bachelors degree in physical therapy or bachelors degree in nursing?

Question

between Texas State University for bachelors in physical therapy or bachelors in nursing at University of Texas in Austin. Serious suggestions and opinions are appreciated.

Answer 1

You've received a lot of good advice about your questions, but there are some things you need to consider.

Physical therapy used to be a field where a bachelor's degree was acceptable. Now you need a master's or doctorate in the field. (Bachelor's was phased out in the mid-90's) Most PT grads who had a bachelor's degree have gone through a transitional program to get their Master's. So, with PT, you'll be looking at more than 4 years of schooling. The University system in Texas has some fine, accredited PT schools, with Master's programs, but the campus at Austin is not among them (Dallas, El Paso, Galveston, San Antonio), so I can see why you are looking at TSU. They have an accredited program for a Master's degree, and now they have an approved Doctorate program.
With the aging of America, most analysts project that the physical therapist career will grow at a 35% rate over the next decade. It takes a lot of strength to work with many patients in physical therapy, so many men favor it over the nursing profession, because they have that strength edge. In PT, you will work in hospitals, clinics, occupational therapy centers. Your schedule should be more structured than that of most nurses, your work very rewarding.

Nursing allows you to pursue a career with even an Associate's degree from an accredited program that prepares you for the RN boards, although many people in the field are pushing to see more BSN nurses. You will be in great demand with either. However, you are not limited to hospital work, or work with long hours. You can choose your clinical path in doctor's offices, hospitals, clinical research centers, schools or municipalities, as a trainer/educator, or in telephonic nursing for managed healthcare. No matter what your choice, it is strongly advised that you do get some foundation in a clinical setting (doctor's practice, outpatient or inpatient facility) before you branch out. The demand for nurses is so great that you will have your choice of employers and careers if you pass your RN boards. In many instances, you'll be given signing bonuses in order to join an organization.

Because of the advanced degree for PT and the wide range of RN job types, in my state, Florida, starting wages for an RN are about $43,000 (not including a sign on bonus - in my area it is usually $2,000), where starting wages for PT's are $52,000.

Hope this all helps.

Answer 2

I live in DFW, so I'm acquainted with the schools you're asking about. Why did you choose these two out of all the colleges in TX?

OK, since I'm given two choices, I'll look at TSU first. I know nothing about their program, but physical therapy is a great field, esp for a guy. Getting a further degree or certification in sports therapy would put you highly in demand, and they make pretty good money. The only down is that most of the people you see are hurting. They don't have good attitudes because they're in pain. And you have to make them move parts of their bodies to get them back to normal. You work 9-5 weekends are always free.

UTA - I checked out UTA's nursing program a while back and decided that TWU had the better program. As a guy, you probably don't want to go to TWU. And, as a guy, you may not receive a lot of respect in the nursing field without specializing in something awesome--ob, surgery, etc. A year or two back, Baylor was so desperate for nurses that they were giving you a VW beetle if you signed a 1 year contract at a very good rate of pay. The downside with nursing is that you are on your feet 24/7. You don't have regular hours, you may have to work midnight shift or two shifts in a row. It's really hard work.

I thought to be a nurse myself, but they accepted almost none of my college work and I'd basically have to start over. I'd rather be a florist.

Back to you. It seems obvious to me that sports medicine physical therapy is awesome. Great pay, great hours, and you get to sit down sometimes. And your patients are not going to die in your office.

Answer 3

What someone else mentioned about bachelor's degree programs of physical therapy being phased out is true. One needs at least a master's degree and regarding the doctorate level, I'd heard from a PT that one doesn't necessarily need to get a doctorate but that a master's degree should suffice unless perhaps wanting to teach at university or perform research. PT school is extremely competitive to gain entrance into as the prospective student typically needs a 4.0 gpa in prereq's as well as overall gpa. Competition is that keen and it used to be said that it's even more so than med school! Both fields can be mentally as well as physically exhausting.

For more career info: http://www.bls.gov/oco and search 'physical therapist', 'registered nurse' or such.

For US colleges: http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ

Answer 4

Both careers are in high demand with no signs of slowing down. You can thank the obesity epidemic for that. However, there are more choices with nursing and less likelihood of ever losing career marketability.

However, you need to think about the work environment. Are you okay with dealing with death every day? If not, maybe you would rather work as a PT. Nurses work 12 hour shifts (in the hospital), too. How do you feel about that?

They both make about the same $$. I think you need to think about who you are and which career is more you.

Answer 5

Nursing, it is a more versatile degree. Plus professional nurses are in such high demand that you could pretty much pick your salary and job location after.

Answer 6

no you cannot. some courses are the same but you would have to do more school and then the masters program to get a lisence