I'm thinking if I should do DPT or not because I'm 5ft tall and I wonder if I'll have a disadvantage as a PT and if employers will judge me based on my height. Because of this issue, I'm thinking about other careers where my height won't be an issue. Please let me know if this a factor I should be worried about or there are ways around it.
PT career with height disadvantage
- Thread starter RileyJP
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An employer who judges you based on your height wouldn't be one you want to work for. I am in home-health and haven't had to carry anybody. And I can count on the fingers of my hands the times I had to use a gait belt. As long as you are reasonably strong and know good body mechanics, your height should be a non-issue.
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I'm a 2nd year PTA student who starts her final rounds of clincal rotations tomorrow morning. I stand 5'3 and, in my limited experience, I have found things difficult at times because I'm short and light. But I am still learning, and in general, my height has not kept me from excelling. There have been times when walking patients who tower a foot over me and weigh more than 100 pounds more than I do that I've realized I couldn't control as well as I'd like to if they were to fall, but part of my curriculum has been learning how to best position myself for a mechanical advantage in transferring, walking, or otherwise manipulating patients despite my stature or theirs. I may have a more difficult time than a taller, broader person picking up on techniques that best suit me, but it is possible, and it seems that it comes with experience.
One of my professors, a PT who has been practicing for almost 30 years, is shorter than me by at least two inches. She has demonstrated 1:1 transfers with larger, heavier people that have the rest of us in awe. She admits that being short has its disadvantages, but she has proven that it's only a matter of using proper body mechanics and figuring out how to make the situation work for her, whether it requires climbing onto a plinth, standing on a 6 inch step, making use of a lower mat table, or getting creative with patient positioning.
Being 5 feet tall is not a game ender. If you're passionate about PT, it will not hold you back.
As a side note, I would encourage you to consider job shadowing PTs and/or PTAs to get a first hand idea of what the job requires. A job shadow/observation would also be a great opportunity for having others weigh in on any concerns you may have. Great luck to you and keep us informed on what you decide to do!
One of my professors, a PT who has been practicing for almost 30 years, is shorter than me by at least two inches. She has demonstrated 1:1 transfers with larger, heavier people that have the rest of us in awe. She admits that being short has its disadvantages, but she has proven that it's only a matter of using proper body mechanics and figuring out how to make the situation work for her, whether it requires climbing onto a plinth, standing on a 6 inch step, making use of a lower mat table, or getting creative with patient positioning.
Being 5 feet tall is not a game ender. If you're passionate about PT, it will not hold you back.
As a side note, I would encourage you to consider job shadowing PTs and/or PTAs to get a first hand idea of what the job requires. A job shadow/observation would also be a great opportunity for having others weigh in on any concerns you may have. Great luck to you and keep us informed on what you decide to do!
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no problem being shorter. not at all. might be tougher if you worked with an NBA team, but that's what stools are for. its your brain, not what shelf you can reach.
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I'm 5' 4" and I haven't had a problem. Use proper body mechanics. If you can't hold the patient, get help.
Jblil: you've only used a gait belt twice in home health? If you don't want to do heavy lifting, outpatient and home health are the way to go.
Jblil: you've only used a gait belt twice in home health? If you don't want to do heavy lifting, outpatient and home health are the way to go.
That's correct. I must have been lucky so far ;-)
Are you still doing travel PT or have you settled down?
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Still doing the travel thing. I'm young and single so why not?
I don't use the gait belt much in the home setting except when balance is an issue.
