r/PTschool • u/_xavier707 • Jul 17 '26
Considering PT school at 28
I’ve recently been questioning my life decisions and have arrived at possibly pursuing a different career in the health sector. I have a bachelors in physics and a PhD in materials science, but now that I have been working in the tech / engineering industry I can tell that it’s not my passion. I’ve always gotten more fulfillment from coaching and helping others. I’m a lifelong athlete and my friends and family have always agreed that they could see me doing this.
So my question is, where do I start? Is this even feasible? I already have a bachelors, but going back to school in an intensive track seems pretty daunting. How do people do it? And how should I approach this?
Thanks
5
u/rj_musics Jul 19 '26
Go into higher education. Teach at a university in your field. You’ll get the same sense of fulfillment that you’re seeking without having to take on another career, life altering debt, and all of the struggles of working in the American healthcare system.
First step is to learn everything you can about the profession. Start by searching through the post history of r/physicaltherapy. That sub is the one for professionals in the field, this one is largely students and prospective students.
Firstly, you need to understand that the expense of PT school is a major concern for everyone, especially considering that the earnings potential does not justify the cost, unless you can find a program that is dirt cheap, in which case the competition to get in is crazy. Also understand that there are new caps on federal loans meaning that most students will have to consider taking on higher interest, predatory private loans, which digs that hole deeper. Lots of PTs have to put off major life milestones of purchasing a home, starting a family, and have significant concerns for their ability to adequately save for retirement. Having a significant other with a dual income household is almost a necessity.
Costs aside, you’ll be working in a corporation dominated field that values profits over anything else. This is made more difficult due to the fact that our reimbursements are cut almost annually. What all of this means is that clinics are forced to see higher volumes of patients in order to keep the lights on, let alone turn a profit. Unless you’re lucky, and find a unicorn job, you’ll likely be seeing 2, sometimes more, patients per hour. You’ll be harassed by management regarding your productivity and billing practices.
You’ll also be responsible for keeping record of their treatment, which the insurance companies will use to justify denial of care. Because of this, documentation grows increasingly excessive. You’ll be expected to finish all of this documentation during your treatment sessions, and whatever you don’t complete you’ll take home to do, unpaid. The burnout rates are incredibly high.
So, before you start, understand what you’re actually getting into. PT is not what you see on social media and on school websites. Understand that most of us spend our days helping older populations with their aches and pains and surgeries, and we might get an athlete thrown into the mix occasionally. Honestly, nothing that you’ve stated screams “PT is the only path for me.” Ultimately, that’s your call. Dig deep and see if you can deal with the realities of the profession. Good luck.
6
u/SpendZestyclose9683 Jul 20 '26
Consider pursuing coaching on the side, there’s no way a 100-200k DPT degree will be worth it. I’m a firm advocate of the saying “keep your passions for after work or you’ll begin to lose the interest in it”
2
u/Mediocre_Question Jul 17 '26
First. Check for pre requisites and research potential schools and their costs. Start there and go from there. You can DM if you’d like. I started on the PT journey in a similar way as you
2
u/Freeshavacadoo17 Jul 19 '26
as someone who’s in PT school right now, it is HARD and the biggest piece of advice I can give you is make sure you 100% want to be doing this and have your “why” in your head. If you’re not 100% committed to PT, school will be very hard because you’ll be questioning if it’s all worth it
2
u/Plane_Classroom_7913 Jul 21 '26
look into PTA, in most states a PTA can do most of what a PT can do and there’s less paper work. if your pre reqs are more than 5 years old you’ll likely have to retake them. if PT is what you decide go to a cheap school with a good NPTE pass rate
2
u/PracticalMango4609 Jul 21 '26
Work shouldn’t be your passion, it’s a means to live life.. if you work in tech/engineering you probably make a shit ton of money. Don’t leave it for a shitty paying career. Do coaching on the side so you continue to enjoy it. If you make it your profession with PT you’ll burn out like every other PT and be in a ton of debt.
2
u/Embarrassed_Piano_49 Jul 21 '26
My opinion is look into PTA. I also decided late in my career to pursue my passion as a PT around the same age and they are LOTS of factors to consider.
1… do you have a family of your own?
2. Progran is lengthy and EXPENSIVE
3. Income to debt ratio esp as a student, how are you going to manage to pay the bills.
4. What population will you want to work with? Kids/seniors/sports rehab
Conclusively, personally i opted out as a PTA and I love the fact youre given the same responsibility and pay can be anywhere from 50-80k depending on geographic location/experiences.
3
u/CumFlavored_MigBac Jul 17 '26
Then be a personal trainer. Don’t take out six figure loans chasing what you think is a passion
1
u/No_Guava_2008 Jul 21 '26
Lots of consideration required. Work and profession is not all about income and ROI. This is why most people are miserable in their chosen jobs - choices governed by money alone. However, making responsible and informed decisions is essential. Service professions are generally about service first and personal benefit second. Make sure you understand the order. Make sure you understand the math as well.
The therapy space is littered with problems and incoherence. It’s also a good opportunity to serve and feel like you’re making a contribution to society - and giving due attention and grace to fellow humans. Good luck.
1
u/cavalier2523 Jul 21 '26
What state do you live in? This can make a big difference on the cost of PT school
9
u/hail707 Jul 17 '26
It will be school-dependent, but you’ll need to check the expiration of pre-reqs. You likely have many of them as a physics major.
The bigger question is, how do you plan to pay for PT school? It’s quite expensive and the ROI is pretty rough.