What are PT classes like?

[basbana]

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I'd like to hear from those who are currently in a PT program. I'm curious about what the classes are like once you get in.

How time consuming is it?

If you're good at A&P type stuff will you be ok in PT school?

What kinds of hands on work do you do and how much of it? I hear you work a lot on other classmates.

What is the demographic like?

What are the professors like?

I came from a small college and really liked the environment there. I also really like hands on experience, I'm not a very good test taker. Are there any schools that anyone would recommend? I live in South Carolina and don't really want to go too far out of state.

Any info would be great! Thanks!

 

[artizzle]

Only finishing my first semester of my first year.

How time consuming is it?
Not as much as I expected. You get a free night every once in a while to have some fun. You have to be an efficient and effective studier, or else you'll be stuck in the library forever, learning all the wrong things.

If you're good at A&P type stuff will you be ok in PT school?
You'll be "okay" in PT school even if you aren't good in A&P (before you get in). They teach you everything you need to know in PT school. Having a good grasp of it before just makes the memorization of it easier and more familiar. By the end of it, you'll be good or you won't pass.

What kinds of hands on work do you do and how much of it? I hear you work a lot on other classmates.
Palpation, manual muscle test, range of motion. Four labs every week, so you do your fair share of hands on work. So far, you work exclusively on your classmates.

What is the demographic like?
Class size: 34; 60% male 40% female (surprisingly); mostly Caucasians, 5 or 6 Asians, and 3 Hispanic.

What are the professors like?
Knowledgeable, respectful, and humble. Each has his or her own quirks, but all share those three characteristics.

 

[BigRed62]

How time consuming is it?
As time consuming as you want. At my school, there is a complete range. Tests, projects, etc force you into a constant steady flow of work, but as the previous poster said, most of my class has developed the ability to have free time, but that is not always the case. Sometimes it seems really really bad for a few weeks, and then it eases up.

If you're good at A&P type stuff will you be ok in PT school?
totally agree with first poster

What kinds of hands on work do you do and how much of it? I do agree with the above poster, but do not be given the false assumption that hands on training is the majority of P.T. school. At least in my program, our classes are heavily didactic. Meaning, we are sitting in lectures.

What is the demographic like?
we began with 30. 10 males; 20 females

What are the professors like?
all completely different

 

[PTtoBe]

How time consuming is it?
It definitely will dominate your life, but that doesn't mean you can't find time for a workout or to do something fun for a Saturday. As mentioned, sometimes you'll have 2-3 weeks strung together where you are studying constantly, like 3-4 hrs. a day between classes easily, peaking right before a string of exams, then suddenly you have a week that seems to ease up. Right now I'm preparing for 6 exams (Finals) that are strung together (including through the weekend) over the next week. I'm looking at maybe 3 hours of sleep tonight.

If you're good at A&P type stuff will you be ok in PT school?
Not necessarily. There's been students with 4.0 averages who are struggling in certain classes now. It just depends on the individual, their background, etc.

What kinds of hands on work do you do and how much of it? I hear you work a lot on other classmates.
Range of motion tests, sensory tests, reflex tests, muscle tests, special tests checking for injuries, that kind of thing. Yep, you work more or less exclusively on classmates.

What is the demographic like? Mostly white, about 2/3 female.

What are the professors like? Vary as you'd expect (some are more approachable than others, or just seem less awkward socially), but all respectful, and all intelligent.

 

[basbana]

Thanks! I have some friends who entered a PT program this past summer and they seem to be encountering a lot of professors who are .... "know it all" -ish, like teaching is an inconvenience for them. I didn't know if that was common among PT professors.

Since a majority of PT students are female, do you think it makes it harder for females to get in?

When do you start working on people besides other students? Like, when do clinicals start? Do most schools throw them in intermittently or all together at the end?

I am currently trying to decide between PT and OT. I've always planned on PT, but a lot of people are talking about the downfalls. The loans you accumulate during school don't match up with the pay afterwards and stuff like that. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[black]

OT is at least 2 years, if you're looking at public schools great, if not, like me, OT and PT would be about the same cost with about 20k difference between 2 and 3 years. Only you can answer whether or not you would like to be an OT, I would say do what you want regardless of cost, it's better to enjoy what you do for the rest of your life than to tolerate it, 20k over 30 years is less than 1k per year.

 

[artizzle]

Since a majority of PT students are female, do you think it makes it harder for females to get in?
I'm male and thought that because there are less males in PT school, it would be easier for me to get in. That's not the case.

When do you start working on people besides other students? Like, when do clinicals start? Do most schools throw them in intermittently or all together at the end?
We start working on actual patients during the 2nd semester of our first year in Mock Clinic, where patients come in and we treat them under the supervision of our professors. After that we do a clinical during the summer and more mock clinic during the 2nd year and finish off with 3 clinicals back-to-back-to-back.

I am currently trying to decide between PT and OT. I've always planned on PT, but a lot of people are talking about the downfalls. The loans you accumulate during school don't match up with the pay afterwards and stuff like that. Any thoughts?
If you are only worried about the money, don't worry about it. You can find public schools and even schools that still offer the MPT, or you're just going to have to suck it up and take a loan. But, if you aren't sure which one seems right for you for reasons other than money, you definitely need to find out the differences and you shouldn't blindly apply to only PT school. Shadow both an OT and PT.

 

[callmecrazy]

How time consuming is it?
Pretty time consuming, but everyone finds time to have fun now and then. And if you're like me, you find time to work too. It depends a lot on your study habits and time management.

If you're good at A&P type stuff will you be ok in PT school?
It can help, but there is a lot more to it than that.

What kinds of hands on work do you do and how much of it?
We do work a lot on other classmates. Nearly every day, some time will be spend doing hands on work. It can include musculoskeletal testing, assessting vitals, gait training, modalities, etc.

What is the demographic like?
Roughly 70:30 female to male, with a fair amount of diversity.

What are the professors like?
They are all a wealth of knowledge but students usually end up being drawn to some more than others because of personality. For the most part though, I would say that they have a passion for the field and want to make you a successful PT.

Since a majority of PT students are female, do you think it makes it harder for females to get in?
No, I don't think it makes any significant difference.

When do you start working on people besides other students? Like, when do clinicals start? Do most schools throw them in intermittently or all together at the end?
This varies (a lot!) by school. I am currently finishing my second semester, and I have spent 2 days/week in a clinic working with real patients this semester. I will have two more semesters of part-time clinicals, one 7 week full-time, and a year long full-time. At this point, I would say the sooner you can get in the clinic the better!

I am currently trying to decide between PT and OT. I've always planned on PT, but a lot of people are talking about the downfalls. The loans you accumulate during school don't match up with the pay afterwards and stuff like that. Any thoughts?
Shadow extensively in both and you will probably end up leaning one way over the other.

Good luck!

 

[lee9786]

[QUOTE] If you're good at A&P type stuff will you be ok in PT school?
It can help, but there is a lot more to it than that.[/QUOTE]

What other concepts are emphasized besides A&P?

 

[MIDPT2012]

[QUOTE] If you're good at A&P type stuff will you be ok in PT school?
It can help, but there is a lot more to it than that.

What other concepts are emphasized besides A&P?[/QUOTE]


A&P is just a starting point. I'm finishing my first semester now and biomechanics and pathology are emphasized a lot more than just A&P. You need a good A&P foundation, but it's more about analyzing problems now, not just recognizing O's and I's.

 

[pwrtrainer]

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[DPThopeful]

What schools do you all go to?

 

[artizzle]

if you have nothing to do, learn all the nerve innervations for muscles (nerve name and nerve root) especially brachial and lumbar plexi (plexuses?)

 

[callmecrazy]

[QUOTE] If you're good at A&P type stuff will you be ok in PT school?
It can help, but there is a lot more to it than that.

What other concepts are emphasized besides A&P?[/QUOTE]

A&P is a total of 4 credits for us, and the other 100+ credits are everything else. It is the building block for a lot of other courses, but it's useless if you don't know how to apply it in practice, which is the focus of PT. Visit the websites of some PT programs and check out the various curriculums. You're going to find a lot of professional development, human disease, and patient management, along with many other areas.

 

[pwrtrainer]

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