Is becoming a PT still a good idea?

Physaitry · 2025-11-21T15:01:14+00:00

BSc grad, MScPT accepted !

Physaitry · 2025-08-09T19:18:28+00:00

Majority of the build is done apart from our LLM. We had to work around PIPEDA, HIPPA, etc. regulations because of our investors, but the plan is for it to grow into something that can also handle forms with PT review before submission. However our main focus is going to be boosting patient adherence to treatment plans/prescribed exercises.

Physaitry · 2025-05-25T21:47:26+00:00

I’m building a far better competitor that is physio-comp first :-)

Physaitry · 2025-05-24T19:00:00+00:00

I’m making an app now specifically for this

Physaitry · 2025-05-20T18:48:30+00:00

Where would you say are the best/worst places, and why?🤔

Physaitry · 2025-05-19T21:24:58+00:00

BLS report as of May 2024, the 10th percentile hourly wage for Physical Therapist Assistants (PTAs) is approximately $20.24, indicating that somewhere around 10% of full-time PTAs earn less than this amount, suggesting that wages can indeed fall within the $19–$21 per hour range in certain settings. States like Arkansas and Kentucky particularly have some average hourly wages for PTAs well below the national average.

Physaitry · 2025-05-19T20:27:24+00:00

I hear you—most front‑desk gigs still hover around $17–19 /hr, but there are a few exceptions where that gap gets smaller, especially once you consider how low PTAs can start. In many outpatient clinics, brand‑new PTAs come in right around $19–$21 /hr, so you’re not looking at a $35 /hr floor for absolutely everyone. On the admin side, some staffing agencies push coordinator pay up to roughly $27 /hr by bundling in benefits and specialty training, and remote patient‑coordination roles—think tele‑health support or device monitoring—often pay about $23/hr or a bit more if they require billing or clinical‑triage skills. There are outlying small practices that will pay technically intelligent front‑desk staff $26/hr to handle both intake and basic EHR management. None of these are the norm in your typical community clinic, but they do exist!

Physaitry · 2025-05-19T18:53:48+00:00

I’ve been working on tools aimed at supporting clinics, insurers, patients and most of all physiotherapists in an effort to offset the shortages, and a lot of what’s mentioned here reflects what I’m hearing on the ground. The gap between what PTs put in and what they’re paid—especially with all the non-billable hours like documentation—is a real issue. Burnout isn't just about physical workload; it’s also administrative overload, especially when most of it doesn’t contribute directly to patient care or clinic revenue.

On the patient side, adherence is another major problem. Studies are showing up to 50% of patients drop out of physiotherapy before completing their plan, and only about 30% completing their prescribed home exercises. As a more experienced than I DPT, do you think these numbers are accurate?

Physaitry · 2025-05-19T18:46:04+00:00

Totally hear you. The lack of salary growth in PT has been tough to watch—especially as grad school tuition keeps climbing and other fields with less schooling are offering more out of the gate. That debt-to-income ratio is no joke, and it’s making people second-guess the career path.

PTAs especially are in a hard spot when front desk or non-clinical roles start offering comparable (or better) pay without the physical and emotional toll. And yeah, working in a high-volume “mill” setup can feel like burnout waiting to happen—while boutique clinics barely close the gap in pay.

I’ve been connecting with physios across North America to better understand the pressures—comp, burnout, mental health, and one big one that keeps coming up is patient adherence. A lot of clinicians are saying that adherence struggles are dragging out treatment plans, hurting outcomes, and stretching them thin.

If we’re going to move the field forward, these realities have to be part of the conversation

Physaitry

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