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Physical Therapy School or Medical School?

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NYCDancer

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Hi All,

I am new to the forum. I was a dancer for many years professionally. Danced with three great choreographers, and am now returned to school. Doing a postbac premed cert at a very competitive school and doing well. 3.55 GPA. I'm older (47). I wanted to finish dancing before pursuing another career; our careers end around 42. I became a rehearsal director, then a choreographer, then a professor, but felt as though I wanted more, didn't want to deal with the nonsense of raising money for dance in this country with no government support; didn't like the small-minded, lackadaisical approach to tenure...etc....and deep down I felt that I could make a more profound difference. So, I am thinking about the DPT, working with athletes, saving dancers from too early a retirement due to injury... but to tell the truth, I'm concerned about the debt-to-income situation after DPT school. I don't have a lot of years to pay off school debt making $70,000/year, which is apparently what a DPT makes straight out of school. Some even make less. I also secretly want to be a doctor, but I am nervous that they will just laugh at my application due to my age. Also, I'm worried about fatigue and the 7 additional years of med school and residency that awaits once I finish this premed cert. Also, there is a real fear of not getting into a residency. So many much younger doctors are having trouble with that. Physiatry sounds fascinating though, and if I were younger I would not hesitate. Anyone care to weigh in on my dilemma?
Thanks much!
 
Don't let age hold you back. I've seen medical students who are mothers and are much older than the average class age. If you really want to be a doctor, go do it. My friend is in medical school now because she doesn't see herself doing anything else. When she was stressed out from school, she would be upset that she chose that path, but then she realized that she wouldn't feel as fulfilled with any other profession.

But seeing that I'm going to PT school, obviously I will advocate how amazing the profession is. With your background, you would love it even more... I would say that you should definitely observe some PT clinics and follow some physical therapists to learn more about the profession. The diversity of the field offers endless opportunities. When you are a doctor, you take the boards, and from there, you are placed into a residency. After your residency, you must choose one field to work in....for the rest of your life. In my opinion, I wouldn't really like that. But that's all up to you!

Plus, if you go to medical school, you will be drowned in more debt of 4-10 years of school and will probably not pay it off right when you finish your residency (You do get paid a small amount during your residency & fellowship...but it's VERY small). With either profession, you will be in debt. The nice thing about PT's is that you only have 2.5-3 years of school and can slowly pay it off with a steady income.

In the end, you do only live once, and regardless of your age...you should still go for what you really want to do! Hope this offers some insight!!
 
Don't let your age be a deciding factor. Just ask yourself honestly what you want to do and just go for it. Age is just a number! You want to be happy in your profession so do what will make you happiest.
 
Yes, age is just a # and I am all for going for what you want. However,i think that you do also have to be realistic and really consider your options.

As I have mentioned before in this forum, my fiance is a physician and thus, I have a good idea of the difference of a pt vs a physiatrist.

Education:

DPT -3 years vs Med School-4 years +2 or 3 years of physiatry residency. Residency is very exhausting and stressful.

Finances:

Yes, DPT salary vs debt is not the best number. But, as a physician you will only be getting a good salary after 7 years of hard work. Plus, given that you have decent grades, you can probably apply to pt programs that are not as expensive.

Patient care:

As a DPT, you will be more hands on with the patients which seems like what you want to do as opposed to a physiatrist which is also well aware of all the techniques that pt's do, but he/she is a physician first...therefore the job is probably not as hands on and less physical. This can be seen both in a good or bad light though

Overall, i do think that you should be doing what you really want to be doing...but also be realistic of your situation. Regardless of age, you will be treated equal to your robust peers. Physical therapy will allow you to rehabilitate dancers as you want and lead a less stressful and more flexible life. I'm sure you've dealt with enough strees already =p
 
Do what you want to do. It's better to have a little extra debt than to have less debt and be miserable what you're doing. Med school is ruthless. You will spend four years in school, and then three more years working 12 hours a day for nothing. You have to find your own residency. You will spend several minutes with patients. Your liability insurance will be much higher. You know what's worse? There's no evidence physicians need all the education they get.

If you're interested in medicine, be a PA or a nurse practitioner. Otherwise, be a PT.
 
hopefulptny said:
Yes, age is just a # and I am all for going for what you want. However,i think that you do also have to be realistic and really consider your options.

As I have mentioned before in this forum, my fiance is a physician and thus, I have a good idea of the difference of a pt vs a physiatrist.

Education:

DPT -3 years vs Med School-4 years +2 or 3 years of physiatry residency. Residency is very exhausting and stressful.

Finances:

Yes, DPT salary vs debt is not the best number. But, as a physician you will only be getting a good salary after 7 years of hard work. Plus, given that you have decent grades, you can probably apply to pt programs that are not as expensive.

Patient care:

As a DPT, you will be more hands on with the patients which seems like what you want to do as opposed to a physiatrist which is also well aware of all the techniques that pt's do, but he/she is a physician first...therefore the job is probably not as hands on and less physical. This can be seen both in a good or bad light though

Overall, i do think that you should be doing what you really want to be doing...but also be realistic of your situation. Regardless of age, you will be treated equal to your robust peers. Physical therapy will allow you to rehabilitate dancers as you want and lead a less stressful and more flexible life. I'm sure you've dealt with enough strees already =p
Click to expand...
eatbroccoli said:
Don't let age hold you back. I've seen medical students who are mothers and are much older than the average class age. If you really want to be a doctor, go do it. My friend is in medical school now because she doesn't see herself doing anything else. When she was stressed out from school, she would be upset that she chose that path, but then she realized that she wouldn't feel as fulfilled with any other profession.

But seeing that I'm going to PT school, obviously I will advocate how amazing the profession is. With your background, you would love it even more... I would say that you should definitely observe some PT clinics and follow some physical therapists to learn more about the profession. The diversity of the field offers endless opportunities. When you are a doctor, you take the boards, and from there, you are placed into a residency. After your residency, you must choose one field to work in....for the rest of your life. In my opinion, I wouldn't really like that. But that's all up to you!

Plus, if you go to medical school, you will be drowned in more debt of 4-10 years of school and will probably not pay it off right when you finish your residency (You do get paid a small amount during your residency & fellowship...but it's VERY small). With either profession, you will be in debt. The nice thing about PT's is that you only have 2.5-3 years of school and can slowly pay it off with a steady income.

In the end, you do only live once, and regardless of your age...you should still go for what you really want to do! Hope this offers some insight!!
Click to expand...
eatbroccoli said:
Don't let age hold you back. I've seen medical students who are mothers and are much older than the average class age. If you really want to be a doctor, go do it. My friend is in medical school now because she doesn't see herself doing anything else. When she was stressed out from school, she would be upset that she chose that path, but then she realized that she wouldn't feel as fulfilled with any other profession.

But seeing that I'm going to PT school, obviously I will advocate how amazing the profession is. With your background, you would love it even more... I would say that you should definitely observe some PT clinics and follow some physical therapists to learn more about the profession. The diversity of the field offers endless opportunities. When you are a doctor, you take the boards, and from there, you are placed into a residency. After your residency, you must choose one field to work in....for the rest of your life. In my opinion, I wouldn't really like that. But that's all up to you!

Plus, if you go to medical school, you will be drowned in more debt of 4-10 years of school and will probably not pay it off right when you finish your residency (You do get paid a small amount during your residency & fellowship...but it's VERY small). With either profession, you will be in debt. The nice thing about PT's is that you only have 2.5-3 years of school and can slowly pay it off with a steady income.

In the end, you do only live once, and regardless of your age...you should still go for what you really want to do! Hope this offers some insight!!
Click to expand...
 
Thank you to all who have replied. I appreciate your insight. It's encouraging to hear that everyone thinks age is not a factor. I guess I need to let that go then. LOL. So to address some of the comments...I definitely want to be my own boss; so that rules out a lot of other medical professions. When I think about medicine and all that it entails, I really see myself in physical medicine. I'd be into even doing some research in motion analysis, or in an ortho lab as part of my practice. Can a DPT be involved with that? I'd love to make a difference in athletes lives, helping them achieve greater results based on my research. Maybe even work with engineers to develop new products to help them. At the same time, I'd like to have patients as well, and though I'd like for it to be hands on, I'm not sure I want to do that ONLY and have it be day in day out. But again, one never knows until one does the thing and gets feedback. Also, I'm just curious: everyone talks about how grueling residency is, but does anyone think that 3-4 years is a small sacrifice for the rest of one's life? As a dancer, I had to pay my dues, 10 years of dues, but the result of that was a career of traveling the world, dancing for presidents, going to embassy balls, working with great artists, creating stuff that moves people...it was way worth it for me. So, I'm curious just how grueling is it? I mean, 12 hours a day...I do that now with school, volunteering, work, study....Can it really be all that bad? I spoke with a 3rd year resident in dermatology at NYU the other day and she said the first years make $60,000. That's about what a DPT makes, and it doesn't go up all that much apparently. Am I way off here? Are there any doctors out there that have anything to say on the subject? And, is there upward mobility in PT? What can one do after a DPT? And, finally, is there a way to link this thread so that I can get some thoughts from doctors as well? Maybe they think I'm too old! LOL. (still haven't quite let go. eeek)
 
If you are interested in research, DPT's have tremendous opportunities in the physical therapy research field...if you want to be a head researcher, then you would have to get a PhD in physical therapy after you get your clinical DPT or if you are absolutely positive you want to end up with a PhD you can also apply straight to a DPT-PhD transition program (there are not that many of them, but Rutgers in New Jersey has one)...I am interested in research as well...so I've looked this info up and spoke to various professors...also you could still do research as a DPT...many physical therapy projects are a collaboration of various faculty groups...in Rutgers, there are PhDs and DPTs doing collaborative projects with engineers and neuroscientists...pretty interesting 🙂

As a resident, its not always 12 hr shifts...sometimes you have to stay longer...so more like 15 hrs...you also have 24 call days...and night shifts...its not all lovely and prancy in the hospital...you easily get yelled at and criticized from fellow residents and attendings (the real boss doctors) and can often get into disagreements with nurses who dont always respect doctors and listen to their orders...really depends what kind of hospital you get into...but in general, it is a pretty stressful environment as a resident wherever

note: you dont have to find your own residency unless you dont get "matched" after you interview with your choices in the last year of med school

In new york, residencies starting salary average from 50-60k and you may get a raise (3-5k) every year...many people then go into fellowships to further specialize which is another 1-2 years of low pay...however if you work in a community facility for 10 years after med school...you can get loan forgiveness

From what I've seen PT's start out from around 60K and average to about 80k...thats holding only one pt job...there are ways to play with hours and mix different settings (rehab during day + home care after day job) to get up to 100k...and you can work per diem and earn more money per hours (minus the benefits, a spouse with insurance plan would help)
Finally, if you can move to another state...there are some states where the salaries start alot high...vegas (avg salary 110-117k), texas, some parts of florida and etc. I feel that in New York , cost of living is way high and the salaries are not keeping up with those numbers...

if you want a doctors perspective, just go on the pre-med or physicians forum on this website...im sure they have it 🙂

hope this helped!
 
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