Becoming a physical therapist?

Have you regretted becoming a Physical Therapy Assistant and not the Physical Therapist?

• I just wanted to get an opinion on how, (please for those of you who actually are physical therapy assistants) it has been for you in this field, and if you ever have regretted not studying more and just becoming a physical therapist. I am undecided, because there are not many colleges that offer physical therapy, but their are many Physical Therapy Assistant colleges. I would have to travel a lot to get to a college that actually offers physical therapy. I just also feel that if I don't do the whole doctorate's that I will regret it. Everyone around me is doing the whole master's and doctorate's thing and I just feel that if I don't go all the way like everyone else around me, I would feel weird about it. My husband is also planning on doing his master's, I just kinda feel like it's a bad thing if I don't get a higher education experience. I know I shouldn't care about what anyone thinks, but this is just the way I feel about the issue.

• Answer:

  I do not know where you live but I believe there are actually more PT schools than PTA schools. I am a PT and I work with many PTAs. Most do not regret becomming PTAs. Most were older when they became PTA and had family responsibilty that did not allow them to go to school for the PT school. We work with a few that either have gone back to PT school or who in the progress of going to PT school. They are younger. They went to PTA school at 18 or 20. Then still lived home and then went to PT school. The local PTA program and one of the local PT schools have and un advertised/un written agreement. The PTA that I supervise who is doing this. She went to PTA school for 2 years at CC. Then she spent a 3rd year at the CC getting pre reqs done that would transfer. She then transfered to a private school 3+3 program. She completed the rest of her pre reqs for 1 year. Her PT program transfered for 3 classes in the PT program and her volunteer program. She is now in the PT program just as any other student. She has been able to work as a PTA for 2 years make decent money better than the average college student as well as gaining experience in the field. Most of the PT go out of the way to teach her and show her interesting things that will be benificial when she becomes a PT. She graduated from PTA school at 19. She had this plan all along. I would serious look at your life and see what you want to do. PTAs make less money than PT. They always need to work under a PT. But they have less responsibilty, and less liability. Everything fall backon the responsibilty of the PT. I work in the public school system. Most people do not know who is the PT and who is the PTA. They see us treat. They think that I am the one who is assigned to evaluate. They do not seen the paperwork and the supervision that goes on behind the scenes. That what happens when you work with good assistance. www.apta.org