

[pttrac]

In my opinion you would have the greatest amount of patient contact with PT than OD or Pharm. Although, the pay will be the lowest of all three, I think that others will agree that you form closer relationships with patients. I can see how Pharm and OD can be boring versus PT, but that really depends on what setting you are in.

I think you should shadow several PTs at multiple settings and figure out if you really like it. Regardless of how you did on the PCATs, you should still apply and take you OATs as well. I think the field is getting saturated, but all fields are pretty much headed that way. You might as we try your luck on all of them.

To answer your question, I think that PT school is a lot easier to get in compared to Pharm just because of the amount of people applying to pharm school and the pre-req/gpa is higher to get in. PT school is still competitive, but I think it is doable if your stats are right.

 

[MinnDasota]

I did mean OD (doctorate of optometry)

Sorry, not many people ask about optometry in this forum. Those 3 fields are so different....interesting.

 

[seminolefish]

This topic is interesting because I switched from opto to pharm and now to PT. One of the reasons I love PT is because you can have relationships with people and can see them for 15-60 minutes at a time depending on the injury and how far they are in the rehab process. It's just so much more relaxing and that's really what I'm looking for. Something to consider over opto and pharm. Retail pharm seems impersonal which I didn't like. I will not bash optometry at all because I think it is a great option but I was never really into studying the eye alone.

 

[facetguy]

...One of the reasons I love PT is because you can have relationships with people and can see them for 15-60 minutes at a time depending on the injury...

In practice, you may come to really dislike this aspect of patient care!

...I will not bash optometry at all because I think it is a great option but I was never really into studying the eye alone.

You can always study it with a friend.

 

[seminolefish]

that was funny facetguy, you can study your friend's eye. or a dead guy's eye! you know what i meant though..i hope. i highly doubt the time spent with the patient will make me hate myself.

 

[facetguy]

that was funny facetguy, you can study your friend's eye. or a dead guy's eye! you know what i meant though..i hope. i highly doubt the time spent with the patient will make me hate myself.

Yes, I knew what you meant. And you're right about forming nice relationships with some patients. But there are pain-in-the-butt patients that you will also have to deal with 3x/wk for weeks and weeks, and that can sometimes makes things a drag. That's what I meant.

 

[Elbrus]

Facetguy, are you a PT?