I’ve been in the industry for almost 20 years and have seen the good and bad of the PT industry. Physical Therapy can be a good experience for anybody who likes to be around people and you can learn a lot about the human body. Careers in Physical Therapy are highly questionable these days, mostly due to the lack of medical insurance reimbursements. Work life in the physical therapy profession has lowered itself to the point of working for free at times. In order for an outpatient clinic to stay afloat, each PT needs to see at least 3 to 4 patients an hour and most clinics will not pay you to do patient charting; you will get burned out very fast, with very little job satisfaction. You find yourself continually having to explain to patients, why physical therapy is even needed and they’re right. I hate to say this, but 96% of patients in “Out Patient Clinics” who are handed down the food chain as a last attempt to fix their problems, don’t even really need to be there and Doctors, Nurses, Insurance companies know this. The Physical Therapy profession is experiencing what Chiropractors went through a long time ago and Chiropractors don’t get reimbursed for their services anymore and for good reason. Physical Therapy will not completely go obsolete, because they do have a role in Medicine, but It’s into specialty area’s such as “Long Term Nuero type facilities”, which means there will not be an over saturation of P.T.’s. You must remember, the “Healthcare Industry” is completely upside down right now and will be for a while. The healthcare industry is changing the way medical services are delivered. Hospitals are broke and have been for a long time, but they will be replaced with hybrid facilities with more of a team environment, rather than a “Gate Keeper”. Believe it or not, “Paramedics” are actually going to have a bigger role with a better paycheck and as we all probably know by now, P.A.s and N.P.’s will be taking over most of the decision making; Doctors are slowly becoming obsolete. Insurance companies will not continue to reimburse P.T. services for skills that a certified nursing assistant can do, in a place like “Skilled Nursing” and “Hospitals” which isn’t very much. I don’t make the rules, but it is, what it is. Physical Therapists and Physical Therapy Assistants have a great education on the human body, but it’s over kill and just because we got over educated and no the neuromuscular function of “Gluteus Maximus” it doesn’t mean that their hip extension will be better off. Most of healthcare will either be in “Health Prevention and Emergency Intervention”. This is where the “Fitness Industry” might be changing a little, with requirements of a degree. Fitness and Physical Therapy are two totally different disciplines. As an embarrassment to the medical profession, “Physical Therapists” have been trying to step on other disciplines and try to convince people that it’s their entitled role, when it actually isn’t and their schooling does not train them in that area. It’s one of mine and many other Physical Therapist’s disappointment and embarrassment, which we constantly have to explain to patients, why Physical Therapists are trying to act like fitness trainers. Hate to be the Whistle Blower! Regarding Physical Therapist and Personal Trainers; I’ve seen just as many crappy Physical Therapists as there is Personal Trainers, I think It’s in all professions and It’s the individual that actually make the difference. Certifications are becoming the “New Degree”. As with everything, certifications have evolved and it actually does a really good job of teaching, what a professional needs to know and excluding what is not necessary. I obviously have a degree, but I can honestly say; most of it is a total waste of time and money. Schools are doing a great job at marketing Physical Therapy as having a bright future, but failing to acknowledge the fact that salaries are decreasing at an alarming rate and insurance companies are seeing therapy services as a luxury and not a necessity. As long as schools are receiving students and making money of them, then marketing the profession will continue and you will see Physical Therapists complaining just like the Chiropractors do.
, I really hope in a few years, things change and the scope of practice widens. BTW, did I mention that my former employer received scholarship for his bachelors degree, so no debt for him? Sometimes, I think, "oh life was so much easier back then". Bear in mind that almost every other profession requires additional certificates and higher degrees than say, 10, 20 years ago. Welcome to the era of highly educated and over qualified people. 
