Some generic questions about physical therapy

[iqe2010]

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Hello everyone, I'm currently a pre-med student in my sophomore year. Lately I've been thinking that medicine might not be right for me. I know I want to have a career in the health care field, I'm just not sure what. I'm not looking for a 100k+ salary, I just want to live comfortably and not paycheck-to-paycheck. I've been looking into PT lately, and I think I might be interested. My grandmother, whom I love dearly, has really bad osteoarthritis and she basically lives in pain, but her pain decreases when she goes to PT. I've always seen myself in a clinical setting helping someone. I think I could do so as a physical therapist. Here are some questions I have:

I know for pre-med, there are certain pre-reqs that you have to take before entering medical school, is this the case for PT school?

To apply to med school you have to have at least a bachelors degree, is this the case for PT school?

And what is the hourly pay for someone fresh out of PT school?

Thanks in advance!

 

[goyo1010]

I know for pre-med, there are certain pre-reqs that you have to take before entering medical school, is this the case for PT school?

Yes. Please check with the specific program for specified prerequisites.

To apply to med school you have to have at least a bachelors degree, is this the case for PT school?

Yes. You must hold a Bachelors degree in order to be enrolled in a program.

And what is the hourly pay for someone fresh out of PT school?

Annual salaries for a newly licensed PT student vary region to region, setting to setting. However, it can range anywhere between 60K-75K. Some will say lower, some will say higher--again, this all depends in which setting you'll be working in and in what geographical area.

Please visit the American Physical Therapy Association's (APTA) website for more information on PT education at:

http://www.apta.org/ProspectiveStudents/

Do you mind if I ask what turned you off medicine?

.

 

[puppypaws]

you'll also want some shadowing hours. Some PT schools require a certain number of hours, and some recommend having at least x-amount of hours. The best thing to do, at least from what I've seen, is to shadow at multiple places in different settings.
Most of the PT pre-reqs would be covered by a biology BA. You'll probably have most of them from pre-med.
The GRE is also usually required.
I would recommend going onto a PT schools' website that your interested in. They'll usually have the reqs and everything posted. Some have the average GPAs and GREs of accepted students.
good luck

 

[iqe2010]

Thanks for the replies. Texas has several PT schools, I'll have to look at them when I have some time. And goyo1010, I'm not completely turned off from medicine just yet (I'll know for sure after this semester ends), but sometimes I wonder if I'm cut out medicine. I know that nobody's perfect, but right now I'm struggling in classes that other people find so easy. My major is Biochemistry, and I haven't even gotten to any upper-level courses yet. I figure if I'm struggling in general chemistry and calc 1, how do I expect to pass classes like genetics or clinical biochemistry, let alone get an A in them? Sometimes I feel so stupid, but I realize medicine is long and rough journey that not everybody can. Maybe I'm one of those people. It's just hard sometimes because my entire life there's NOTHING that I've ever wanted to be other than a doctor. And it's killing me having to face the reality that I might not be smart enough for it. However, only time will tell.

 

[puppypaws]

I figure if I'm struggling in general chemistry and calc 1, how do I expect to pass classes like genetics or clinical biochemistry, let alone get an A in them? Sometimes I feel so stupid, but I realize medicine is long and rough journey that not everybody can. Maybe I'm one of those people. It's just hard sometimes because my entire life there's NOTHING that I've ever wanted to be other than a doctor. And it's killing me having to face the reality that I might not be smart enough for it. However, only time will tell.

If becoming a physician is what you really want to do than go for it full throttle. How are you with anatomy and physiology? General chemistry and calc don't really have much to do with medical school. If you're not good at those two it's not a big deal. Don't get tied down to something you don't want to do. PT school is a doctorate, so it will be three very long years (usually with no summers off) if its not what you really want to do. Have you thought about becoming a PA at all? They do most of the things physicians do.
Why do you want to become a physician so much?

 

[markelmarcel]

If becoming a physician is what you really want to do than go for it full throttle. How are you with anatomy and physiology? General chemistry and calc don't really have much to do with medical school. If you're not good at those two it's not a big deal.

Although this is true, a lot of the prereqs for med school are the same for PT school. And, it's good to have a good grasp of science in general if you are interested in the health field, because health is science. 🙂

Get a tutor if you're struggling and really evaluate why you wanted to become a doctor in the first place, if you can figure out that it isn't "quite right" then spend some time shadowing a bunch of other healthcare providers including PAs, PTs, OTs, etc. 🙂

 

[goyo1010]

Thanks for the replies. Texas has several PT schools, I'll have to look at them when I have some time. And goyo1010, I'm not completely turned off from medicine just yet (I'll know for sure after this semester ends), but sometimes I wonder if I'm cut out medicine. I know that nobody's perfect, but right now I'm struggling in classes that other people find so easy. My major is Biochemistry, and I haven't even gotten to any upper-level courses yet. I figure if I'm struggling in general chemistry and calc 1, how do I expect to pass classes like genetics or clinical biochemistry, let alone get an A in them? Sometimes I feel so stupid, but I realize medicine is long and rough journey that not everybody can. Maybe I'm one of those people. It's just hard sometimes because my entire life there's NOTHING that I've ever wanted to be other than a doctor. And it's killing me having to face the reality that I might not be smart enough for it. However, only time will tell.

If that's the case, I would try to stick with it and see how you do this academic year. Many students, especially those in Medical School, PT school, and the like get overwhelmed their first few months. This is expected as the amount of information the student needs to know exponentially increases. You just need to find your groove in med school. The main thing to remember is there is TOO much for you to know, and your goal is not to memorize and try to remember as much as you can, it's trying to understand the material and genuinely learn it. This means take it a bit day by day, and not cram it a night or two before the midterm exam; however, remember to take breaks from studying! Going at it day and night has been shown to just be detrimental to learning! Do something fun or something you WANT to do. Patients won't necessarily care about your GPA, they WILL care if you passed the licensure examination and have a license to be a physician.

The key is to use all the resources at your disposal. You may not realize it, but your university provides you with a multitude of resources to help you be successful. See what happens this year with med school and if your feelings change about pursuing a career in medicine, then reevaluate your possibilities. If you do decide to enter Physical Therapy, I do have to warn you that it isn't easy. There will still be a lot of work and a great deal of studying to be done. With the push for the goals of Vision 2020, expectations for PT programs and students is increasing, especially for the "top programs".

Best of luck!

 

[pumpkinpatch]

I might add that PT school is not a walk in the park either! Concern about your academic ability should not point you in the direction of physical therapy. I don't mean to say that you should give up on either route. But if the only reason that you would choose PT is because it's 'easier' than med school, you'll still probably be overwhelmed and you won't be in the profession that you truly want to be in.

Have you considered PA? I don't know a whole lot about what you have to do to get in to PA school, but if it were me, I'd try to make this happen. I say that not because this would be 'easier,' I'm sure it's not, but it sounds like this job is very close to what an MD does without destroying your life (40 hr work week, no on call, etc).

Whatever you choose to do, remember also that probably most people have their doubts along the way. Do be realistic, if you have serious concerns and if you speak to your professors, they do too, then maybe reconsider (obviously, I have no idea what your grades are like). But in all likelihood, you would do just fine if you work hard.