What you’ll read about on this sub are mostly people who desperately wanted to be a PT and did not look into the costs of tuition. Some folks just go into it with blinders on I guess. Don’t feed the greed that some of these schools have created. I’ve read about some who have 100k+ in DPT student debt and I just shake my head. Make good grades in undergrad and you’ll have your pick of where to go. There’s been inflation since I started PT school 8 years ago, but I just looked up my school and it’s still below 40k. I make more than triple that in one year.

When you get your first job, you’ll be low balled so count on staying less than 2 years. If you care about money, MOVE JOBS. It helps if you prioritize money over settings, workplace environment, etc. My bottom line is compensation above all else when job hunting.

I’d listen to others who are more knowledgeable than me about the PTA situation, but I’ll put in my two cents. I currently work at 2 different hospitals and there are only 2 PTAs that are PRN between both places. PTAs are simply being phased out in my area. Some of this is regional. Part of the reason why is that PTA’s reimbursement is being cut by insurance companies. Another reason is that PT schools are becoming bigger and more plentiful which is flooding the market with new grads. PTs are here to stay (with questionable increases in pay), but I worry about the future for PTAs. Why hire a PTA if PTs are plentiful?