"all that for PT?"

[Bad0 Fish0]

i was talking with a friend of the family the other day about what i'm doing, and she was asking about the curriculum of the program and stuff. i gave a brief overview, highlighting the main focus of each semester (i.e. wound care, orthopedics, neuro, cardiac, etc etc) and her response, as an RN, was "all that for physical therapy?"... it really pissed me off, mostly because she's an RN and while i might expect a comment like that from an occasional random 60yr old patient or someone in the general public, i didn't expect it from someone who's worked in healthcare for 20 years. is this how nurses, and other healthcare professionals, feel about PT? the comment really rubbed me the wrong way and is continuing to. anyone have thoughts or comments.. or similar things that have been said to them?? just venting

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ATS2DPT]

WOW...I find that rather obtuse of her and rather offensive, but funny in another manner; I was discussing with a pre-med friend of mine the requirements for nurses to practice. A nurse does not have to do ANYTHING to maintain their license, they can quit for 20 years come back and still be able to practice, they have no continuing education requirements unless their employer makes them take classes.
This pre-med friend (undergrad who has taken no nursing courses) during one of her internships was shadowing at a neo-natal unit in a hospital, as part of the hospital's requirements she had to take some classes and the doctors encouraged her to take the nursing licensure test. SHE PASSED.
Yes, I guess if someone doesn't know a lot about Physical Therapists and their scope of practice I could see where she is coming from, but many nurses that I have talked to said they could not handle being a physical therapist because of all of our requirements, and what it takes to be licensed and stay licensed. It is offensive but you also have to realize that she probably doesn't come into contact with many PT's at her job, if she did she would have a different point of view (from my experience anyways)

 

[Bad0 Fish0]

I think you're right. I believe her contact with PTs is probably limited to having them get her patients out of the bed and walk them around. So I guess this may be where her narrow-minded opinion came from.

 

[AlaskanPT2b]

I had a similar experience, where a DO I was working for (I was an office assistant) scoffed at my desire to be a PT. He said "anyone can do PT, you should go to PA school." I keep telling myself he was just saying that because he wanted me to be in the same field as him, but it did bother me...

 

[bigdan]

Fish-

I've got a similar story. I lwas in the midst of leaving my profession of OT to go to medical school, and I was explaining my choice to a radiologist that I was treating at the time for a hand injury. She advised me against medical school, and told me that the road was too long - pointing out that I would have to get a bachelors degree before I could even apply to medical school. When I told her that I held a degree, she asked me if it would "count".

And since being in medical school, a few family friends were quite surprised to find that I needed a medical degree at all to go into my desired field (anesthesiology).

...never ends, I guess.

Keep your head up.

dc

 

[Bad0 Fish0]

And since being in medical school, a few family friends were quite surprised to find that I needed a medical degree at all to go into my desired field (anesthesiology).

...never ends, I guess.

LOL! that is too funny. however, with AA's and NA's being so abundant, i can somewhat see how family members who do not work in healthcare might be a little confused about the specialty. i guess that's what pissed me off so much about the comment i got from someone who's been working in a hospital as a nurse for 20 years. *sigh*

 

[Elbrus]

As we will hopefully watch more marketing efforts about the profession publicized, the public, payers, and healthcare professionals will have a better understanding why admissions are very competitive, the education is robust, and in the end we do posess a lot of knowledge that is often dismissed instead of nurtured. The new (and now many old) generations of PT are finally beginning to practice how we should have been for a long time... subject experts. In the end, it is our responsibility to demonstrate AND speak up for ourselves!

I thought this was well done YouTube 'You can be me' video

The spine, ortho, and wound care/electrophysiology, women's health people should now get their own video (I'm sure this is coming.. we are a noisy group!)

 

[delicatefade]

I think you're right. I believe her contact with PTs is probably limited to having them get her patients out of the bed and walk them around. So I guess this may be where her narrow-minded opinion came from.

Get used to this if you work in a hospital setting.

Then again, if you work in an outpatient setting a lot of people will think you are a massage therapist.

 

[brightness]

What do PTs do in women's health? I've actually never heard of that.

 

[Elbrus]

What do PTs do in women's health? I've actually never heard of that.

Here are a few links:
http://www.pelvicpainmatters.com/

I work with several women's health PTs who seem to agree this is good standard of practice for specialty area:

http://www.pelvicpainmatters.com/2008/04/is-your-pt-treating-you-right.html

You can also check the 'specialty reference' sticky for women's health section for more information.

 

[ericdopt]

Get used to this if you work in a hospital setting.

Then again, if you work in an outpatient setting a lot of people will think you are a massage therapist.

LOL!!! I used to get that all the time.