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Started By
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Future of certain healthcare careers: PT, OT, Pharmacy.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 2:00 pm
Posted on 7/9/26 at 2:00 pm
I have seen influencers talking about this lately. One in particular was talking about how it doesn't make financial sense to become a PT anymore.
These degrees used to be 4 or 5 year programs. You could do them at somewhere like ULM and pay very reasonable tuition. You would finish up at 23 and come out making a good salary.
Now they are 4+3 tracks that give you a Doctorate. I feel like that is something people in academia dreamed up as being a good idea. Now the graduate school tuition for these programs is very high and people are graduating with 150k+ in debt.
How are they better off compared to the 65 yo working people in this field who paid a grand per year in tuition and finished up at 23 years old?
Only redeeming thing I see is that a lot of the places these people work are either government hospitals or non profit hospitals, so they can do the 10 year forgivness program.
What is the OT's opinion on this issue?
These degrees used to be 4 or 5 year programs. You could do them at somewhere like ULM and pay very reasonable tuition. You would finish up at 23 and come out making a good salary.
Now they are 4+3 tracks that give you a Doctorate. I feel like that is something people in academia dreamed up as being a good idea. Now the graduate school tuition for these programs is very high and people are graduating with 150k+ in debt.
How are they better off compared to the 65 yo working people in this field who paid a grand per year in tuition and finished up at 23 years old?
Only redeeming thing I see is that a lot of the places these people work are either government hospitals or non profit hospitals, so they can do the 10 year forgivness program.
What is the OT's opinion on this issue?
17
Posted on 7/9/26 at 2:01 pm to GeauxTigers123
Do u even trade school baw
Posted on 7/9/26 at 2:03 pm to GeauxTigers123
quote:
I have seen influencers talking about this lately.
That tells me enough....
I haven't seen any of these videos, but my guess it's probably the people who've had bad experiences and can't hack it in the field...
You can go through a PTA program and still make good money...
This post was edited on 7/9/26 at 2:09 pm
Posted on 7/9/26 at 2:03 pm to Obi Wan Ryobi
quote:
Do u even trade school baw
As much as I love a good OT trades argument thread, lets try to keep this one on track.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 2:07 pm to GeauxTigers123
quote:
people are graduating with 150k+ in debt.
Well people are stupid, so there’s that.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 2:08 pm to GeauxTigers123
I'm not sure about PT or OT but when it comes to Pharmacists there has been a huge influx of grads in the last 10 years. It's created an oversaturated job market, there was an overexpansion which large chains gained the ability to suppress wages and lower staffing ratios. Unless you have the capital to start your own pharmacy and know how to navigate Pharmacy Benefit Managers, its one I would stay away from.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 2:14 pm to GeauxTigers123
My observation as an outsider looking in, it seems like a lot of PTs and OTs change careers. You start out right below your ceiling level of income. Maybe you get your 3% annual raise but the ROI just doesn’t make sense given what it cost for schooling.
Which I think is closer to $75k not $150k.
Which I think is closer to $75k not $150k.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 2:19 pm to GeauxTigers123
PT is a scam.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 2:20 pm to Tiger4life306
Shreveport PT tutition is 60k for 3 years if you don't take out anything for living expenses.
St. Augustine in Austin is a place I have known people from Louisiana to go to if they don't get into the Louisiana schools:
"At the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) Austin, TX campus, the Residential DPT program costs approximately $16,013 per trimester. The total direct program cost (tuition plus mandatory fees and books) for the full 110-credit-hour degree is roughly $119,899."
St. Augustine in Austin is a place I have known people from Louisiana to go to if they don't get into the Louisiana schools:
"At the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) Austin, TX campus, the Residential DPT program costs approximately $16,013 per trimester. The total direct program cost (tuition plus mandatory fees and books) for the full 110-credit-hour degree is roughly $119,899."
Posted on 7/9/26 at 2:26 pm to GeauxTigers123
That’s insane. Not sure why anyone would pay that much for a DPT degree
Posted on 7/9/26 at 2:26 pm to GeauxTigers123
quote:
Now they are 4+3 tracks that give you a Doctorate. I feel like that is something people in academia dreamed up as being a good idea. Now the graduate school tuition for these programs is very high and people are graduating with 150k+ in debt.
My wife has a degree in one of these fields that used to be a masters but is now a doctorate. I put her through school and tuition was around 45-50k total for her 4 year doctorate degree. She had idiot classmates with 100k+ in student loans, but they were also the ones going on trips to Mexico, Jamaica, etc… while we were pinching pennies to pay her tuition without taking out loans.
I’m aware that not everyone has a spouse that makes enough money to pay for their graduate school out of pocket, but also I don’t think it’s necessary to take out loans for 3x the amount of tuition either.
ETA: she graduated 9 years ago, so I would assume tuition increased, but not wildly so
This post was edited on 7/9/26 at 2:30 pm
Posted on 7/9/26 at 2:39 pm to GeauxTigers123
quote:
I have seen influencers talking about this lately.
You mean the people that would tell you the sky is green if it got hits?
Like and subscribe!! Ring that bell!
Posted on 7/9/26 at 2:42 pm to GeauxTigers123
quote:
Now they are 4+3 tracks that give you a Doctorate. I feel like that is something people in academia dreamed up as being a good idea. Now the graduate school tuition for these programs is very high and people are graduating with 150k+ in debt.
If you're in-state, you could reasonably graduate with no debt for your undergrad with TOPS & other scholarships. According to Google, the 2023-24 tuition + all other fees (books, lab, etc) for just the 3-year PT school is roughly $88,000. LINK
Typical salary range according to Google:
Louisiana:Entry-Level (0-2 years): ~$86,000 per year
Mid-Level (2-7 years): ~$100,000 to $116,000 per year
Management & Supervisors: ~$120,000+ per year
With that salary, you should be able to pay off the student debt fairly quickly; especially if you have a working spouse.
My wife was considering going to PT school all the way up until her senior year of undergrad but switched to PA school because it was less time and PAs could actually make more money.
This post was edited on 7/9/26 at 2:44 pm
Posted on 7/9/26 at 2:46 pm to GeauxTigers123
Well, that is a narrow minded way to think about a doctorate degree. Regular PT used to be two years, with additional years for specialties. Now it is a DPT program that has additional years for specialties. Depending where you go after graduation salaries could be much higher. The population is only getting older and staying active. This equals more injuries and more therapy to remain active. Why would that be a bad thing?
Posted on 7/9/26 at 2:53 pm to GeauxTigers123
My daughter is starting undergrad this fall majoring in kinesiology with desire to go to OT grad school.
We did a lot of research and the job market prospects look solid provided she does not mind working with old people. An aging population will have increased needs for this.
Like everything in healthcare there are fewer and fewer healthcare companies to join.
But this looks AI safe.
Tuition sucks like it dies for every major. She earned over 30 hours in high school and is going to a state school for undergrad and should graduate that with no debt.
Her salary can handle grad school debt.
We did a lot of research and the job market prospects look solid provided she does not mind working with old people. An aging population will have increased needs for this.
Like everything in healthcare there are fewer and fewer healthcare companies to join.
But this looks AI safe.
Tuition sucks like it dies for every major. She earned over 30 hours in high school and is going to a state school for undergrad and should graduate that with no debt.
Her salary can handle grad school debt.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 2:56 pm to LSUFanHouston
I have weekly OT sessions due to a stroke...will probably be dealing with this for the rest of my life.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 3:00 pm to LSUFanHouston
quote:
fall majoring in kinesiology with desire to go to OT grad school.
old people
There are paid athletic trainers at every school in Katy ISD (and every college with sports), she doesn't necessarily need to be limited to the wrinkly folk (she can volunteer while getting her degree and tape ankles at A&M or where ever she is enrolling, etc.) The chiropractor I've used is more of an athletic massage joint, and she's got seven or eight people working for her too (all of them have been there for years.)
Posted on 7/9/26 at 3:03 pm to GeauxTigers123
i work in a highly automated long-term care pharmacy. the more automated we become, the more work pharmacists are needed to check the machines for accuracy, which hasn't been great and is a huge workload on the front end. im sure it will improve, but its got a long way to go.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 3:09 pm to Shamoan
quote:
i work in a highly automated long-term care pharmacy. the more automated we become, the more work pharmacists are needed to check the machines for accuracy, which hasn't been great and is a huge workload on the front end. im sure it will improve, but its got a long way to go.
could a non-pharmacist "check the machine for accuracy"? doesn't seem like it would be that difficult.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 3:10 pm to Hangover Haven
quote:
You can go through a PTA program and still make good money...
My buddy is a PTA and hooked up with a really good PT. Really good at being a PT, but also likable and good at business. He started a home health company. My buddy the PTA was making well over 6 figures the last time we talked about it, which was over 5 years ago. And it’s pretty flexible. He may just have a unicorn PTA gig, though.
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