Should You Get Your Doctorate of Physical Therapy?

As a Physical Therapist, you want to advance your career and continue to learn about new technologies that would help you in your practice.   What are the best ways to get to the next step in your career?  Should you get your Doctorate of Physical Therapy or are there other ways that would be more beneficial?

Back to school

Going back to school with a full-time job can be quite a challenge.  There are many things to seriously consider before committing to the decision.

1. 
   Cost - How much will it cost you to go back to school? Remember to account for books and materials too.  Does your current job offer any tuition reimbursement?
   
   


2. 
   Time - Going to class and studying can take up a lot of time.  Many graduate level and higher courses expect you to spend 3 to 4 times the amount of studying during the week than you spend in class.  Example: if you have class twice a week for 2.5 hours, you could be expected to spend 15-20+ hours outside of class studying or working on assignments.
   
   


3. 
    Does the market require this degree?  Search through job postings and see if there is a demand for Doctorate of Physical therapy.  If there isn't, it doesn't mean that it's not worth doing, just that the current market does not require it.
   
   


4. 
   How will this advance degree benefit you?  Will this advance degree increase your pay scale?  There are many salary calculators that you can use to find out the difference in pay with various levels of advanced degrees.  Factor in the cost of going to school with the financial compensation of the degree.
   
   


5. 
   Work and School - Will the school you plan to attend allow you to work a full-time or part-time job to attend?  Many advanced degrees are a full-time job on their own and schools will not allow students to work during their studies.
   
   


6. 
   Current Situation - Are you at a point in your life where this is a feasible option?  Look at your family situation and examine how different parts of your life will be affected.
   
   


7. 
   Work Flexibility - Do you have the flexibility and support of your facility to go back to school?  This can be a huge factor in your success if you do decide to go back.  Having the support of your workplace will give put less stress on you.  
   
   


8. 
   Reasoning behind the decision - Think about the reason that you want to go back.  If it's important to you, then other factors listed may not weigh as heavily.
   
   


9. 
   Go for it - If the answers to all of these questions still leads you to getting your Doctorate of Physical Therapy then Go For it and Best of Luck!!