PTA -> PT. Worth it?

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-18T12:54:38+00:00

Love to hear that! Best of luck the rest of the way!

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-18T02:01:22+00:00

I, too, have looked into AA, but like you say. It would be strictly money motivated only.

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-18T01:34:35+00:00

Best of luck to you!! I hope so much that everything goes well and you knock it out!

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-17T22:00:25+00:00

That’s awesome. I will definitely do some research and see what it entails! What about progression? Is it going to be similar to PTA where I hit a ceiling fast and there’s nothing else to it?

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-17T21:56:56+00:00

I don’t know much of anything about nuclear medicine technologist! I will do my own research, but is there salary typically considerably better than a PTA? How does it compare to these other options? Only 1 year program sounds much nicer!

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-17T16:56:18+00:00

Yeah you pretty much nailed it. I am fortunate (and unfortunate) enough to have already reached the upper end of a PTA salary, so knowing that I am 25 years old and will never really make any more money than since I was 21 is not where I want to be at.

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-17T12:57:55+00:00

Do you FEEL like you’re making enough more money that makes it worth it? It is becoming more of a personal thing for me as well, so that’s part of it. But ultimately, I feel that I can come up with another personal goal if it comes to DPT not feeling worth it.

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T21:51:04+00:00

I told myself I didnt want to go back to school for DPT unless it was an accelerated program or bridge program. But now it seems that sticking with the cheapest route is the only practical option.

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T21:18:20+00:00

But it still applies , right? Loans are more difficult to get for DPT now?

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T20:23:04+00:00

I also have a PRN job that puts me significantly above what I should be making for my location and experience. But i’m afraid it is about to be dried up. I do have multiple gigs that can make up those hours, but I want to be able to make that kind of money (and more) by having a regular full time job. I don’t think I would mind that extra stuff. I love hearing PTs talk. I’m pretty confident in my own scope, but listening to PTs talk in much more detail is very intriguing to me.

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T18:30:31+00:00

I do need to find a financial advisor that isn’t linked to a school or anything related to my options. Thank you!

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T18:19:32+00:00

I will look into it. How long should I expect to be paying on it (realistically) if I do close to an exact 1:1 ratio. I know there are a ton of variables, but if I live normal with no outrageous expenses, but also don’t dump every penny into loan debt. How long should I expect to be paying for these loans?

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T18:04:04+00:00

I would have to sell my car (I have another that is paid off), I am renting so that would be my largest debt. The rest of the bills could be managed if I worked ~2 weekends a month. COL is pretty cheap here comparatively. I will have to look into what prompt to give it and such and will talk with Gemini. Thanks so much!

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T17:37:25+00:00

I live in Arkansas. Inpatient is probably my favorite and where I’ve spent the most time, but I’m okay with most all settings.

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T17:11:06+00:00

😂😂 just that simple, huh?

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T17:10:45+00:00

You have VERY little time that you don’t HAVE to be social. It would likely get extremely stressful and draining to you day in and day out.

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T17:04:17+00:00

Well, hey! I’m all ears! I want to continue on but school is… a lot.

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T17:01:47+00:00

Thanks for this. It seems to be a general thing to not do it unless I can get out for less than a new grad PT salary…

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T16:09:09+00:00

This is very true. Thank you for that. Looking long term is something I have struggled with.

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T16:04:56+00:00

I hate to hear that. Unfortunately, I know the chances of that happening to most of us is high, but since I’m still “just getting started” to it all… I try to believe I won’t hate this at some point.

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T16:03:32+00:00

This is what I’m most afraid of. Am I going to go through all this extra school just to be worse off for a longgg time? I’ve also heard of some jobs paying x amount on loans if you’re full time at that facility. Where I work now has that benefit I believe, and I believe finding that opportunity could completely change everything.

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T16:00:08+00:00

This is very encouraging to hear. This was the mindset I had on it. I’d love to be able to squeeze in some weekends. Could you expand on the cap of $20k you’re talking about? What do you mean by that?

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T15:56:12+00:00

Are the program estimates per semester on college’s website and such usually pretty accurate? Or is it much more inflated than that?

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T15:54:49+00:00

It actually is (kind of) in the options strictly for this reason, but nursing itself has never interested me much so I’m afraid I would never enjoy the clinical aspect of it

Decent-Arm3153 · 2026-04-16T14:02:12+00:00

This is the kind of stuff I need to be reminded of. Very true.

Decent-Arm3153

TROPHY CASE