- Earn bachelor's degree while avoiding fun to take tough science courses like Chemistry and Physics. Fight feelings of jealousy of friends in art class, or at the club.
- Apply to physical therapy programs. Reach new, previously unexperienced levels of nervousness during the interview. Explain to friends and family why more student loan debt will be a "good thing."
- Ask yourself whether adding more student loan debt will be a "good thing."
- Earn acceptance to DPT program while fending off questions from friends and family, like, "Why don't you go to medical school and be a real doctor?"
- Read motivating stories about PT school online.
- Go to first day of PT school and wonder aloud to closest fellow student (who is also overwhelmed), whether motivating stories of PT school were grossly exaggerated.
- Learn every origin, insertion, action and innervation for all 642 muscles in the human body. Become concerned that the rest of PT school won't "fit" in your brain after learning every origin, insertion, action and innervation for all 642 muscles in the human body.
- Cry a little. Laugh through the tears with a fellow classmate and move on.
- Learn about diseases and conditions of the cardiovascular, respiratory, integumentary, musculoskeletal, nervous, endocrine, & lymphatic systems. Learn what to do to make patients better when they have diseases and conditions of the cardiovascular, respiratory, integumentary, musculoskeletal, nervous, endocrine, & lymphatic systems.
- See light at end of tunnel as final internships begin. Realize you will pay for the privilege of working for free for the next few months.
- Look fabulous in cap and gown accepting diploma. Savor moment until realization about licensure exam surfaces.
- Pass licensure exam and start first PT job. Realize it was all worth it when you are saying goodbye to your first patient after six weeks and she thanks you for helping her do one or more of the following: walk again, breathe better, play golf again, heal without surgery, go back to work, get rid of pain, play with her grandkids, get around independently.
Any of this sound familiar???