Intro: Truths Behind Being a PT

Physical therapy is amongst the fastest growing professions in the United States of America. It seems like the world of healthcare as a whole is discovering the power behind rehabilitative medicine and there is no shortage of students lining up to join the magnificent profession. Except, can something that seems so perfect truly have no flaws? As a recent graduate from a nationally recognized program, I am here to tell you that the flaws are in abundance.

It feels like just yesterday that I was receiving my acceptance letter to my top university. I remember falling to my knees as I spoke the words, “I did it” to my mom on the other side of the line. Emotions filled me from within as every all-nighter at the library reviewing anatomy structures or recalling the correct order in which to break down a chemical equation suddenly seemed worth it. I had in fact done it, I was going to be a Physical Therapist.

The months leading up to PT school, I was unsure what the appropriate way to prepare was. Other vlogs or podcasts spoke about the importance of taking advantage of the mental break and breathe in “the calm before the storm”. Others focused on how crucial it was to review the basic anatomy concepts so that the first day did not catch you by complete surprise. The diplomat in me decided to meet everyone else in the middle and I took a seasonal job the Summer before PT school as a corrective exercise physiologist. This would surely allow me to review my most basic concepts while still applying them in a real world setting and it would all take place while I was saving some money that would come in handy for the next three years to come. It turns out, only half of this was true.

Each program may do things differently, but my program placed all of us in a Facebook private group where everyone had the opportunity to add each other on social media and get a little sneak peak of all the people we would be calling family for the next few years of our lives. I spent that entire Summer regretting my decision to work as I could clearly see everyone else taking the “calm before the storm” approach which I for some reason chose to ignore.

Ever heard the saying, “hindsight is 20/20”? Well despite all these feelings I would get when seeing these posts, it was thanks to the period of saving money that I was able to have a substantial cushion at the beginning of my journey. I would soon find out, however, that no cushion could prepare me for what was to come and what quickly became the first noticeable flaw of this quickly growing profession: student debt.