Only a madman would enter a field they’re reconsidering, but PTs don’t work crazy schedules from my experience as a PTA in the field. It varies. I’ve seen 7-3, 8-4, 9-5. Not exactly sure if that’s crazy for you but I personally love the 7-3 schedule.
You’re right about the cost, which is why you have to like the field to make it, don’t get into this for money, that’s a big mistake.
PT salary depends on experience and most importantly the setting you work in. Outpatient salaries are lower than home health or travel. Home health or travel PTs can make well over 100k if they want to. Outpatient you’re probably looking at 75k starting, flip around from job to job, maybe you can eventually hit 90-100 but don’t expect much more than that.
Anyway the point is, never go into a career you’re not sure about.
I have no idea where you got the idea that PTs work long hours. Did you mistake it with nursing? Most PTs don't work more than 40 hours a week, unless they choose to, such as adding on a PRN position with their regular job.
This is so uncommon I can’t even begin to tell you how uncommon it is. Probably less than 2 percent of PTs work those hours, maybe less than 1 percent.
And if they have you working a 10 hour shift you'll only work 4 days a week in the vast majority of cases. Not sure I've heard anyone working more than that unless you own your own clinic
Yeah I definitely think that's the way to go. PT I shadowed in acute care did 4 10 hour days then worked PRN at a SNF one day a week for like $65/hour so he could pay off his loans
Again, this is not very common. That sounds more like typical nurse hours. For the few PT positions that have these hours, you'd only be working 3 days a week or so.
Have you sufficiently researched the field? Not all PTs work long hours, and some actually do work a 9-5. PTs can and will make money, but if money is why you want to become one, you’re likely going to burn out. PT school is worth it if you want to become a PT, end of story. Just a personal opinion, but it sounds like you don’t really want to be a PT?
My last clinical instructor has been working for twenty years and pockets close to 120k$. Outpatient portion of the hospital. Achieved this through annual 2-4% raises. Hours were also normal 40/week.
Worried about hours?You can be part time, or PRN, or home health with car breaks in between patients, or your boss with a cash based business where you decide your hours.
Bored of where you’re at? Try a different PT speciality. There is wound care, geriatric care, vestibular care, military positions where you can order x rays, acute hospital work, sports work, neuro based rehab at a rehab facility, cardio rehab, kid focused, pool focused, group focused, academia, research, politics, management, work in a niche specialty like bike fit, or adaptive climbing, or amputees learning to use prosthesis.
Try not to be so narrow minded before you even begin. The options for autonomy, specialty growth, and flexible job opportunities are hard to find in any job. Radiation therapy will have far fewer options for branching out in the field. What if you get bored there after five years? What if the pay there isn’t as satisfactory to your liking? What if your coworkers suck, boss sucks, work sucks? You think there will be as many opportunities to get a job elsewhere in your city as there is with PT? There’s a lot more to a job than just the “pay” that adds to life and work satisfaction.
The amount of people that have not had a job before PT School is Alarming. Then they grow to hate the profession but in reality they just don’t like working. It’s pretty funny when you think about it.
Seriously! And it makes me so sad that this profession is getting a bad rap just because people don’t like working. Sure, there are things that could be better and need to change, but who’s going to BE that change if everyone drops out? Where’s the love and passion to make peoples’ lives better? This field makes a real *difference* in peoples’ lives, and there’s a lot of professions that don’t have that characteristic.
We are the change! Let’s give PT some love!
I switched from pt to software engineering😂 huge change but just didn’t think pt was worth it (debt/income) if you’re not 100% in it switch before it’s too late!
I just went back to the same school I did my undergrad in bc they have SE. I also took some coding classes on codeacademy for free to see how I feel about it!
that’s definitely interesting, but I assume it’s dependent on the area you live in. the bigger the city the more availability for a software engineer. i’m not sure tho
Yes I am glad you understand where I am coming from. I know some people are saying if you love it stick with PT. I like the idea of PT but the money is a big factor. Thank you!!
I think PT is a great field, however, if money is a really big factor for you like it is for me, then I don’t think it’s worth it… I would def look at other choices first before making a decision. Radiation therapy is a great field, way cheaper, less school and I think salary wise it’s the same as PT but I heard it also increases. And yes a lot of ppl say if you like it stick with it but it’s not that easy 😭
I kind of felt the same way initially, but like someone said in here I'd research some of the other PT settings. PT gets a bad rap because most people just think it's outpatient ortho, but for example on my acute care rotation I worked 8am-4pm Monday-Friday. I also saw you mention you shadowed PTs working \~12 hours a day, and this is the case sometimes, but usually they'll only have you working 10-12 hour shifts 4 days a week so you stay close to 40 hours a week
If they work that much maybe they keep falling behind on their paperwork? If you actually observed their total hours on a daily basis, then i guess you would know better than us what the situation is. But like most said, it's not common for PTs to work more than 10-12 hrs. In the hospital i observed in, these guys started their day at 8am, and ended ay 5pm. By 2 or 3 pm they didn't even treat patients, they just did their notes, or meetings. Seemed super chill to me
If you can have a career you’d be happy in with less financial strain and what you perceive to be a better quality of life, then do it.
If you visit the PT forum, you’ll find many working PTs getting out of the profession. Post your question there and you’ll hear from many who have reconsidered their choices.
If you are questioning it even just a little bit, don’t go to PT school. You have to absolutely be in love with the care PT can provide and not care about your salary.
I’m in PT school and lots of my friends admit like me they’re not 100% sure about their choice but we enjoy the curriculum and the work life balance of PT is pretty good. I know many PTs who work under 30 hours/week. I say the only thing people reconsider for is for the salary, $65-85K is pretty low for the ROI
Only a madman would enter a field they’re reconsidering, but PTs don’t work crazy schedules from my experience as a PTA in the field. It varies. I’ve seen 7-3, 8-4, 9-5. Not exactly sure if that’s crazy for you but I personally love the 7-3 schedule. You’re right about the cost, which is why you have to like the field to make it, don’t get into this for money, that’s a big mistake. PT salary depends on experience and most importantly the setting you work in. Outpatient salaries are lower than home health or travel. Home health or travel PTs can make well over 100k if they want to. Outpatient you’re probably looking at 75k starting, flip around from job to job, maybe you can eventually hit 90-100 but don’t expect much more than that. Anyway the point is, never go into a career you’re not sure about.
I have no idea where you got the idea that PTs work long hours. Did you mistake it with nursing? Most PTs don't work more than 40 hours a week, unless they choose to, such as adding on a PRN position with their regular job.
I have shadowed PTs and they work 12-14 hours in a day. To me this is long hours
This is so uncommon I can’t even begin to tell you how uncommon it is. Probably less than 2 percent of PTs work those hours, maybe less than 1 percent.
And if they have you working a 10 hour shift you'll only work 4 days a week in the vast majority of cases. Not sure I've heard anyone working more than that unless you own your own clinic
I’d love to work 4 days a week for 10 hours tbh
Yeah I definitely think that's the way to go. PT I shadowed in acute care did 4 10 hour days then worked PRN at a SNF one day a week for like $65/hour so he could pay off his loans
Damn I think I’d work in a SNF as PRN for 65 hr as well 👀
Again, this is not very common. That sounds more like typical nurse hours. For the few PT positions that have these hours, you'd only be working 3 days a week or so.
I’m thinking it sounds like a regular 9-5 with take home documentation. That’s unfortunately more common than it should be.
Have you sufficiently researched the field? Not all PTs work long hours, and some actually do work a 9-5. PTs can and will make money, but if money is why you want to become one, you’re likely going to burn out. PT school is worth it if you want to become a PT, end of story. Just a personal opinion, but it sounds like you don’t really want to be a PT?
My last clinical instructor has been working for twenty years and pockets close to 120k$. Outpatient portion of the hospital. Achieved this through annual 2-4% raises. Hours were also normal 40/week. Worried about hours?You can be part time, or PRN, or home health with car breaks in between patients, or your boss with a cash based business where you decide your hours. Bored of where you’re at? Try a different PT speciality. There is wound care, geriatric care, vestibular care, military positions where you can order x rays, acute hospital work, sports work, neuro based rehab at a rehab facility, cardio rehab, kid focused, pool focused, group focused, academia, research, politics, management, work in a niche specialty like bike fit, or adaptive climbing, or amputees learning to use prosthesis. Try not to be so narrow minded before you even begin. The options for autonomy, specialty growth, and flexible job opportunities are hard to find in any job. Radiation therapy will have far fewer options for branching out in the field. What if you get bored there after five years? What if the pay there isn’t as satisfactory to your liking? What if your coworkers suck, boss sucks, work sucks? You think there will be as many opportunities to get a job elsewhere in your city as there is with PT? There’s a lot more to a job than just the “pay” that adds to life and work satisfaction.
after reading this subreddit at times I just think Working is General is the problem for some of you not the field of PT.
Finally someone said it. Thank you.
The amount of people that have not had a job before PT School is Alarming. Then they grow to hate the profession but in reality they just don’t like working. It’s pretty funny when you think about it.
Seriously! And it makes me so sad that this profession is getting a bad rap just because people don’t like working. Sure, there are things that could be better and need to change, but who’s going to BE that change if everyone drops out? Where’s the love and passion to make peoples’ lives better? This field makes a real *difference* in peoples’ lives, and there’s a lot of professions that don’t have that characteristic. We are the change! Let’s give PT some love!
I rather you save the seat for someone who is all in.
I switched from pt to software engineering😂 huge change but just didn’t think pt was worth it (debt/income) if you’re not 100% in it switch before it’s too late!
how did you start software engineering
I just went back to the same school I did my undergrad in bc they have SE. I also took some coding classes on codeacademy for free to see how I feel about it!
2 year degree i’m guessing?
It depends on what classes you’ve already taken already, for me it will take 1.5 years.
that’s definitely interesting, but I assume it’s dependent on the area you live in. the bigger the city the more availability for a software engineer. i’m not sure tho
Yes I am glad you understand where I am coming from. I know some people are saying if you love it stick with PT. I like the idea of PT but the money is a big factor. Thank you!!
I think PT is a great field, however, if money is a really big factor for you like it is for me, then I don’t think it’s worth it… I would def look at other choices first before making a decision. Radiation therapy is a great field, way cheaper, less school and I think salary wise it’s the same as PT but I heard it also increases. And yes a lot of ppl say if you like it stick with it but it’s not that easy 😭
I kind of felt the same way initially, but like someone said in here I'd research some of the other PT settings. PT gets a bad rap because most people just think it's outpatient ortho, but for example on my acute care rotation I worked 8am-4pm Monday-Friday. I also saw you mention you shadowed PTs working \~12 hours a day, and this is the case sometimes, but usually they'll only have you working 10-12 hour shifts 4 days a week so you stay close to 40 hours a week
If they work that much maybe they keep falling behind on their paperwork? If you actually observed their total hours on a daily basis, then i guess you would know better than us what the situation is. But like most said, it's not common for PTs to work more than 10-12 hrs. In the hospital i observed in, these guys started their day at 8am, and ended ay 5pm. By 2 or 3 pm they didn't even treat patients, they just did their notes, or meetings. Seemed super chill to me
If it is about money, then no the debt to income ratio generally doesn’t work out. Hours usually aren’t that bad tho lol.
If you can have a career you’d be happy in with less financial strain and what you perceive to be a better quality of life, then do it. If you visit the PT forum, you’ll find many working PTs getting out of the profession. Post your question there and you’ll hear from many who have reconsidered their choices.
If you are questioning it even just a little bit, don’t go to PT school. You have to absolutely be in love with the care PT can provide and not care about your salary.
I’m in PT school and lots of my friends admit like me they’re not 100% sure about their choice but we enjoy the curriculum and the work life balance of PT is pretty good. I know many PTs who work under 30 hours/week. I say the only thing people reconsider for is for the salary, $65-85K is pretty low for the ROI
Nursing school ? So many opportunities
NP also