Physical Therapists Are Leaving Clinical Work Entirely

submitted by /u/chalk_duster [link] [comments]

“I'm in my senior year of my kinesiology undergrad and I've applied to about a dozen DPT programs. I've been set on becoming a physical therapist for the last several years and I think I'd really enjoy that career. Now that the costs are getting real though and I'm hearing so much about stagnant PT salaries I'm starting to second guess myself. I'm coming out of undergrad with $0 debt but I would have to borrow the full tuition for my DPT program. I am likely not going”

“I'm a 43-year-old male living in Derbyshire. Been a physiotherapist for 12 years and I worked as an assistant for 8 years before that. I'm seriously considering leaving the profession and would really value some outside perspective. What I'm looking for: Minimum £28k. Not an office job or sales. Not working every weekend, as I have young kids. I enjoy driving, so something driving-based appeals. What I've considered so far: Train driver: I love the idea, but I know recruitment is”

“so I‘m at the end of the first year of PT school (F, 26). In Germany where I live it‘s 3 years til you can graduate. I do like the job but there are some difficulties. First of all the strength aspect. I work in a practice where there are only male PTs working and they always put in their whole own body strength/weight, which I admire but I really fear that I might be to weak as a woman. I do have muscles and have a normal athletic physique, still there are many obese patients in my country. I a”

“Other considerations: I know you talk to people a lot. I'm not an introvert but I'm not an extrovert either. Is the social aspect gunna kill me? I have a connective tissue disorder and at 28 my knee is bad, my back is bad, and my hands are hypermobile. Is this job going to be too physically demanding for me? I have adhd and sitting at a desk all day was what killed me in engineering. Does the job get too monotonous for someone like me? How mentally stimulating is it? I don't want to”

“I recently graduated from college with a bachelors in kinesiology and for as long as I’ve been in college, I’ve always wanted to become a physical therapist. Until recently, I was firm on that belief, and then I started doing more research into the job. I’m currently at community college, finishing up some prerequisites and retaking some classes that I did not like my grade in. During that time I’ve done more research into the Physical Therapy job, financials, and doctoral school. Some major con”

“I’m 5 years into the NFP loan forgiveness program, and am feeling exceptionally burnt out in clinical care. I experienced a personal trauma and this has really affected my professional motivation in the past year, and I’m feeling desperate for a change in my work life balance to support my mental health. I work hospital based outpatient….which already is a better situation than most outpatient based PTs….which I’m well aware of. I’m just down that bad right now. Has anyone found anything non cli”

“I went in for back and leg pain. Never been in an accident. I’m sedentary so I don’t do strength training at all. Only cardio but today’s session was about an hour and it killed me. submitted by /u/Round-Artichoke-5255 [link] [comments]”

“I (30F) am 4 years into my career as a physical therapist, and have been thinking about leaving for either a different PT job or leaving clinical work entirely. Money is my main motivator since I still have 50k student loans to pay off and want to be in a position to start a family in the next couple years. I've had my current role for 2.5 years and I still haven't built up to the salary and benefits that I expected when getting hired. It's a cash-pay clinic so there's a signific”

“Like the title says, Im trying to decide whether PT school or another job field (like nursing or PA) is right for me. I currently have a bachelors in athletic training and work as an Athletic trainer at a secondary school. I’m 24 years old. I did also graduate with undergrad loans (both federal and private). I know PT school is expensive and the pay is not insane starting out and maxing out. However it’s about the closest thing to the job I currently have. Looking to make more money and have bet”

“The identity crisis of physical therapy is a serious one. As student debt begins to rise, thousands and thousands of DPTs question why they are forced to receive a doctorate-level education to achieve the same stagnant wage of decades ago. Thus, some students may be interested in getting their DPT online from home without paying rent to live at school. Hybrid programs, however, while convenient and occasionally (not often) more cost effective than residential programs, are a bad direction for th”

“I’m a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant, and lately I’ve been seriously questioning whether I want to stay in direct patient care long-term. I’m grateful for the experience I’ve gained as a PTA, but I’ve been struggling with some of the realities of the profession, particularly the compensation, workload, limited upward mobility, and the feeling that my earning potential is relatively capped without pursuing another degree. At this point, I’m interested in exploring a career change rather th”

“I’m starting to feel pretty burned out from dealing with patients and families who don’t respect PTs as healthcare professionals. For example, if I discharge someone because they’re not making meaningful progress, I explain why. But sometimes the patient or family complains, saying, “But the doctor said I need to keep doing PT.” It feels like they think I’m just supposed to follow the doctor’s orders no matter what. Something similar happened last week. I had a young patient with multiple system”

“I'm 33 and seriously considering applying to PT school, and I'd really appreciate some honest perspectives from practicing PTs. I'm at a bit of a career crossroads right now and trying to figure out what direction makes the most sense for me long-term, with PT being one of the options I'm seriously considering. A little background: I have a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology as well as a bachelor's in Spanish. I've been interested in exercise, anatomy, rehabilitation, a”

“I just entered uni for physiotherapy and everyone here is saying it pays low it isn't worth it, they wouldn't choose it again, most quit and what not and it's really demotivating and I am starting to panic and question all my decisions :((( submitted by /u/kitcat_fs [link] [comments]”

“I'm nearing the end of my undergrad and have been on a pre-physical therapy track with a Biological sciences degree. However, I have some questions regarding the field. I have already racked up shadowing hours and have enjoyed my time doing so. But I do have some concerns when it comes to thinking about spending the rest of my life doing this. 1) I have noticed in my time shadowing that it is fairly repetitive; being in a rural area may have something to do with this. However, I feel that I”

“Title says it all. I’ve been a PTA for 2 years in an outpatient clinic and I’m regretting this career choice deeply. It sucks because I genuinely like a lot of my patients and despite the burnout Im proud of the actual clinical work we do. What’s the problem? -minimum career advancement: despite companies swearing there’s opportunity for growth. It doesn’t matter how many certs or courses you take. generally speaking you’re only going to earn more by taking another job. -literal poverty raises:”

“I’m thinking about going to grad school DPT since I got my bachelors aligned to go into grad school for PT originally but didn’t bc of the cost of schooling. It’s been years since I’ve graduated from college but I’m working at a company and in the field that may be able to do tuition reimbursement. Given the extremely shitty job market and uncertain outlook, is PT worth it and after I complete the program in a few years? When I compare the cost of schooling in my state and how much PTs make now”

“I’m 44. I’ve spent 18 years being a pta. I hate it and want out. unfortunately there are no real job options for someone with my education. I live on Long Island and cost of living is ridiculous. I’ve been working almost exclusively in SNF ever since graduation because I hate outpatient but being laid off from my last job left me with little options other than to take an outpatient job close to my house. there are NOT a lot of jobs out in my area that are willing to give both full time hours and”

“Hello! Licensed PT po ako na 1 year nagwork sa clinic. A few months ago, I decided to resign and try my luck sa pagho-homecare. I already made an FB page, and tambay na rin ako sa mga FB groups ng mga nagsi-seek ng homecare PT. Aside from the methods I have done, any advice po para dumami pa yung patients/clients? Thanks in advance! submitted by /u/Longjumping_Oil5635 [link] [comments]”

“Just to preface, I’m 5 years out of PT school and 31 years old and current clinic director for the last 6 months. Work at a private practice with 4 clinics in NW Georgia. With that time frame, I came into the workforce during Covid just as everything truly started to open back up. Precovid we had four clinics and 11 therapists (7 PTs and 4 PTAs). My company didn’t lay off anyone at all during covid and management asked that everyone take a 10% pay cut while the two bosses took a 25% pay cut to a”

“Hey everyone, I’m not a physical therapist, but my sister graduated from PT school about 10 months ago. Shortly after graduating, she went through a difficult divorce and has struggled with depression and burnout since then. Because of everything that happened, she hasn’t taken the NPTE yet. She feels like she’s fallen too far behind and that missing the last 10 months of dedicated studying means she has little to no chance of passing the exam. She’s convinced her career is essentially over befo”

“I'm a current pre-physical therapy student in undergrad, and I've been having doubts about whether this is the right path for me. I originally chose the PT track because I wanted to help people, liked that it was hands-on, had a secure job market, and I enjoyed anatomy and physiology. However, the ROI is just not worth it. Most of my friends with bachelor's degrees will likely out-earn me even after I finish the doctorate. On top of that, the idea of spending 7–8 years in education h”

“Hey everyone, I’m a 23-year-old Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) graduate from India, having recently finished my clinical internship. To be completely honest, I am already burned out and deeply unhappy with the traditional clinical path. The physical stress is one thing, but it’s the mental and diagnostic stress that is draining me. I absolutely dread the pressure of diagnosing complex patients, making critical treatment decisions, and carrying that patient outcome anxiety home with me. Because”

“I went to school to become a PTA, and have been a licensed PTA for now 8 years. Finishing school, I had big dreams thinking I was going to have this amazing career and future ahead of me. Little did I know, I struggled to even land my first job and like many I ended up getting one in a SNF that was one of the worst SNFs around. The pay grabbed me though at first because obviously it was more than I had ever made and I thought I was onto something great. I remember my first week starting out was”

“For those who have left the clinical world, are you ACTUALLY happier now and are you making more money? Bonus points if you say how you did it. submitted by /u/Funny_Coast_7514 [link] [comments]”

“How the hell would you find patient homes? Did you just show up with a piece of paper and label what type of visit it was? Was OASIS a thing yet? How would the work flow of the day differ from today? Genuinely curious since I have noticed a good amount of change in HHPT operations as a travel PT since COVID submitted by /u/eRkUO2 [link] [comments]”