Attend Physical Therapy School?

Physical therapy is a degree like any other college degree program. You don't need to go to a school that is for physical therapy specifically, many colleges offer this degree. It would be like working fulltime. Is that something you want to do, and have the childcare for, to attend college fulltime?
Colleges don't accept or decline students based on age.

Physical Therapist is now a Doctorate degree. It is a specialized field and if done wrong can do more and/or permanent damage. However most of your prior credits for GE classes should transfer so those wouldn't be an issue, you'd just have to start working on the degree specific classes (anatomy and such).

Physical Therapy Assistant is a different ball of wax and isn't a doctorate degree. I'm not sure what level of degree you need for it tho, I haven't looked into it.

It's never too late to go back to school ... I'm 46 and back in school getting my nursing degree.

If it's a calling and/or passion for you ... GO FOR IT. If it's not ... don't get into it.

Hi LE,

You mentioned that you have backgrounds and tech and education. From your writing, it looks like your communication skills are quite good, and clearly you have an education background. Why not consider how you might reapply your existing skill set? Two things that comes to my mind are technical communications/technical writing and industrial training. Check out http://techwhirl.com/what-is-technical-writing/ for more information and potential networking links.

As a personal example, I left the workforce for 10 years to raise my kids, then had to go back to work when my DH went back to grad school. I had a solid background in research biology (MS in molecular biology and chronobiology), experience in technical writing, sales, and technical training. I was able to combine all those skills to land a medical writing position. Median med writing incomes range from $80K - $120K, depending on experience and degree. I've been told that technical writing salaries run in a similar range. Working freelance with an agency will pay less, but often will allow you to work from home with flexible hours.

Good luck!

Since you have a college background in education, psychology and finance, if I remember correctly, I think you are selling yourself short in thinking that you could not find employment with those credentials. I think an employment counselor would be able to help you market your considerable skills without incurring years of schooling. All my best.

A lot of jobs in our area are health care related: nursing, PT, OT, personal care assistants, and so on. My mother needed some home aides after some surgery and rehab, and almost all of those women were studying for something else (e.g. nursing or nurses' aides). So it might be possible for you to work while you go to school. Does that help to offset expenses or would it be eaten up in child care?

No you're not too old. You have to like it though, and you have to enjoy a wide range of patient ages and conditions. Sometimes patients are really motivated, as in an acute rehab facility (which usually has those most likely to improve and benefit from intensive therapy). Others can be elderly or frail, and have limited motivation or cognition, so make sure you are open to home visits and nursing homes if you're going to service that segment of the population. From my experience with my mother, all of the PT and OT were done during regular working hours with no on call or evenings, whether she was in acute rehab, skilled nursing home rehab or home rehab. She occasionally had someone on a Saturday but no Sundays and no holidays.

Good luck. My cousin was a career PT and loved it well into her 60s. It's not as stressful on your muscles as something like massage therapy, so I don't think your age should be a deciding factor.

Are there any local community colleges around you that offer training programs?

I know our local CC offers programs to train for Physical Therapy Assistants as well as Occupational Therapy Assistants. I don't know how the career opportunities are for this, as compared to a PT or OT program, but you might want to look at your local Community College for the shorter job training certificate programs, rather than a longer program. I realize the final pay may be less, but the cost outlay would also be much less, if that is a concern.

This page shows what you would do as a physical therapist assistant, as compared to a physical therapist. You would probably be doing much the same, but under the supervision of a licensed PT...

http://www.austincc.edu/info/pta/

I don't have a lot of answers but from my limited pt of view...
My son's girlfriend has finished her undergrad studies and is now in a physical therapy program that will give her a doctoral degree.
It's pretty competitive to get in to the school of your choice. She did well in college and did several camps for kids with health problems in the summers. She also worked as a receptionist in a physical therapy out pt. place.

Her first semester was anatomy with lots of cadavers, memorizing names and tough tests. This semester, reading about various conditions that may or may not even effect the muscles. Tough books, reading several hundred pages in a few days.

I have several friends in their 50s and if we were to do our lives over, we would pick different professions. Except the one who was a physical therapist. Good working conditions and hours. It is very physical work. They have good lifting techniques but it still requires being very physical. If you are pretty fit, it could be perfect, if you are not, it could break you.

Check on the acceptance rates of the schools around you. You don't want to be moving for school.

Hi LE. My husband is a physical therapist, he graduated PT school when He was 32. He says he was the second or third oldest in his class, so yes, most of the other students were like fresh out of undergrad.

Yes nowadays it is a doctoral program, what you get is a DPT or Doctor of Physical Therapy. (Impressive sounding but they dont get to go by "Doctor") My husbands program was a 3 year program, and he took at least a year to even be able to apply by taking some prerequisite courses that you have to have to apply. It was a rough 3 years in our family, there was a LOT of studying. And near the end a lot of practicuum hours (fieldwork or internship) where you work for free AND continue with classes and studies. My husband could not have even a part time job while he was in PT school. He was still able to participate in most family activities and help out with the kids (just one back then) but boy did studying overtake our house. I do not miss those days.
I would heavily weigh how long it would take to be application-ready (how many pre-reqs do you need to get, where and how will you get them) when you could start a program and what age you'd be when you were done, vs. what age you'd plan to retire, and how long you'd think it would take to pay off the loans.

I would advise to find the cheapest program possible at a cal state school if you can.
My husband went to azusa pacific for PT school and while a lovely program, it was a private school and very expensive. It'll be about 10 years til we pay off the loans and we are paying them back pretty aggressively, like 12k a year. If you think you will still be working by the time you finish paying off the schooling it took to get you there, so you can enjoy a few years of JUST enjoying your paycheck and not paying your loans, then I think it may be worth it for you if you think its your dream. Why not follow it.

For me, I want to be done paying off our own school loans just in time to pay for my kid's college... Sigh.

The good news is, there are tons of jobs for PT's and a variety of places you can work. So far my husband has gone from rehab in a hospital setting, to working with special needs kids for a school district. So once you get out and in the workforce, its all good. Feel free to PM me more questions, I can always ask my husband.

My husband had a severe stroke 2.5 years ago and because of this has spent ALOT of time with Speech, Occupational and Physical Therapists. I'm sorry I will not be of help as far as schooling goes, but I will say that from my observations, it is a very physically demanding field. I'm guessing that if you looked up local inpatient or outpatient rehab facilities in your area there might be someone willing to let you shadow them. Check hospitals and nursing homes. Occupational therapy may be better suited to you if you would like something less physical that you can be employed in for the long haul. My other suggestion is that I know in his facility there were many therapy assistants. I'm guessing the schooling is shorter(cheaper) and you still get to work with people all day (and probably less paperwork for insurance, etc). You would just be helping the therapists as needed.

There are very few jobs out for anyone with a degree. You do know that right? Millions of people are out looking for work right now and there just are no jobs.

Getting a degree in another field is expensive and your question is about the benefits verses the costs. I'd say use the degree you already have.

If I was going to go back to school full time instead of getting a job then I think going again for 4 more years then adding on any graduate studies would not be something I'd be interested in. Because by the time you get out that field might not even have jobs in your area.

Schools are everywhere and almost always they need some good teachers who can substitute, even be the permanent substitute with full pay and benefits, or fill a full time position.

On salary.com it says the average income for teachers in your area is $55K per year. If that's accurate then you made over $100K per year when you did work teaching?

If you can make $30K-$50K each year right now teaching, even if you went to work at a local 2 year college and taught tech classes that would be solid income.

If you don't really need to work and can spend the thousands of dollars to get another degree then go for it. I do think that it would be a viable degree over all.

If I had a degree and could work in my own field or in a side field I'd be working now though. There is no guarantee that tomorrow every other person we know will still have a job and won't be able to find work.