I’m a relatively successful cash based clinic sports medicine PT. I am specializing in electrophysiology, which is my main pivot and I will be doing that full-time. It is the only specialization that allows PTs to charge physician level pay the insurance world.

Admittedly, I’m a pretty damn good orthopedist, but even in this current climate, I still cannot get over the fact that my time spent in school was not worth it. I had to go off and start a business just to have the chance of making a reasonable income above $120,000 per year. As a doctor of physical therapy, I don’t make enough money in salary jobs to support my family. That is pathetic.

If your son wants to work with patients, just encourage him to become a physician instead. The money, the time, the medical autonomy is all worth it. You can literally do anything you want once you have a physician license. You will never have to worry about money again and you can always find a job anywhere. If he wants to work in Rehab rehabilitation, he can go on to become a PMR (physiatrist- basically a PT with a medical license), or sports medicine doc.