Where to work before PT school

[Spaceball1]

So in about two weeks I'll be graduating from undergrad with a bachelors degree in health science. I've applied to many DPT programs and have had three interviews, rejected at two and waitlisted at one. I'm still waiting to hear back from the others. But in the meantime, I want to work while waiting to get in somewhere or god forbid, I don't get in anywhere and have to reapply next year. I currently work the same retail job I've had since high school, but I feel I should be doing something more productive. The downside is that where I live, there are ZERO PT tech jobs available anywhere within 100 miles. And anything even sightly medically related requires special certification from outside programs. I have no other certification other than my degree come December. Would it be ok to find an entry level business job to work for the next 6-18 months? Or would that be frowned upon by admissions committees? I would preferably want something in the healthcare field but those opportunities are extremely limited - thus my situation.

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[Hinges]

Why not be an athletic trainer or personal trainer to get some hands on experience with clients? I was a personal trainer for almost 8 years, you have to know the mechanics of the body, conduct muscle imbalance tests, and work with the client on a face to face basis. I know physical therapy is a lot more in depth, but at least you can show you have worked in an environment that kind of follows a rehabilitation/hypertrophy/stability program. You won't make tons of money unless you have a degree and 2 other certs, but it opens the door for future opportunities such as physical therapy.

 

[lillycat11]

I had a similar issue after graduating from undergrad. I got a job being a pharmacy tech and then got certified and got a better job working in the inpatient pharmacy at a hospital. I still work there as a supervisor and I recently got a job as a PT tech at a clinic. It took forever to find a tech job but it finally worked out. I now do both and waiting to hear back from schools.

 

[nd_dpt]

So in about two weeks I'll be graduating from undergrad with a bachelors degree in health science. I've applied to many DPT programs and have had three interviews, rejected at two and waitlisted at one. I'm still waiting to hear back from the others. But in the meantime, I want to work while waiting to get in somewhere or god forbid, I don't get in anywhere and have to reapply next year. I currently work the same retail job I've had since high school, but I feel I should be doing something more productive. The downside is that where I live, there are ZERO PT tech jobs available anywhere within 100 miles. And anything even sightly medically related requires special certification from outside programs. I have no other certification other than my degree come December. Would it be ok to find an entry level business job to work for the next 6-18 months? Or would that be frowned upon by admissions committees? I would preferably want something in the healthcare field but those opportunities are extremely limited - thus my situation.

You don't have to work in a clinic to show the admissions committee that you're being productive and working to improve your application. I believe doing observation is a better option than being a tech because you can get more experience in different settings rather than just getting 1,000+ hours in one setting.

 

[freakinmeowt]

You working in an unrelated field is certainly not going to be frowned upon by admissions committees. I would definitely try to find a job with more responsibility in some way. That way you can draw upon your "real-life" experiences in interviews and essays.

 

[maurerpower7]

Why not be an athletic trainer or personal trainer to get some hands on experience with clients? I was a personal trainer for almost 8 years, you have to know the mechanics of the body, conduct muscle imbalance tests, and work with the client on a face to face basis. I know physical therapy is a lot more in depth, but at least you can show you have worked in an environment that kind of follows a rehabilitation/hypertrophy/stability program. You won't make tons of money unless you have a degree and 2 other certs, but it opens the door for future opportunities such as physical therapy.

You need a degree in athletic training to be an athletic trainer.

 

[gotaspirations]

Depending on where you are at, there may be a high demand for Behavioral Therapists. You get a lot of good experience, training, and will get the skills for professionalism (IMO).