PT Aide Experince: Not Persuing DPT anymore

[YoungMD243]

As the title states, I'm not longer perusing DPT due to my experiences as an aide. I'll explain what altered my decision in hopes that others can possibility benefit from.

I worked at my first outpatient ortho clinic in December 2015. Coming from an extensive personal training background, I was excited that I was going to finally be able to be getting experience in the Physical Therapy field. Once I started working, I realized how unethical the clinic was. They had 3 therapist that seen 1 patient every 20 mins and a lot of them overlapped which caused chaos inside the therapy gym (which I later found out that they compromised patient care to bring in more patients which apparently is the norm in outpatients orthos). Being that I'm a personal trainer, I'm used to spending 1 hour with 1 person and devoting all my attention towards them. This was a whole new world to me as I was expected to juggle 6-7 patients in one hour while getting hot/cold packs and running all the patients through their exercises. The owner of the clinic felt like I wasn't catching on fast enough so he discharged me after 30 days without warning. This def left a bad taste in my mouth as far as the ethics and morals of PTs

I found another job at a Rehab Hospital that was a much slower pace than what I experienced as the hospital was a sub-acute rehab. I wasn't expected to juggle 6-7 patients in one hour as the aides just sit back and wait until therapist say they need their help. I'm currently still working at the hospital and as it isn't very hard work on the aide side of things, but the therapist are expected to see a patient for 1.5 hours back to back until the EOD.

The rehab hospital wasn't giving me enough hours so I decided to look for another job and landed another outpatient ortho position as an aide. Deja vu happened as I was fired within a month of working there for no reason....most likely for not setting up hot/cold packs fast enough. I finally realized that othro outpatients PTs treat aides like crap. I than started questioning the relationship between aides and therapist. I'm expecting the relationship to be more of a mentor/job position as the therapist teach the aides everything they know about physical therapy....guess not.

Other factors that influenced by decision was. Cost of school to salary proportion, type of people that work in the field, ect.

I'm most likely going to pursue PA now as it's more $$$ and less schooling.

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[paulcreenis]

You shouldn't allow other healthcare professionals to deter you from something you clearly have an interest in. Learn both what you like and do not like about their practices and become the better PT. But realize that it is poor to generalize all outpatient PTs as not uncaring and unethical. Best of luck whichever way you go!

 

[future47]

I've heard of many practices that are more similar to a 1-on-1 approach of a personal training session. These sessions are usually much more based upon myodetox and myofascial release and usually result in 3-4 sessions until the patient recovers 90% of their function. PT has a wide marketplace I wouldn't let the old-school model of PT deter you from this awesome field.

 

[jblil]

OP - when Medicare and insurance companies reduce their reimbursements, owners of private PT practices will be tempted to make it up on volume. This leads to the "patient mill" situation that you have seen. And frankly, I don't expect it to improve. I am pretty sure you'd have a much better experience with outpatient PT clinics run by hospitals. I worked in one, and it was very pleasant. The fact that it was right next to a first-class Wellness Center (essentially, a gym run by the hospital) also helped.

And don't pursue a line of work simply because of the money. If your heart is not in it, you'll not give it your best or be driven to improve and learn every day.

 

[gotaspirations]

As the title states, I'm not longer perusing DPT due to my experiences as an aide. I'll explain what altered my decision in hopes that others can possibility benefit from.

I worked at my first outpatient ortho clinic in December 2015. Coming from an extensive personal training background, I was excited that I was going to finally be able to be getting experience in the Physical Therapy field. Once I started working, I realized how unethical the clinic was. They had 3 therapist that seen 1 patient every 20 mins and a lot of them overlapped which caused chaos inside the therapy gym (which I later found out that they compromised patient care to bring in more patients which apparently is the norm in outpatients orthos). Being that I'm a personal trainer, I'm used to spending 1 hour with 1 person and devoting all my attention towards them. This was a whole new world to me as I was expected to juggle 6-7 patients in one hour while getting hot/cold packs and running all the patients through their exercises. The owner of the clinic felt like I wasn't catching on fast enough so he discharged me after 30 days without warning. This def left a bad taste in my mouth as far as the ethics and morals of PTs

I found another job at a Rehab Hospital that was a much slower pace than what I experienced as the hospital was a sub-acute rehab. I wasn't expected to juggle 6-7 patients in one hour as the aides just sit back and wait until therapist say they need their help. I'm currently still working at the hospital and as it isn't very hard work on the aide side of things, but the therapist are expected to see a patient for 1.5 hours back to back until the EOD.

The rehab hospital wasn't giving me enough hours so I decided to look for another job and landed another outpatient ortho position as an aide. Deja vu happened as I was fired within a month of working there for no reason....most likely for not setting up hot/cold packs fast enough. I finally realized that othro outpatients PTs treat aides like crap. I than started questioning the relationship between aides and therapist. I'm expecting the relationship to be more of a mentor/job position as the therapist teach the aides everything they know about physical therapy....guess not.

Other factors that influenced by decision was. Cost of school to salary proportion, type of people that work in the field, ect.

I'm most likely going to pursue PA now as it's more $$$ and less schooling.

Thanks for sharing

 

[hopefulpt1]

As the title states, I'm not longer perusing DPT due to my experiences as an aide. I'll explain what altered my decision in hopes that others can possibility benefit from.

I worked at my first outpatient ortho clinic in December 2015. Coming from an extensive personal training background, I was excited that I was going to finally be able to be getting experience in the Physical Therapy field. Once I started working, I realized how unethical the clinic was. They had 3 therapist that seen 1 patient every 20 mins and a lot of them overlapped which caused chaos inside the therapy gym (which I later found out that they compromised patient care to bring in more patients which apparently is the norm in outpatients orthos). Being that I'm a personal trainer, I'm used to spending 1 hour with 1 person and devoting all my attention towards them. This was a whole new world to me as I was expected to juggle 6-7 patients in one hour while getting hot/cold packs and running all the patients through their exercises. The owner of the clinic felt like I wasn't catching on fast enough so he discharged me after 30 days without warning. This def left a bad taste in my mouth as far as the ethics and morals of PTs

I found another job at a Rehab Hospital that was a much slower pace than what I experienced as the hospital was a sub-acute rehab. I wasn't expected to juggle 6-7 patients in one hour as the aides just sit back and wait until therapist say they need their help. I'm currently still working at the hospital and as it isn't very hard work on the aide side of things, but the therapist are expected to see a patient for 1.5 hours back to back until the EOD.

The rehab hospital wasn't giving me enough hours so I decided to look for another job and landed another outpatient ortho position as an aide. Deja vu happened as I was fired within a month of working there for no reason....most likely for not setting up hot/cold packs fast enough. I finally realized that othro outpatients PTs treat aides like crap. I than started questioning the relationship between aides and therapist. I'm expecting the relationship to be more of a mentor/job position as the therapist teach the aides everything they know about physical therapy....guess not.

Other factors that influenced by decision was. Cost of school to salary proportion, type of people that work in the field, ect.

I'm most likely going to pursue PA now as it's more $$$ and less schooling.

You want a cookie, OP? What was the purpose of this post?

Jeez. People on this board devote their entire undergrad careers on getting to PT school, get this crap outta here.

 

[nd_dpt]

Just because you had some bad experiences in a handful of clinics doesn't mean they're all like that. Don't be so quick to judge such a wonderful and rewarding profession. Clearly this field was never truly your passion because if it was, you wouldn't be walking away from it so easily. The time spent in school and the money we invest in our education is absolutely worth it. It is ridiculous to pursue a job as a PA simply because you can make more money. That doesn't guarantee that you'll be happy with your career. I don't know what you mean by "type of people that work in the field", but that's pretty bold to make a widespread judgment on all PTs. If the ones you saw were bad, we must all be bad. I suggest you check your attitude before pursuing any career in the health field.

 

[PrePT811]

For PT aide positions, PT's expect you to have a pretty good grasp in terms of the basics of PT. They did not give you the job so that they can "teach the aides everything they know about physical therapy". Aides, by definition, assist the PT's in their regular activities. Sure, a lot of great PT's can juggle mentoring and teaching you while still upholding the efficiency in their clinic. But if you want someone to serve as a mentor or teacher to you full time, I suggest volunteering or shadowing, not working as a paid aide. A lot of aides have to take a test to make sure they are competent enough to work well with the clinic (sometimes its a monthly test). If you can't keep up with the demands of the job, go back to volunteering. This will give you the opportunity to learn more, and actually see if this is the right career for you.

 

[kellerac]

Persuing

 

[Teekam]

Persuing

"They had 3 therapist that seen..."

 

[Snek1234]

Username: YoungMD243
Writing level: 7th grade
Pretty sure this is a troll thread.

I got some bad news son. If you can't even hold a job as rehab aide and got fired twice, then what makes you think you'll fare better as a PA. The PTs aren't there to babysit you, they are paying to be an extra pair of hands. Also you worked at a rehab clinic not a commercial gym, comparing personal training to physical therapy is just rubbish.

 

[LPCC2010]

Username: YoungMD243
Writing level: 7th grade
Pretty sure this is a troll thread.

I got some bad news son. If you can't even hold a job as rehab aide and got fired twice, then what makes you think you'll fare better as a PA. The PTs aren't there to babysit you, they are paying to be an extra pair of hands. Also you worked at a rehab clinic not a commercial gym, comparing personal training to physical therapy is just rubbish.

Comedy Central Presents: The Roast of YoungMD243

 

[ptisfun2]

I'm expecting the relationship to be more of a mentor/job position as the therapist teach the aides everything they know about physical therapy....guess not.

Not too sure why you would think that. A job as an Aide is not an internship; it is a job. A PT Aide's job is to complete tasks delegated to the Aide by the supervising PT, and not expect mentoring. The PTs job is to ensure the Aide is safe and competent.
The only way an Aide can learn 'everything they [the PT] know about PT' is if the Aide goes to PT school, graduates, gets a license, and gets experience as a physical therapist...not an Aide, not a personal trainer, not anything else other than a physical therapist. It really is that straight forward.

 

[VitaminPT]

While I don't agree with a few points in your post, I have to say that a decent amount of what you stated is true with rehabilitation services now. Sounds like you've seen how the sausage is made. As for myself, a year or so back I quit my job in health promotion to get experience in therapy as an administrator and tech for multiple clinics in a metropolitan area( as well as a tech in a hospital for a little prn work but I can't really speak towards the billing in that area) . Patient load is continuing to increase due to changes in insurance and reimbursement in medicaid is increasingly less fruitful. Because of this, the expectation for a PT to see 2-4 patients per hour is becoming more and more common. For billing purposes more and more PTA's are being hired to help with medicare (for billable time), but it isn't typically enough to offload the therapists. This has been stressful for the outpatient therapists.

Being an older applicant, a majority of my friends are physical therapists and occupational therapists and it has been enlightening to hear from their experiences: what they like, don't like, expectation vs. reality coming out of school and debt.

All that being said, the challenges in PA will still have a majority of those same problems (patients per hour, billable time) but I wish you the best in your new venture.

Also, I'm writing this early in the morning. If my grammar is terrible..well...let us blame the caffeine and lack of sleep.

 

[kingofqueensDPT]

As the title states, I'm not longer perusing DPT due to my experiences as an aide. I'll explain what altered my decision in hopes that others can possibility benefit from.

I worked at my first outpatient ortho clinic in December 2015. Coming from an extensive personal training background, I was excited that I was going to finally be able to be getting experience in the Physical Therapy field. Once I started working, I realized how unethical the clinic was. They had 3 therapist that seen 1 patient every 20 mins and a lot of them overlapped which caused chaos inside the therapy gym (which I later found out that they compromised patient care to bring in more patients which apparently is the norm in outpatients orthos). Being that I'm a personal trainer, I'm used to spending 1 hour with 1 person and devoting all my attention towards them. This was a whole new world to me as I was expected to juggle 6-7 patients in one hour while getting hot/cold packs and running all the patients through their exercises. The owner of the clinic felt like I wasn't catching on fast enough so he discharged me after 30 days without warning. This def left a bad taste in my mouth as far as the ethics and morals of PTs

I found another job at a Rehab Hospital that was a much slower pace than what I experienced as the hospital was a sub-acute rehab. I wasn't expected to juggle 6-7 patients in one hour as the aides just sit back and wait until therapist say they need their help. I'm currently still working at the hospital and as it isn't very hard work on the aide side of things, but the therapist are expected to see a patient for 1.5 hours back to back until the EOD.

The rehab hospital wasn't giving me enough hours so I decided to look for another job and landed another outpatient ortho position as an aide. Deja vu happened as I was fired within a month of working there for no reason....most likely for not setting up hot/cold packs fast enough. I finally realized that othro outpatients PTs treat aides like crap. I than started questioning the relationship between aides and therapist. I'm expecting the relationship to be more of a mentor/job position as the therapist teach the aides everything they know about physical therapy....guess not.

Other factors that influenced by decision was. Cost of school to salary proportion, type of people that work in the field, ect.

I'm most likely going to pursue PA now as it's more $$$ and less schooling.

Please post this negative energy else where

 

[YoungMD243]

Noone cares about spelling....it's the internet. Also, not negative...just stating my experience and didn't ask for your opinions. You guys sound like a bunch of whinny kids....which most of you are. How about you go ask your rich mommy and daddy in the suburbs for some shopping money.....and get off the internet.

 

[nd_dpt]

Noone cares about spelling....it's the internet. Also, not negative...just stating my experience and didn't ask for your opinions. You guys sound like a bunch of whinny kids....which most of you are. How about you go ask your rich mommy and daddy in the suburbs for some shopping money.....and get off the internet.

If you didn't ask for opinions, there was no point sharing on this forum. That's what it's here for, to get the opinions of others. There you go judging everyone again. Not everyone on this forum comes from money, including myself, which taught me the importance of working hard for what I want to accomplish in life. The only whinny kid on here is you. Just because you want to play the victim and can't own up to the fact that you couldn't cut it as a PT aide doesn't give you the right to attack everyone on this forum for being successful. With that attitude and negativity, you'll be lucky to get accepted into any PA program after the interview. You need to get off the internet and spend some time working on that personality of yours.

 

[jblil]

Noone cares about spelling....it's the internet.

With all due respect, I disagree. How you write (spelling, syntax, grammar) gives others a very strong impression of the person you are. This is not directed towards you in particular, but when I see the way some DPTs write, I have to wonder how they made it through school... If we want to be respected as "doctors", we better act, and write, as a well-educated person. And FWIW, English is not my native language.

 

[Snek1234]

If you didn't ask for opinions, there was no point sharing on this forum. That's what it's here for, to get the opinions of others. There you go judging everyone again. Not everyone on this forum comes from money, including myself, which taught me the importance of working hard for what I want to accomplish in life. The only whinny kid on here is you. Just because you want to play the victim and can't own up to the fact that you couldn't cut it as a PT aide doesn't give you the right to attack everyone on this forum for being successful. With that attitude and negativity, you'll be lucky to get accepted into any PA program after the interview. You need to get off the internet and spend some time working on that personality of yours.

Don't get too upset, just take a look in his post history and you'll see that he's obviously looking to pick a fight in almost every thread. He blames everything on race and other people while taking zero accountability for his own shortcomings. I'm glad he's not pursuing this field anymore, the PT profession doesn't need someone like that.

 

[YoungMD243]

Sad that you guys are defending orthopedic clinics that compromise patient care just so they can make money....pathetic. It makes 0 sense to say I'm not cut out to be a PT aide just because I can't juggle 4-5 patients at a time....are you kidden me?? As I stated, I'm coming from an extensive personal training background which I have been very successful at with over 50 transformations and counting....all of them have been 1 on 1 training. So you guys can insult all you want....don't care.

 

[Teekam]

Sad that you guys are defending orthopedic clinics that compromise patient care just so they can make money....pathetic. It makes 0 sense to say I'm not cut out to be a PT aide just because I can't juggle 4-5 patients at a time....are you kidden me?? As I stated, I'm coming from an extensive personal training background which I have been very successful at with over 50 transformations and counting....all of them have been 1 on 1 training. So you guys can insult all you want....don't care.

No one defended those clinics. You getting fired from 2 jobs points to you being the problem, so maybe practice some introspection. But by all means, include your story on your PA application and see if the admissions boards understand your plight of not being able to handle too much work at once. I'm sure they'd accommodate you.

Also, personal training is not what we're going to school for and physical therapy is completely unrelated. That's why getting a CSCS or other training certification doesn't help anyone get into PT school.

Here's an idea: Take your original post and rewrite it so that it showcases your ability to overcome negative experiences. Rewrite every single sentence so that you describe what you learned from the experience and how you would like to be a driving force for positive change in the healthcare field. If you can't do that, then you won't get into school or make it through.

 

[Rudolph Mitchell]

No one defended those clinics. You getting fired from 2 jobs points to you being the problem, so maybe practice some introspection. But by all means, include your story on your PA application and see if the admissions boards understand your plight of not being able to handle too much work at once. I'm sure they'd accommodate you.

Also, personal training is not what we're going to school for and physical therapy is completely unrelated. That's why getting a CSCS or other training certification doesn't help anyone get into PT school.

Here's an idea: Take your original post and rewrite it so that it showcases your ability to overcome negative experiences. Rewrite every single sentence so that you describe what you learned from the experience and how you would like to be a driving force for positive change in the healthcare field. If you can't do that, then you won't get into school or make it through.

Wish I could "Like" this twice...


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[YoungMD243]

No one defended those clinics. You getting fired from 2 jobs points to you being the problem, so maybe practice some introspection. But by all means, include your story on your PA application and see if the admissions boards understand your plight of not being able to handle too much work at once. I'm sure they'd accommodate you.

Also, personal training is not what we're going to school for and physical therapy is completely unrelated. That's why getting a CSCS or other training certification doesn't help anyone get into PT school.

Here's an idea: Take your original post and rewrite it so that it showcases your ability to overcome negative experiences. Rewrite every single sentence so that you describe what you learned from the experience and how you would like to be a driving force for positive change in the healthcare field. If you can't do that, then you won't get into school or make it through.

Me getting fired had nothing to do with me personally....I wasn't fast enough...period. If you read correctly, I'm currently an aide at a sub acute rehab hospital which I have been at for 2 years....haven't been fired from that. I'm sorry I'm detailed orientated and like to take my time doing my work, especially when I'm dealing with the health of other human beings.

Sorry to bust your bubble but my extensive background in personal training and my client success stories does give me the upper hand in interviews....also having Warner Bros on your resume does help out

Also, there's nothing to learn from those experiences because I was discharged without any warning or coaching....both times. If they coached me and gave me a few warnings telling me to pick up the pace, I would understand, but to blindside me and discharge me without counsling is completely unethical IMO.... especially coming from a health care professional

 

[Teekam]

Me getting fired had nothing to do with me personally....I wasn't fast enough...period. If you read correctly, I'm currently an aide at a sub acute rehab hospital which I have been at for 2 years....haven't been fired from that. I'm sorry I'm detailed orientated and like to take my time doing my work, especially when I'm dealing with the health of other human beings.

Sorry to bust your bubble but my extensive background in personal training and my client success stories does give me the upper hand in interviews....also having Warner Bros on your resume does help out

Also, there's nothing to learn from those experiences because I was discharged without any warning or coaching....both times. If they coached me and gave me a few warnings telling me to pick up the pace, I would understand, but to blindside me and discharge me without counsling is completely unethical IMO.... especially coming from a health care professional

Paragraph 1: Some places are like that. You weren't what they were looking for and it wasn't what you were looking for. See how it's a two way street? I'm guessing not.

Paragraph 2: I think you're confused. I've already been accepted into multiple programs, so I don't have a bubble to have burst and I'm moving on to actually help shape the industry instead of complain about it on a forum. Warner Bros does precisely zero for you unless you held a leadership position, in which case the title of the company continues to mean precisely zero.

Paragraph 3: If you can't learn from something happening without someone telling you why that thing happened, then that means you can't learn on your own, which means you can't work autonomously, which means you aren't fit for managing patients. No, personal training doesn't count as patient management. You also don't determine what is ethical outside of your own head, though yes, they were probably not the best, if what you say is true.

In conclusion, if you're not a troll, I don't care past this point, I was just bored enough to reply. But I'm assuming you are a troll and will be ignoring your profile post haste.

 

[PREPT2016]

Sad that you guys are defending orthopedic clinics that compromise patient care just so they can make money....pathetic. It makes 0 sense to say I'm not cut out to be a PT aide just because I can't juggle 4-5 patients at a time....are you kidden me?? As I stated, I'm coming from an extensive personal training background which I have been very successful at with over 50 transformations and counting....all of them have been 1 on 1 training. So you guys can insult all you want....don't care.

I agree with you. I've been a tech for 10 months and the therapists that I primarily help treat me like crap. They expect me to fill out their charts, retrieve measurement notes, tell them when their patients have arrived, get them set up on heat or ice, take each of their patients through their prescribed exercises, and then let them know when their patient is ready to be stretched. I'm often juggling between 2-4 patients each hour (for 7 hours), while each therapist is still stretching one patient. Moreover, I'm expected to do normal tech duties like laundry, clean tables, restock cabinets, and put away equipment. I do this all while they are sitting in their office dictating notes, filing their nails, or talking (often complaining about certain patients). Patients should receive a therapists undivided attention and a minimum of 45 minutes with a therapist to receive quality care. Sometimes I feel like I'm functioning more as a PTA then a tech, and it is not RIGHT! After working here, I know exactly what kind of PT I want to be.

 

[zuc]

Yeah but the thing is you guys are overgeneralizing based on your limited experience. Just because one crappy clinic treats their aides like crap, it does not mean the whole field is like that.

I have experience in 4 different outpatient clinics and they all treated the aides with respect and had 30+ min 1 on 1 with the patients. But I don't assume all clinics are like that.

 

[PREPT2016]

Yeah but the thing is you guys are overgeneralizing based on your limited experience. Just because one crappy clinic treats their aides like crap, it does not mean the whole field is like that.

I know that other (less busy) PT clinics have their aides do different things. I've volunteered at quite a few places. I'm just not a fan of the "patient mill".

 

[PREPT2016]

Yeah but the thing is you guys are overgeneralizing based on your limited experience. Just because one crappy clinic treats their aides like crap, it does not mean the whole field is like that.

I have experience in 4 different outpatient clinics and they all treated the aides with respect and had 30+ min 1 on 1 with the patients. But I don't assume all clinics are like that.

At the clinic I work at, the therapists have 30 minutes with each patient; some therapists use techs or aids minimally too. However, the therapists that I am assigned to are spoiled and, IMO, are not leading good examples for the interns and observers that come in. I'd love to work at a clinic where the PTs have great work ethic and don't overuse the techs. If I were the patient, I'd feel much more confident in my treatment if I saw the PT more than the tech.

 

[jtb93]

I've worked full time as an SNF rehab aide for the past 8 months. Honestly, I love the position even though it may seem like grunt work sometimes. Besides patient transport and scheduling, I am allowed to get hands on experience under a PT for a majority of my day. Experience gained as an aide will undoubtedly benefit my PT studies.

I find it funny that some people are generalizing the PT profession based on a poor experience or 2. Just like in every other career, there are going to be a select number of PT's who display subordinate attitudes about their field. Personally, these situations would make me strive to become a well-respected, well-versed PT, not question my future profession.