Reconsidering/confused...desperately need advice

[sports_science94]

I have been a long term lurker and have enjoyed the information on this site! I finally decided it was time to post a question of my own...

I'll start with some background about me:
I'm currently a junior in an Exercise Science undergrad with an option in Pre-PT and minor in psychology. I am also a current student athlete. Since practically middle school I have been wanting to go into physical therapy. However, for the past few months to a year I have been going back and forth on whether I actually want to pursue a career in PT anymore. Which TERRIFIES me. I have been planning on becoming a PT for what seems like forever but I don't know if my heart is in it anymore.

I was hoping to get some advice from you guys based on your experience and knowledge.

Some days I think that I do want to stick with pursuing going to PT school. I have good grades (3.7+ cumulative gpa) and have liked most of my exercise science classes. I love sports and think it would be cool to work with athletes. I like that as a therapist you get to work with people and their bodies and that you can make an impact in their lives. I love heath and sports and I also like that its a secure, rewarding, and flexible career that you can do practically anywhere. I like that I know what to expect and know exactly what I need to get into PT school.

On the other hand, some days I wake up doubting my current path. I have shadowed a few different outpatient pt clinics and overall haven't been too impressed. I would often dread going into the clinic. The therapist did let me interact and talk with the patients which was cool, but ultimately I found it boring. I don't know if that's because observing is boring anyways, or if I was just not in the right setting, or if I actually just am not that interested. Also, I know that I don't want to work with the general public, peds, or older people. Which is what a lot of PT is. I think it would be cool to work with athletes and physically active people, but I don't know how feasible that is. I also am currently taking a therapeutic exercise class (with a lab) and am not as thrilled about it as I thought I would be.

It seems like everyone wants to become a pt. I was interested in becoming a pt in middle school, but since then 3 of my closest friends decided they wanted to go into physical therapy and there are almost 700 pre pt student at my school. I know that's not a reason to not go into pt, but I also like the idea of doing a job that is slightly more unique.

I also am worried about the cost of DPT school. I have been lucky not to have to take out loans for undergrad, but I have practically zero money for grad school. I also am in a state that does not have any state PT schools, so I would have to pay either private or out of state tuition no matter what.

But if I don't stick with pursuing a job as a PT, I don't have any sort of back up plan. I am a planner and when I don't have a plan it freaks me out. I don't want to not go to PT school and regret my decision later in life, but I also don't want to start PT school and find out that I don't like it.

Am I just going through a mid college identity crisis? Should I stick with PT? Or should I look at/pursue a different option? I want some honest advice please and thanks!

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[SwampPT]

I have been a long term lurker and have enjoyed the information on this site! I finally decided it was time to post a question of my own...

I'll start with some background about me:
I'm currently a junior in an Exercise Science undergrad with an option in Pre-PT and minor in psychology. I am also a current student athlete. Since practically middle school I have been wanting to go into physical therapy. However, for the past few months to a year I have been going back and forth on whether I actually want to pursue a career in PT anymore. Which TERRIFIES me. I have been planning on becoming a PT for what seems like forever but I don't know if my heart is in it anymore.

I was hoping to get some advice from you guys based on your experience and knowledge.

Some days I think that I do want to stick with pursuing going to PT school. I have good grades (3.7+ cumulative gpa) and have liked most of my exercise science classes. I love sports and think it would be cool to work with athletes. I like that as a therapist you get to work with people and their bodies and that you can make an impact in their lives. I love heath and sports and I also like that its a secure, rewarding, and flexible career that you can do practically anywhere. I like that I know what to expect and know exactly what I need to get into PT school.

On the other hand, some days I wake up doubting my current path. I have shadowed a few different outpatient pt clinics and overall haven't been too impressed. I would often dread going into the clinic. The therapist did let me interact and talk with the patients which was cool, but ultimately I found it boring. I don't know if that's because observing is boring anyways, or if I was just not in the right setting, or if I actually just am not that interested. Also, I know that I don't want to work with the general public, peds, or older people. Which is what a lot of PT is. I think it would be cool to work with athletes and physically active people, but I don't know how feasible that is. I also am currently taking a therapeutic exercise class (with a lab) and am not as thrilled about it as I thought I would be.

It seems like everyone wants to become a pt. I was interested in becoming a pt in middle school, but since then 3 of my closest friends decided they wanted to go into physical therapy and there are almost 700 pre pt student at my school. I know that's not a reason to not go into pt, but I also like the idea of doing a job that is slightly more unique.

I also am worried about the cost of DPT school. I have been lucky not to have to take out loans for undergrad, but I have practically zero money for grad school. I also am in a state that does not have any state PT schools, so I would have to pay either private or out of state tuition no matter what.

But if I don't stick with pursuing a job as a PT, I don't have any sort of back up plan. I am a planner and when I don't have a plan it freaks me out. I don't want to not go to PT school and regret my decision later in life, but I also don't want to start PT school and find out that I don't like it.

Am I just going through a mid college identity crisis? Should I stick with PT? Or should I look at/pursue a different option? I want some honest advice please and thanks!

It sounds to me like a degree in Athletic Training would be more up your path rather than PT. I definitely would not go to PT school if my heart was not completely set on being a PT. If I was in your position I would shadow Athletic Trainers and I would try shadowing in different PT settings to make absolutely certain what you want to do before incurring the costs. This is one of the biggest life decisions you will make. You don't want to screw it up.

 

[katelly]

Finish your degree as it is now because you have already put a lot of work into it, and then take a few years off to do other things and see what kind of jobs you like doing. Even doing entry level jobs you can get a good sense of the kind of work you like doing. Or at least the themes. I have done a lot of different kinds of jobs, and what I have realized is that I really like coaching people and getting to know them individually. The jobs that I keep going back to all have this theme.
I am super nervous about my decision to go back to school too, so I am maybe not the best person to give advice on this. Plus I am just starting the prereq/ application process, so I don't have a lot of hindsight advice about what is all involved.
Regardless, I am super glad that I took the last few years off and did a lot of different things during these years. I realized that the degree I had, environmental studies, didn't have the kind of jobs that I like doing. As much as I am interested in the subject, it doesn't mean that the jobs that my degree lead to are right for me.
There shouldn't be a huge rush to get to a professional level in your career. I have had so much fun since college; being a ski bum, working ****ty jobs, working some good ones, quitting them to travel internationally, finding new jobs in new places, meeting new people, learning to climb and going on an amazing 6 month long climbing trip, deciding to be an environmental lawyer, abandoning that because thats not the life I want, gardening for myself and for work, and mostly having a lot of free time, to just be. That list might make me sound like a bit of a ****show, but its some of the best things that has happened to me, and I wouldn't trade it for getting a professional career fresh out of college for anything. Nope. I wouldn't. The honest truth is that I was not mature enough when I was in my early twenties to know what I wanted. If I had chosen then, I would have ended up with a career and debt that I didn't want. Or I would have gotten half way through and quit because I was rash.
As far as your specific worries about PT, I can't really give much advice. I have more or less the same reservations. But at this point in my life, following through with something on this scale can only be because it is really important to me. I would wait till you can say the same thing about yourself and your career before you invest so much into it. That being said- finish your undergrad now. It will be worth a lot while you take some time off, and it will be worth a ton when you are ready to commit to a career, regardless of if it is PT or something else.

 

[DesertPT]

Also, I know that I don't want to work with the general public, peds, or older people.

You may not want to go into PT if this is really the case. Though you can't really know this for sure until you've been through PT school, I still think this would cause me a lot of concern if I was going into PT school feeling this way. Unless you are one of the 0.1% that works for a professional or college sports team or something like that, there is really know such thing in PT as not working with members of the public. You certainly don't have to specialize in peds, but you certainly do need to realize that a great deal, if not a majority, of PT happens with older people.

 

[a7rcana]

Also, I know that I don't want to work with the general public, peds, or older people. Which is what a lot of PT is.

This is really the meat and potatoes of your predicament. I'm not seeing how you could easily make it past the interviews or essays to get into PT school with that attitude. Being a PT means working with sick people - this includes old people, children, patients trying to return to work, disabled individuals, and any number of people who are unathletic. I don't think you would enjoy the profession even if you did manage to complete 3 years of rigorous studying about populations you aren't interested in as well as hours of clinical work with the same people. I would recommend seeing an advisor or student counselor about possible job options for the future. You might want to do some research on what it takes to become either a certified athletic trainer, a personal trainer, or strength and conditioning coach.

 

[PT2Bee]

Also, I know that I don't want to work with the general public, peds, or older people. Which is what a lot of PT is

Um, wat? 😵 You don't want to work with general public, peds or older people. So you don't want to do PT lol. I would highly encourage you to actually look into sports geared PT or talk to a PT involved in it. A few PTs at the clinic I'm doing a rotation at now left that area of practice because they were overworked and underpaid and from what they said that is common in sports PT. Outside of that, it can also be hard to get into. If you're solely going to PT school to work exclusively in this area I would say don't put yourself through 3 years of hell for it. Go with the above and pursue ATC.

 

[Carson Ranger]

if you don't want to work with the general public, you don't want to be a physical therapist [full stop]

 

[SnowyDPT]

There are other settings you can practice in as well. Maybe you would find that you like to work in a neuro setting where people have had much more debilitating injuries opposed to a shoulder surgery and you get more satisfaction out of helping those patients. But, to say you want to work with athletes only and people who are in shape, you are SEVERLY limiting your opportunities post graduating

 

[Carson Ranger]

P.S. I was told if you say in an interview you only want to do sports, you probably won't be admitted.

 

[1027453812]

Your preference for the athletic population will be a severe deterrent to your application, and while you may not voice it directly, prospect schools may be able to sense that lack of interest, especially in an interview. If your heart is not for the profession, do not try to convince yourself to apply to PT school. Go with your gut.

If you are looking to strictly work with the athletic population, AT was recommended previously, but I would also open up some suggestions to pursue graduate programs within Kinesiology (i.e Exercise Physiology, Biomechanics). In addition, there are a lot of nifty certifications you can pursue to open up your toolbox to help those athletes (CSCS being a handy one). As a current PT student I will be looking to get FMS (Functional Movement Screen) certified as well as CSCS sometime between now and the end of graduation - which will allow me to perform FMS in the clinics.

 

[brooklynyc]

Everything that I want to say has been said . . .

I don't think you should stick with PT. I have a friend who is a PT now and she says she hates working with people and is miserable. She is quite intelligent, but she says she is looking to leave the field for this reason.

 

[89bogues]

I would first observe in some different settings. After becoming interested in PT, the first setting I observed was acute care and I was kind of like "uh, so this is what PTs do? I guess I could do this." Then I observed at an out-patient clinic and I thought "I can definitely see myself doing this." Finally I observed in-patient rehab and was like "this is what I want to do", and I haven't had a second thought since. If, after observing some more settings, you don't find something that clicks with you I would move on to something else. I definitely would not pursue PT unless you are 100% sure it is what you want to do.

As far as tuition goes, check out the academic common market.

As far as wanting a job that is unique, I would agree this is not a valid reason to pursue or not pursue a career. I would however say that there being no PT schools in your state, and there being 700 pre-pt students at your school should tell you something. The reality is that there will not be 700 students from your school matriculating to PT school. I would guess that less than a quarter of those students actually become PTs. I would also argue that PT is a unique career given the numbers alone.

In the end all of this is superfluous If you don't have a true desire and passion for PT. I learned long ago that when I follow my gut instincts instead of what I think would please or look cool to others (prestige) I usually end up better off in the long run. I wouldn't necessarily discount PT just yet, but from what you have said and others have already commented ATC seems more up your alley.

I also agree with katelly that you might need more time to figure out what you want to do with your life before saddling yourself with debt for a career you don't like. It definitely took me a few years to figure out this was what I wanted to do.