Should I even bother? Please help

[Saito]

I'm sure this kind of thread pops up a lot but I'm just mentally exhausted at this point
Here's the deal: I got a D in Orgo II, my school (CUNY Baruch) considers that passing and won't let me retake it at all (I would have to go outside the cuny system; basically impossible for me)
This keeps me from applying to virtually all of the pharm schools in the region.
My father is a PT and as such I've had a ton of exposure to the field. It's always been my backup and well...here I am.

*PT prereq GPA: 3.17
*With my overall being dropped to a ~3.14 'cause of the D
*PCAT was a 86; Ill have to take the GRE
*I'm the pre-reqs im missing are: stats, physics 2 and A and P.
As for extra curricular stuff
*-I've tutored biology through my schools tutoring center for 3 semesters now and have a letter to prove it
*-I've done ~400 hours of volunteering at a P.Ts office and she wrote me a rec. letter
*Did developmental Biology research as a semester long project with my professor, made a poster of it with my partners and presented it at my schools creative inquiry far- they gave me a certificate for that lol
*I was elected treasurer of my schools Bio-med society for the upcoming fall semester

I did take some "advanced" science classes so far
*Genetics
*Developmental Biology
and I'm registered for Biochem and Anatomy. I'm currently rising junior btw
I'll have to get all my letters of rec moved over to PTCAS and that'll be a huge hassle but whatever.
Do I have a realistic shot at a school like Stony Brook? Does it help if my dad got his DPT from there about a decade ago?
Also can I take Comparative anatomy (4Credits) and then Physiology (4 credits)? Thats all my school offers.
Thanks.

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[Azimuthal]

I'm always suspect of PT as a backup. How do you know you'll be happy, knowing that you may be working side by side with a pharmacist, not being able to do what they do? A 3.17 prerequisite GPA is low for PT, read through these "don't give up threads" for advice. Also, if you truly wanted to be a pharmacist, having to retake Orgo II at a community college shouldn't be much of a barrier.

 

[Saito]

Would they take into account my Biology major?
It seems to me that most people applying to PT school are taking less rigorous majors like Psych.
Also I mean to say that PT isn't really a backup option for me, but kinda like a parallel? I like aspects of both jobs and wouldn't mind one over the other.
I'm missing Physics II and A&P. I'll try my hardest and hopefully those classes should raise my pre-req GPA. Also I'm a pretty darn good test taker so I'm not too worried about the GRE.
Taking Orgo II at a CC is a barrier because all CC in NYC are in the CUNY system, and I'm blocked from taking an equivalent class because my school considers a D "Passing".

 

[NJ DPT HOPEFUL]

Would they take into account my Biology major?
It seems to me that most people applying to PT school are taking less rigorous majors like Psych.
".

I'm not sure where you got that idea from, but Bio is a pretty common major for PT. Also your pre-req gpa is based on a fixed set of classes, so no matter what major a student was, they are still taking chem 1, bio 1 etc. But every program I spoke to said they don't care what you major in.

And if you are barred from taking the equivalency course in a CC how about as a visiting student at another university over a summer session? With your gpa on the low side you should be looking to go the extra mile/ show effort instead of just hoping to walk into something/

 

[apta_pharaoh]

I'm sure this kind of thread pops up a lot but I'm just mentally exhausted at this point
Here's the deal: I got a D in Orgo II, my school (CUNY Baruch) considers that passing and won't let me retake it at all (I would have to go outside the cuny system; basically impossible for me)
This keeps me from applying to virtually all of the pharm schools in the region.
My father is a PT and as such I've had a ton of exposure to the field. It's always been my backup and well...here I am.

*PT prereq GPA: 3.17
*With my overall being dropped to a ~3.14 'cause of the D
*PCAT was a 86; Ill have to take the GRE
*I'm the pre-reqs im missing are: stats, physics 2 and A and P.
As for extra curricular stuff
*-I've tutored biology through my schools tutoring center for 3 semesters now and have a letter to prove it
*-I've done ~400 hours of volunteering at a P.Ts office and she wrote me a rec. letter
*Did developmental Biology research as a semester long project with my professor, made a poster of it with my partners and presented it at my schools creative inquiry far- they gave me a certificate for that lol
*I was elected treasurer of my schools Bio-med society for the upcoming fall semester

I did take some "advanced" science classes so far
*Genetics
*Developmental Biology
and I'm registered for Biochem and Anatomy. I'm currently rising junior btw

I'll have to get all my letters of rec moved over to PTCAS and that'll be a huge hassle but whatever.
Do I have a realistic shot at a school like Stony Brook? Does it help if my dad got his DPT from there about a decade ago?
Also can I take Comparative anatomy (4Credits) and then Physiology (4 credits)? Thats all my school offers.
Thanks.

I was in your same boat in terms of GPA. Get all A's during the school year. Retake classes at community college during you summers. Acknowledge that you retook classes in PTCAS and at your interview when you get there. Start slowly learning words for the GRE now and do well.

 

[Saito]

Well I have four semesters left.
I'll try to do my best to get straight A's in my remaining classes but retaking classes seems to be out of the question. Again, pretty much all of the community colleges in NYC are under CUNY and they simply won't allow me to retake a class I got a D or higher in. As for pre reqs I have 2 classes left, 3 if Calc I is included, so hopefully A's in those will bring my preReq GPA to ~3.2-3.3.
I'm not too worried about the GRE but I'll def. study my hardest for it, to add a strength to my application. Also I can easily get a few hundred more hours of volunteer work, I'm thankful that my dad has friends and co-workers that could let me help out at their offices.

A few questions though, are PT schools like Stony and CSI/Hunter REALLY that competitive? I mean, a 3.5 would put you in the running for DO and some low-tier med schools no? My dad got into stony's DPT as a complete immigrant with a pretty thick accent. All he had was his PT bachelor's degree that he got from his country. This was about a decade ago too, when the non-MD medical fields were much less saturated (and more desirable) than they are now.

For example, in the early 2000s and especially from '07 to '09 PTs were making a killing due to high wages, veterans coming back from Iraq and baby boomers starting to get really old and needing therapy. Even PTs who worked home care and nursing homes regularly brought in >100k a year no sweat.
Now if you don't own an office you're looking at a max of 80k, 90 if you're lucky. (mind you this is NYC, it's probably different for rural areas)
How would they be competitive as you guys are saying then? Pharmacy competition dropped like a rock when s**t hit the fan in terms of saturation.
PA is the hot new kid on the block and thats were all the non MD/DO/DDS competition seems to be heading. A lot of PA schools now want a 3.5 with research and what not.
sorry for rambling lol. My point is if you have a 3.5+ why DPT instead of PA or MD or even Dental? Also why the heck would Major not matter?
A biology/pure science major takes MUCH harder classes than a Psych, kinseology or exercise science major does (No offense of course).
Finally, where should I search to see acceptance stats for DPT schools? They don't seem as transparent about this stuff as other professional schools.
Oh, and I don't mean to be rude. I'm just a very stressed out student and my anxiety about getting accepted and what not is really starting to kill me lol.
I'm so glad there's a place like SDN where people are actually willing to give advice and stuff. Lets just say you guys simply outclass the pathetic excuse for a pre med advisor that my school has

 

[NJ DPT HOPEFUL]

Well I have four semesters left.
I'll try to do my best to get straight A's in my remaining classes but retaking classes seems to be out of the question. Again, pretty much all of the community colleges in NYC are under CUNY and they simply won't allow me to retake a class I got a D or higher in. As for pre reqs I have 2 classes left, 3 if Calc I is included, so hopefully A's in those will bring my preReq GPA to ~3.2-3.3.
I'm not too worried about the GRE but I'll def. study my hardest for it, to add a strength to my application. Also I can easily get a few hundred more hours of volunteer work, I'm thankful that my dad has friends and co-workers that could let me help out at their offices.

A few questions though, are PT schools like Stony and CSI/Hunter REALLY that competitive? I mean, a 3.5 would put you in the running for DO and some low-tier med schools no? My dad got into stony's DPT as a complete immigrant with a pretty thick accent. All he had was his PT bachelor's degree that he got from his country. This was about a decade ago too, when the non-MD medical fields were much less saturated (and more desirable) than they are now.

For example, in the early 2000s and especially from '07 to '09 PTs were making a killing due to high wages, veterans coming back from Iraq and baby boomers starting to get really old and needing therapy. Even PTs who worked home care and nursing homes regularly brought in >100k a year no sweat.
Now if you don't own an office you're looking at a max of 80k, 90 if you're lucky. (mind you this is NYC, it's probably different for rural areas)
How would they be competitive as you guys are saying then? Pharmacy competition dropped like a rock when s**t hit the fan in terms of saturation.
PA is the hot new kid on the block and thats were all the non MD/DO/DDS competition seems to be heading. A lot of PA schools now want a 3.5 with research and what not.
sorry for rambling lol. My point is if you have a 3.5+ why DPT instead of PA or MD or even Dental? Also why the heck would Major not matter?
A biology/pure science major takes MUCH harder classes than a Psych, kinseology or exercise science major does (No offense of course).
Finally, where should I search to see acceptance stats for DPT schools? They don't seem as transparent about this stuff as other professional schools.
Oh, and I don't mean to be rude. I'm just a very stressed out student and my anxiety about getting accepted and what not is really starting to kill me lol.
I'm so glad there's a place like SDN where people are actually willing to give advice and stuff. Lets just say you guys simply outclass the pathetic excuse for a pre med advisor that my school has

Because there are people that like the field of PT and want to be physical therapists. It's not the thing you get into if you can't get something else. And I can't tell you why major doesn't matter, but I've seen it asked at almost every open house I went to, or in a lot of FAQ's on sites, but it doesn't change the fact that these "easier major" people did better than you in the basic science classes.

Many of the other things you glossed over simply aren't correct. You make a lot of generalizations and quote numbers that you seem to have just made up. Being from NJ, I can tell you that your "max" salary is below our average salary. I don't know NY's stats but you can use your time to google them.

You ask if you should even bother, in my opinion, no you shouldn't. Not because you wouldn't be able to get in without a little effort. But because of your view of the field and what comes off as a mix of laziness and a little bit of arrogance.

If you want to be successful in a health field you need to be willing to put in the effort. You got a D and haven't done well in your core sciences. Instead of working to fix your application you're making excuses and looking to change into a field that you viewed (incorrectly) as less competitive. If you're in NYC, you could easily commute to NJ for a CC to make up that grade and move forward.

To summarize, in the nicest way possible, my advice is that you need to figure out what you want to do, and if that is pharmacy, and if getting a new Orgo grade makes you competitive, then put on your big boy shoes and go get it done

 

[Saito]

According to the BLS, PT salaries in NYC are around 85k. Naturally you'll be seeing a lot less than that after taxes etc.
I apologize if I seem condescending, I've been surrounded by the politics surrounding medicine my whole life; especially PT. I've taken 18 credit semesters ever since my freshman year by the way, in hindsight that was pretty stupid, and I should have put off all these classes but I was very intimidated by the sheer incompetence of my undergrad. Classes would be offered one semester and not the other, they would get the worst professors to teach classes etc. The biology major is full of people who have been in college for 5-6 years and postbaccs, only 2 of which got accepted anywhere this past cycle. this is out of about 75 people, which just freaked my the hell out.
Actually, on an interview I would have a MUCH easier time talking about why I want to be a PT vs why I want to be a pharmacist. Again, I very much like both jobs, while keeping a relatively negative view on how healthcare is done in the US as a whole. It's really super corrupt and just absurd if you take a step back and look at it as a whole.
Thanks for mentioning CCs in NJ by the way, I never thought of that.

What I think I'm going to do is just hold off on applying until the summer of my junior year, that way I can apply to both schools and see where I get into (if anywhere lol).
That's alongside raising my GPA and getting more research, and PT hours under my belt.
Would a 3.3ish with my ECs give me a fighting chance? I feel like that's realistically where my stats will be at by the end of my junior year.
Again thanks, and sorry if you though I was being condescending. Just a realist here

 

[NJ DPT HOPEFUL]

According to the BLS, PT salaries in NYC are around 85k. Naturally you'll be seeing a lot less than that after taxes etc.
I apologize if I seem condescending, I've been surrounded by the politics surrounding medicine my whole life; especially PT. I've taken 18 credit semesters ever since my freshman year by the way, in hindsight that was pretty stupid, and I should have put off all these classes but I was very intimidated by the sheer incompetence of my undergrad. Classes would be offered one semester and not the other, they would get the worst professors to teach classes etc. The biology major is full of people who have been in college for 5-6 years and postbaccs, only 2 of which got accepted anywhere this past cycle. this is out of about 75 people, which just freaked my the hell out.
Actually, on an interview I would have a MUCH easier time talking about why I want to be a PT vs why I want to be a pharmacist. Again, I very much like both jobs, while keeping a relatively negative view on how healthcare is done in the US as a whole. It's really super corrupt and just absurd if you take a step back and look at it as a whole.
Thanks for mentioning CCs in NJ by the way, I never thought of that.

What I think I'm going to do is just hold off on applying until the summer of my junior year, that way I can apply to both schools and see where I get into (if anywhere lol).
That's alongside raising my GPA and getting more research, and PT hours under my belt.
Would a 3.3ish with my ECs give me a fighting chance? I feel like that's realistically where my stats will be at by the end of my junior year.
Again thanks, and sorry if you though I was being condescending. Just a realist here

People get in to some places with lower than a 3.3, personally I got in with a 3.37 but had a 3.9 Pre-Req GPA and 3.7 for my last 60 (some schools care a lot about that gpa). If you decide to go the PT route I do think you need to do more research on the field.

Just a few things I pulled out from your last post, you kind of spoke down on the home health/SNF therapist as "even they made 100k", but usually they are some of the highest paying because it's not the most desirable for most people.

You asked why PT student's don't go for DO or PA with their grades, and many people have their own answers for this but it basically comes down to they want to do PT. You need to really come up with your own answer for this because some variation of it will be asked in an interview, and if you're just coming up with what you think the "right answer" is, they will be able to tell.

Now for the cynical attitude. Don't say "just a realist" when you're being condescending and are not very knowledgeable. No one expects us (applicants and students) to know everything yet, but speaking in absolutes about a profession that you don't know much about isn't a good look. If you don't know, ask. But no DPT or admission thing is going to be impressed with a rant about their field like these ones.

 

[apta_pharaoh]

According to the BLS, PT salaries in NYC are around 85k. Naturally you'll be seeing a lot less than that after taxes etc.
I apologize if I seem condescending, I've been surrounded by the politics surrounding medicine my whole life; especially PT. I've taken 18 credit semesters ever since my freshman year by the way, in hindsight that was pretty stupid, and I should have put off all these classes but I was very intimidated by the sheer incompetence of my undergrad. Classes would be offered one semester and not the other, they would get the worst professors to teach classes etc. The biology major is full of people who have been in college for 5-6 years and postbaccs, only 2 of which got accepted anywhere this past cycle. this is out of about 75 people, which just freaked my the hell out.
Actually, on an interview I would have a MUCH easier time talking about why I want to be a PT vs why I want to be a pharmacist. Again, I very much like both jobs, while keeping a relatively negative view on how healthcare is done in the US as a whole. It's really super corrupt and just absurd if you take a step back and look at it as a whole.
Thanks for mentioning CCs in NJ by the way, I never thought of that.

What I think I'm going to do is just hold off on applying until the summer of my junior year, that way I can apply to both schools and see where I get into (if anywhere lol).
That's alongside raising my GPA and getting more research, and PT hours under my belt.
Would a 3.3ish with my ECs give me a fighting chance? I feel like that's realistically where my stats will be at by the end of my junior year.
Again thanks, and sorry if you though I was being condescending. Just a realist here

I understand what your going through bro. You really want to get in SOMEWHERE and not be sitting around after school. You don't want to finish bio than not get in anywhere at all. Major doesn't matter because there are enough bio majors that apply to the schools I think, I was surprised how many bio majors were in my program. I don't think I would take calc unless your top schools requires it and many schools don't. Most people do not get A's in Calc. You can do the research and retake your Pre reqs at the same time like I did. You can do 2 night classes a summer or even 1. Just go to NJ. Essex County College its a short train ride depending on where you are and EXTREMELY EASY trust me I did this. In your science classes focus on your lecture notes. I had your GPA and got a 3.7 my remaining semesters you have to bite down and do it. No excuses you have to put in more work at this point. Stony Brook accepts mostly New Yorkers, I got on the waitlist with your stats and I'm from NJ.

 

[redrose424]

Well I have four semesters left.
I'll try to do my best to get straight A's in my remaining classes but retaking classes seems to be out of the question. Again, pretty much all of the community colleges in NYC are under CUNY and they simply won't allow me to retake a class I got a D or higher in. As for pre reqs I have 2 classes left, 3 if Calc I is included, so hopefully A's in those will bring my preReq GPA to ~3.2-3.3.
I'm not too worried about the GRE but I'll def. study my hardest for it, to add a strength to my application. Also I can easily get a few hundred more hours of volunteer work, I'm thankful that my dad has friends and co-workers that could let me help out at their offices.

A few questions though, are PT schools like Stony and CSI/Hunter REALLY that competitive? I mean, a 3.5 would put you in the running for DO and some low-tier med schools no? My dad got into stony's DPT as a complete immigrant with a pretty thick accent. All he had was his PT bachelor's degree that he got from his country. This was about a decade ago too, when the non-MD medical fields were much less saturated (and more desirable) than they are now.

For example, in the early 2000s and especially from '07 to '09 PTs were making a killing due to high wages, veterans coming back from Iraq and baby boomers starting to get really old and needing therapy. Even PTs who worked home care and nursing homes regularly brought in >100k a year no sweat.
Now if you don't own an office you're looking at a max of 80k, 90 if you're lucky. (mind you this is NYC, it's probably different for rural areas)
How would they be competitive as you guys are saying then? Pharmacy competition dropped like a rock when s**t hit the fan in terms of saturation.
PA is the hot new kid on the block and thats were all the non MD/DO/DDS competition seems to be heading. A lot of PA schools now want a 3.5 with research and what not.
sorry for rambling lol. My point is if you have a 3.5+ why DPT instead of PA or MD or even Dental? Also why the heck would Major not matter?
A biology/pure science major takes MUCH harder classes than a Psych, kinseology or exercise science major does (No offense of course).
Finally, where should I search to see acceptance stats for DPT schools? They don't seem as transparent about this stuff as other professional schools.
Oh, and I don't mean to be rude. I'm just a very stressed out student and my anxiety about getting accepted and what not is really starting to kill me lol.
I'm so glad there's a place like SDN where people are actually willing to give advice and stuff. Lets just say you guys simply outclass the pathetic excuse for a pre med advisor that my school has

I'd like to let you know that you're offensive and misinformed. Coming from someone who has an "easier" major, I'll explain to you why the schools do not care.

First, PT school teaches you how to be a PT. Your biology degree does not. My political science (omg REALLY EASY) does not. See how both of our degrees do the same thing?

Second, we all take the required prerequisites to prove that we have the capabilities to handle the material that will be presented to us during PT school. Despite the fact that I have an "easier" major, I took those classes and did very well. I'm not sure why someone who has this tough major and is clearly super knowledgable wouldn't do well in these basic prerequisite classes.

Last, PT school is more than anatomy, physiology, etc. If you go in acting like that is all to PT and as if PT is lesser compared to MD/PA/Dental/etc you will not do well, and rightly so. Perhaps, people who have other majors have different sets of experiences and have a more diverse knowledge base. There is a large emphasis on professionalism, and relating to the patient as a person. We see hugely diverse people, and while my "easier" major may not be up to your standards, it gives me something that I could talk about with a patient or that I could use in my daily interactions. It's a huge reason why schools accept many non-traditionals, they offer a different perspective for the field.

My advice to you is to grow up in the next year and understand why PT is a great field if you are actually interested in applying. Stop talking down to people, other applicants, sects of PT. If it shows on the internet it will show in your interview and I HOPE it would get you the axe. Now, I'll take my easier major and skip on to my PT program on Monday.

 

[Azimuthal]

Are there any WCS's or WCC's available to treat these burns?

 

[ptisfun2]

A few questions though, are PT schools like Stony and CSI/Hunter REALLY that competitive? I mean, a 3.5 would put you in the running for DO and some low-tier med schools no? My dad got into stony's DPT as a complete immigrant with a pretty thick accent. All he had was his PT bachelor's degree that he got from his country. This was about a decade ago too, when the non-MD medical fields were much less saturated (and more desirable) than they are now.

For example, in the early 2000s and especially from '07 to '09 PTs were making a killing due to high wages, veterans coming back from Iraq and baby boomers starting to get really old and needing therapy. Even PTs who worked home care and nursing homes regularly brought in >100k a year no sweat.
Now if you don't own an office you're looking at a max of 80k, 90 if you're lucky. (mind you this is NYC, it's probably different for rural areas)
How would they be competitive as you guys are saying then? Pharmacy competition dropped like a rock when s**t hit the fan in terms of saturation.
PA is the hot new kid on the block and thats were all the non MD/DO/DDS competition seems to be heading. A lot of PA schools now want a 3.5 with research and what not.
sorry for rambling lol. My point is if you have a 3.5+ why DPT instead of PA or MD or even Dental? Also why the heck would Major not matter?
A biology/pure science major takes MUCH harder classes than a Psych, kinseology or exercise science major does (No offense of course).
Finally, where should I search to see acceptance stats for DPT schools? They don't seem as transparent about this stuff as other professional schools.
Oh, and I don't mean to be rude. I'm just a very stressed out student and my anxiety about getting accepted and what not is really starting to kill me lol.
I'm so glad there's a place like SDN where people are actually willing to give advice and stuff. Lets just say you guys simply outclass the pathetic excuse for a pre med advisor that my school has

I can only speak as one faculty member involved in admissions at one school, but major does not 'matter' for 2 reasons (I use quotes as I strongly think it does matter; we cannot put an objective score on it though).
1. We want a well-rounded group of students. That may come from major, it may not. Some of the students I have working with me on research were business type majors. They are some of the BEST students I have worked with and will have at least 2 first author pubs each before they graduate. Does this have to do with the fact that they were business majors? Maybe a bit as statistical analysis was a bit easier for them to figure out, but the 'patient/clinical' stuff took a bit of work.
2. We cannot 'score' majors. You may think biology is a 'harder' major and psychology is 'easy.' But that is your opinion, and as someone who has never been a psychology major, not a terribly informed opinion. We have no idea what majors are harder or easier...there are way too many variables to control for to determine that. As another question that comes up a lot is university you attended. Same thing. We cannot say one uni is 'hard' and one is 'easy.'

Now how it does matter.....how you present yourself. We interview applicants, and anecdotally (I am not an education researcher so have no interest in answering these types of questions), someone who can speak well about what they learned in undergrad, how they learn, and what the UG major did to prepare them for grad school...well those are major (or applicants independent or major and univ) that I would like to welcome into my profession.

One final point, and I shall step off my soapbox. I often things about my students as those I want in my profession. I am protective of the profession of PT as it has served me well and I think the respect for the profession is amazing. But I also know I have students who want a steady job with a decent salary and a good work-life balance. I cannot and do not fault those people, nor do I fault those who think PT is a 'back up.' There will be people in out profession who do the minimum, and that is fine as long as it is ethical, legal, and evidence-based. A passion I do not think is a requirement.

 

[NJ DPT HOPEFUL]

I can only speak as one faculty member involved in admissions at one school, but major does not 'matter' for 2 reasons (I use quotes as I strongly think it does matter; we cannot put an objective score on it though).
1. We want a well-rounded group of students. That may come from major, it may not. Some of the students I have working with me on research were business type majors. They are some of the BEST students I have worked with and will have at least 2 first author pubs each before they graduate. Does this have to do with the fact that they were business majors? Maybe a bit as statistical analysis was a bit easier for them to figure out, but the 'patient/clinical' stuff took a bit of work.
2. We cannot 'score' majors. You may think biology is a 'harder' major and psychology is 'easy.' But that is your opinion, and as someone who has never been a psychology major, not a terribly informed opinion. We have no idea what majors are harder or easier...there are way too many variables to control for to determine that. As another question that comes up a lot is university you attended. Same thing. We cannot say one uni is 'hard' and one is 'easy.'

Now how it does matter.....how you present yourself. We interview applicants, and anecdotally (I am not an education researcher so have no interest in answering these types of questions), someone who can speak well about what they learned in undergrad, how they learn, and what the UG major did to prepare them for grad school...well those are major (or applicants independent or major and univ) that I would like to welcome into my profession.

One final point, and I shall step off my soapbox. I often things about my students as those I want in my profession. I am protective of the profession of PT as it has served me well and I think the respect for the profession is amazing. But I also know I have students who want a steady job with a decent salary and a good work-life balance. I cannot and do not fault those people, nor do I fault those who think PT is a 'back up.' There will be people in out profession who do the minimum, and that is fine as long as it is ethical, legal, and evidence-based. A passion I do not think is a requirement.

Just about your last point. You say you don't think a passion is a requirement, but would you consider a positive outlook on the profession to be one?

If you had a student in for an interview and asked why pt, and they said because I don't think I can get into a DO or PA and this is less competitive. That would have to be a negative right?

 

[ptisfun2]

Just about your last point. You say you don't think a passion is a requirement, but would you consider a positive outlook on the profession to be one?

If you had a student in for an interview and asked why pt, and they said because I don't think I can get into a DO or PA and this is less competitive. That would have to be a negative right?

Not necessarily, although I am not too sure I have ever asked a question like that. Again, I am one faculty member at one program that interviews about 35 applicants each year for our fairly large program. Well at least that one answer would not be an absolute negative without follow up questions. A positive outlook , yes. I think that is critically important. So if someone says, 'I want to be a PT cause it is easier than DO or PA' I would ask:
1. What do you see as similarities for the professions?
2. What do you see as differences between the profession?
3. What attributes would make you successful in a health care profession?
4. Why do you think PT is less competitive or easier than PA or DO? or MD or RN or OT or......?

I think I go in to interviews assuming the applicant knows little about the PT profession, and for sure knows absolutely nothing about being a Physical Therapist. My focus on an interview is can the applicant handle and thrive with graduate level work, and can they be a positive force for whatever they chose to do. I am under no illusion that a PT student will remain a PT for the rest of their lives. Many will change careers, go back to school, stop working, shift passions, etc.

I do like to have applicants have a passion for something...even if it is painting unicorns on homemade pottery. If their passion is for PT, that is cool.

 

[redrose424]

Not necessarily, although I am not too sure I have ever asked a question like that. Again, I am one faculty member at one program that interviews about 35 applicants each year for our fairly large program. Well at least that one answer would not be an absolute negative without follow up questions. A positive outlook , yes. I think that is critically important. So if someone says, 'I want to be a PT cause it is easier than DO or PA' I would ask:
1. What do you see as similarities for the professions?
2. What do you see as differences between the profession?
3. What attributes would make you successful in a health care profession?
4. Why do you think PT is less competitive or easier than PA or DO? or MD or RN or OT or......?

I think I go in to interviews assuming the applicant knows little about the PT profession, and for sure knows absolutely nothing about being a Physical Therapist. My focus on an interview is can the applicant handle and thrive with graduate level work, and can they be a positive force for whatever they chose to do. I am under no illusion that a PT student will remain a PT for the rest of their lives. Many will change careers, go back to school, stop working, shift passions, etc.

I do like to have applicants have a passion for something...even if it is painting unicorns on homemade pottery. If their passion is for PT, that is cool.

This is just my opinion, but a person who goes into an interview for PT school knowing little about the PT profession shows a whole host of negative attributes.

 

[ptisfun2]

This is just my opinion, but a person who goes into an interview for PT school knowing little about the PT profession shows a whole host of negative attributes.

Sorry. I probably wasn't clear. Most applicants know what the APTA website states, and a few facts about PT. But our job is to teach you and encourage you to explore more! I do not think any of us has an expectation of more than a cursory knowledge upon starting school. And applicants do have a cursory knowledge, but nothing more.

 

[starrsgirl]

@ptisfun2 your comments are refreshing to hear! As a non traditional student, I always feel like I have to hide my true feelings about PT. Do I like the profession? Sure. Am I passionate about it over other professions? Not necessarily. I've already had another career (2 really)....it was a great career, I loved it but it was a terrible balance for me and my family personally. There are a lot of things about PT that are a great fit for my life and personality even though I might feel more passionate about another field. I think it's a little short sighted to encourage this singular obsession with one field. Was PT easier for me personally to do than another field (I looked at MD, PA and DO)? Absolutely. But I couldn't give up more years of my life on the pre reqs, I couldn't be out of the work force for double the number of years, and I didn't have the money to attend one of the longer schools either. So yes, PT is my backup plan and it's a perfect plan for me.

I also think that (sadly) because PT schools admissions are a lot more competitive now than when I graduated from undergrad, applicants start honing in on PT starting in high school, gather a billion observation hours, and think they know everything about the field. Then some schools seem to cling to those type of applicants and suddenly, it's like you can only get into PT school if you never deviated from that straight and narrow path. And from my perspective, we discourage a variety of students which hurts the profession. I can honestly say I didn't know much about PT when I applied. My school required a bare minimum hours and I did just those. But I do my best at my job everyday and I put my patients first on clinicals. I don't think I'm better or worse than my classmates who did a million observation hours....except that maybe I'm more interested in my clinicals as everyday is a completely new experience for me.

 

[ptisfun2]

@ptisfun2 your comments are refreshing to hear! As a non traditional student, I always feel like I have to hide my true feelings about PT. Do I like the profession? Sure. Am I passionate about it over other professions? Not necessarily. I've already had another career (2 really)....it was a great career, I loved it but it was a terrible balance for me and my family personally. There are a lot of things about PT that are a great fit for my life and personality even though I might feel more passionate about another field. I think it's a little short sighted to encourage this singular obsession with one field. Was PT easier for me personally to do than another field (I looked at MD, PA and DO)? Absolutely. But I couldn't give up more years of my life on the pre reqs, I couldn't be out of the work force for double the number of years, and I didn't have the money to attend one of the longer schools either. So yes, PT is my backup plan and it's a perfect plan for me.

I also think that (sadly) because PT schools admissions are a lot more competitive now than when I graduated from undergrad, applicants start honing in on PT starting in high school, gather a billion observation hours, and think they know everything about the field. Then some schools seem to cling to those type of applicants and suddenly, it's like you can only get into PT school if you never deviated from that straight and narrow path. And from my perspective, we discourage a variety of students which hurts the profession. I can honestly say I didn't know much about PT when I applied. My school required a bare minimum hours and I did just those. But I do my best at my job everyday and I put my patients first on clinicals. I don't think I'm better or worse than my classmates who did a million observation hours....except that maybe I'm more interested in my clinicals as everyday is a completely new experience for me.

Thanks! I love my profession. I have been a PT for about 20 years, but I left it for grad school, and then returned as a faculty member. I think my job as a faculty member is to educate students about BEING A PHYSICAL THERAPIST. I do not care how long someone worked as a tech, or had a family member as a PT, or treated by a PT, or observed thousands of hours...none of those things comprise being a PHYSICAL THERAPIST. A PM&R MD, PTA, ATC, etc, etc may know about rehabilitation, but know nothing about (well you guessed it) being a PHYSICAL THERAPIST. We need to own our profession; respect other professions (i.e., PTA, ATC), but own ours. That is the purpose of PT school. Of course there is a bit of indoctrination on the professional side of it (e.g., advocacy for inclusion in meaningful use, APTA issues) that are encouraged, but not a requirement all of the time. I get work-life balance (although haven't quite figured it out yet), and that some will dip in and out of involvement within the profession. I require my students to be ethical, use good clinical decision making, provide value to optimize patient outcomes...in other words, practice at the highest level of our profession. And the potential for that is what I look for in an applicant. Do I always succeed in finding it? No, but I keep trying, and succeed more than fail.

 

[DesertPT]

Lots of great replies above, enjoyed reading this thread.

To the OP, you need to stop looking for the easiest way out, because trust me their isn't one in any doctorate-requiring healthcare field. You might need to take a step back and make some more fundamental decisions about what you want to be when you grow up. That decision is influenced by many, many factors that are too complex to detail out here. But coming into this forum, acting shocked that becoming a PT isn't like falling off a log, and then telling us all about what we (apparently) don't already know about our own profession is not the way to go about things.

Believe it or not, despite the negativity you see on internet forums, physical therapy is a field with a very exciting future indeed, and most PTs are fierce defenders of the profession and what we do. Your opinion that PT should be inherently easier to get in to and succeed at than another profession shows that you are generally just not that well informed about the field. DPT programs are at least as competitive, if not more competitive, than pharmacy programs, whether you like it or not. Those two fields are very, very, very different from each other too. So while it is certainly possible that you could be equally happy in both professions, I think you need to give it a little more thought than you have so far before you come to that conclusion for yourself.

 

[DesertPT]

Are there any WCS's or WCC's available to treat these burns?