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PT Salary = Teacher Salary, how is this possible?
- Thread starter FitnessDoc2012
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FitnessDoc2012, plz read my post the "Is it worth it thread?" I hope it can provide you with an alternative perspective. I think the spread sheet is an awesome idea for a very generalized purpose; however it cannot be used and should not be used for every situation. One more thing to note: A very similar spreadsheet was created in the MD(Allopathic section) and it was shown that the avg teacher in California make more per hour than the avg. physician over the course of their careers. Go figure!
If $$$ is all you are looking at, then go be a teacher. I don't mean for this post to be harsh by any means, but if you are smart enough to make it through school then you should be smart enough to manage your $$$. It doesn't take a a great deal of $$$ to have a great life! Heck during my undergraduate days, I worked a b.s. Wal-Mart job and I still managed to pay rent, insurance, buy food, and take 3-4 random trips a year! It's all about managing your money, networking and looking for the best deals online! Heck my senior season in college my friends and I went on Spring Break to Cancun for only $435 (taxes included) which included flight + hotel and transportation to and from our hotel!
No I don't like having debt, but let's face it...no matter what profession you choose to enter, debt is going to follow! Of course the debt-salary payoff maybe better in some professions, but I'd rather ENJOY what I'm doing for a living and pay off my debt rather than going into another career solely for the $$$. And for all of those out there who posting stating "after graduation you HAVE TO buy a new car, you HAVE TO get a mortgage on a new home, you HAVE TO do this, you HAVE TO do that....Some people don't HAVE TO to do any of those things! A descent apartment, used car, home cooked crock-pot meals, etc. are all some people need to be happy! Everyone has different perspectives in life and just because you think life has to be a certain way doesn't mean that is the way it is!
I don't care how much debt I rack up in graduate school; I'm always going to have fun in my life because I understand what I need/want in life! Heck this summer I'm taking a month long vacation to Mexico for less than $500...hmmmm How am I going to do that? 😉
No I don't like having debt, but let's face it...no matter what profession you choose to enter, debt is going to follow! Of course the debt-salary payoff maybe better in some professions, but I'd rather ENJOY what I'm doing for a living and pay off my debt rather than going into another career solely for the $$$. And for all of those out there who posting stating "after graduation you HAVE TO buy a new car, you HAVE TO get a mortgage on a new home, you HAVE TO do this, you HAVE TO do that....Some people don't HAVE TO to do any of those things! A descent apartment, used car, home cooked crock-pot meals, etc. are all some people need to be happy! Everyone has different perspectives in life and just because you think life has to be a certain way doesn't mean that is the way it is!
I don't care how much debt I rack up in graduate school; I'm always going to have fun in my life because I understand what I need/want in life! Heck this summer I'm taking a month long vacation to Mexico for less than $500...hmmmm How am I going to do that? 😉
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I'm curious where they came up with $43k as the starting salary for a teacher. That's about $10k too high for many areas, including this one. Let's not forget that it's incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to find vacant teaching spots in many areas; not a likely problem as a PT. I am licensed to teach, and I happily chose to take on additional student loan debt in order to instead become a PT and be happier and live just as comfortably as I ever would as a teacher.
The way I look at it is if I am investing this much of my life in my education.., I want to love what I do.. Several of my friends are education majors... They LOVE teaching.. I love rehab.. I am not looking at this to get rich.. I want job satisfaction and flexibility.. And seriously if all you are looking at is the bottom line then I am sure there are other careers out there that will pay more and give you a heart attack before you are 40..... Pick PT because you love the career... As someone in my early 20s who loves working out and staying active, I see PT as a career that combines my love of movement science, helping others achieve potential, and will still afford me a decent quality of life..
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It's obvious to me that there are some who have already made the decision that a PT degree is just not worth the cost it takes to get one. The only thing that is not obvious is why there are several threads brought up on this topic every couple of weeks. Are the posters of such threads looking to steer others away from PT, are they looking for someone to say "No, you're wrong, here's why", are they just looking for affirmation from total strangers to alter their career path.....?
There are certainly fields where you can make far more money that being a PT, and those fields are just waiting for anyone to get started in them.
If it's all about the money, then go into whatever pays the most and don't look back.
There are certainly fields where you can make far more money that being a PT, and those fields are just waiting for anyone to get started in them.
If it's all about the money, then go into whatever pays the most and don't look back.
You are 100% correct! And sometimes it seems as if the same people post these topics....I may be wrong but I feel like I've seen a few similar threads from this same poster! Not knocking anyone, but I'm tired of people trying to find ways to be negative about this career! Trust me on this, money is not everything....If you are truly happy with PT and you know that this is your calling, then go for it! If you have any doubts about anything PT has to offer, then maybe it's not for you!
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Agreed, it's been stated over and OVER and by the same person.
much???And I agree with callmecrazy; we are both from the same area and this $43k is a bit high (although I do know of two schools in my immediate area that start in the 50s, however my alma mater? When I applied for a job two years ago, starting salary was 21k. My friend got a job at 28k for THREE years before she got a raise....)
And I agree- I am licensed to teach as well and CHOSE this path. 🙂 Right on, callmecrazy!
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As one who has been critical of the price of PT school, I would say that one should be cautious about the debt one incurs to obtain a PT degree. That does NOT mean that I feel that getting my PT degree was not "worth it."
First, one should figure out if the profession is something to which they want to devote a significant portion of their adult life. More specifically, can you see yourself as a PT, practicing in one or several of the myriad areas they are found, for a long time, and reamining constantly engaged in that profession. IF the answer is yes, then you should try to be a discerning consumer of PT educational programs. Meaning, try to choose a program that is relatively reasonably priced, as attending a higher profile school that is more expensive provides you with no tangible benefits over a less expensive, accredited school. There are probably few of us on this board who would knowingly choose to pay markedly more for a a product that is essentially the same, but that is exactly what happens when we become attracted to "the name" or "the ranking" of expensive schools.
However, if your answer is "no," or "maybe," you should probably look in another direction. For example, fitnessdoc, debt seems to be an insurmountable obstacle to you, or at least one that you do not seem to feel is worth encountering in order to obtain a PT degree. If that is indeed the case, I think you may want to consider another profession.
First, one should figure out if the profession is something to which they want to devote a significant portion of their adult life. More specifically, can you see yourself as a PT, practicing in one or several of the myriad areas they are found, for a long time, and reamining constantly engaged in that profession. IF the answer is yes, then you should try to be a discerning consumer of PT educational programs. Meaning, try to choose a program that is relatively reasonably priced, as attending a higher profile school that is more expensive provides you with no tangible benefits over a less expensive, accredited school. There are probably few of us on this board who would knowingly choose to pay markedly more for a a product that is essentially the same, but that is exactly what happens when we become attracted to "the name" or "the ranking" of expensive schools.
However, if your answer is "no," or "maybe," you should probably look in another direction. For example, fitnessdoc, debt seems to be an insurmountable obstacle to you, or at least one that you do not seem to feel is worth encountering in order to obtain a PT degree. If that is indeed the case, I think you may want to consider another profession.
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Travel PTs salaries are variable depending on location, however they seem to always come out on top financially compared to PTs who don't do travel work. The highest salary I have seen for a Travel PT was approximately 160K per year if you did it full time plus mileage reimbursement. I would say that in a lot of areas, a large amount of full-time travel PTs make close to or exceed 100K Not too shabby, but you have to be a willing to deal with some of the strains that comes with being a travel PT as well!
I know pretty much anyone who is getting into physical therapy is not doing it for the money. You are doing it because you want to help people but not considering the financial aspects of becoming a PT is unwise. Unless you get into a state school you will likely rack up at least 100k of debt and expect to make probably 60-70k right out of school. Also consider that you may not get to work in the setting you want because it may not pay enough to support yourself.
That being said there are ways to pay back the massive amount of debt you will incur. For example, if you enroll in the Income Based Repayment (IBR) program you will only have to pay 10% of your discretionary income towards your student debt and whatever is remaining after 20 years of payments will be forgiven. Another option with IBR is that you can work for a government agency (like the VA) or non-profit and then after only 10 years of payments you can have the remainder of your student debt forgiven (this will start being available in Oct. of 2017).
Like earlier posts have said incurring this amount of debt is only worth it if you truly feel like this is a profession you will love. A lot of people over the past 5 to 10 years have decided to go into PT because it is listed as one of the top professions nearly every year. Don't just assume you will like a profession because some list says its great. If PT is something you truly want to do go for it and know that there are number of reasonable options to either reduce or eliminate your student loan debt.
That being said there are ways to pay back the massive amount of debt you will incur. For example, if you enroll in the Income Based Repayment (IBR) program you will only have to pay 10% of your discretionary income towards your student debt and whatever is remaining after 20 years of payments will be forgiven. Another option with IBR is that you can work for a government agency (like the VA) or non-profit and then after only 10 years of payments you can have the remainder of your student debt forgiven (this will start being available in Oct. of 2017).
Like earlier posts have said incurring this amount of debt is only worth it if you truly feel like this is a profession you will love. A lot of people over the past 5 to 10 years have decided to go into PT because it is listed as one of the top professions nearly every year. Don't just assume you will like a profession because some list says its great. If PT is something you truly want to do go for it and know that there are number of reasonable options to either reduce or eliminate your student loan debt.
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Threads like this bother me a little bit because it makes me wonder how much people actually shop and educate themselves about the PT schools available. Maybe I'm just an oddball, but I see no reason why someone going into PT can't "have it all." I'm in my third year of DPT school set to graduate in May. I anticipate having $68K of loans including undergrad, and that's going through PT school with a wife and kid and also paying out-of-state tuition for two semesters. After graduation, it's going to be a huge priority for us to find a job that offers at least 10K of student loan repayment to take that balance even lower. Our plan is also to live basically as we have during school for two to three years so those loans are GONE. What I'll make is going to be three times higher than any COMBINED salary my wife and I have ever had. I went into this because I absolutely love it, but make no mistake. I want to have my cake and eat it too. When we were looking for DPT schools, we went through just about every school in the country and screened them all for what we wanted in a school, which included a reasonable price among other things. Any university with tuition fees of more than 13Kish a year including summers were an automatic no. When we were done, we applied to only three universities. The one that I now attend required moving across the country, but now here we are, and we're nearly there. If your stats are iffy enough that you should take whatever school will accept you and be grateful, that's one thing, but most people don't have to resign themselves to living most of their lives under bone-crushing debt to go into PT.
I'm realizing now that this post may come off as, "Look at me. I'm so awesome," but hopefully it helps someone.
I'm realizing now that this post may come off as, "Look at me. I'm so awesome," but hopefully it helps someone.
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I'm at Western Carolina University. In-state tuition, fees, program expenses (shots, background checks, malpractice insurance, etc.), and books for the entire program was about 39K for the 2016 class. It may have gone up for later classes, but even right now, the website lists tuition and fees for the DPT program as being $4,806 for the 2015-2016 Fall/Spring semester. It's just slightly cheaper for summer. Get the $800 student insurance waived by getting your own, and it's 4K per semester, or 12K per year.
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Cool story. Now ask everyone applying to apply to those schools, subtract who receives acceptance, then reassess how "bothered" you are. Hopefully, you'd gain some perspective because these situations make perfect sense to me.
I'm just glad I had the GI Bill. Look at me! Look at me!
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Not sure I get the point of your post - You're not "bothered" by potential PT students who don't research the cost of programs they might attend?
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Not my point at all, because if any research was done, I'd bet only a dozen and a half schools are "affordable" versus the hundreds that a majority of posters deem unacceptable. It's just not realistic for everyone to be accepted into those programs. Those who are seem oblivious to that fact.
It's always up to the student to research their programs and ultimately their responsibility to payback any loans. Loans are def a prob and I feel for my peers.
