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I have been lurking this forum for a couple of years now and have learned an immense amount from all of you. Thanks very much for that. Reading the PT vs PMR thread that is active right now has convinced me to finally get involved.
I am a Canadian physiotherapy student who has become somewhat disheartened by the profession as my education has progressed. There are many things that I love about PT, specifically the MSK aspect, problem solving and the close relationship I get to have with my patients. However, there are a number of things which have started to irk me. These things include the reliance on others for referrals, the lack of control over total patient care and the fact that regardless of how much post-grad education you invest in, it does not actually help you advance professionally. Essentially, my concern is that the profession covers a field which is very broad but is also very shallow.
So, the reason I am telling you all of this is because I feel like PMR better suits my personality and what I would like to do professionally. I have set up observerships over the next week with a few physiatrists in my area but I would also appreciate any advice you could offer before I make the decision to dedicate the next 10 years of my life to more education.
I have discussed this issue with a couple of my professors and they gave me opposite perspectives. The first prof suggested that I stay in PT because PTs are the experts in MSK assessment (studies have shown that a PTs ability to diagnose MSK problems is on par with orthopods) and that because the field is so young, there are infinite opportunities to do what you want. She went on to say this may be favourable compared to medicine where roles are defined by tradition and if you are not comfortable with your role then it can be difficult to adjust your practice to make it what you want. The second prof basically had the same concerns as me and is actually planning on applying to med school himself in the near future.
Thank you very much if you are still reading this. I am basically asking for you to try to sell PMR to a PT student.
Thanks again.
I am a Canadian physiotherapy student who has become somewhat disheartened by the profession as my education has progressed. There are many things that I love about PT, specifically the MSK aspect, problem solving and the close relationship I get to have with my patients. However, there are a number of things which have started to irk me. These things include the reliance on others for referrals, the lack of control over total patient care and the fact that regardless of how much post-grad education you invest in, it does not actually help you advance professionally. Essentially, my concern is that the profession covers a field which is very broad but is also very shallow.
So, the reason I am telling you all of this is because I feel like PMR better suits my personality and what I would like to do professionally. I have set up observerships over the next week with a few physiatrists in my area but I would also appreciate any advice you could offer before I make the decision to dedicate the next 10 years of my life to more education.
I have discussed this issue with a couple of my professors and they gave me opposite perspectives. The first prof suggested that I stay in PT because PTs are the experts in MSK assessment (studies have shown that a PTs ability to diagnose MSK problems is on par with orthopods) and that because the field is so young, there are infinite opportunities to do what you want. She went on to say this may be favourable compared to medicine where roles are defined by tradition and if you are not comfortable with your role then it can be difficult to adjust your practice to make it what you want. The second prof basically had the same concerns as me and is actually planning on applying to med school himself in the near future.
Thank you very much if you are still reading this. I am basically asking for you to try to sell PMR to a PT student.
Thanks again.
