DPT working with sports?

[kingroger317]

Hi i am a current undergrad at UCLA. I plan to go to DPT school afterwards. I was wondering what kind of opporunities to work with sports teams there were as a DPT. I would like to work for professional/collegiate teams etc, kind of like ATC's. But i don't know if there is any positions like that for DPT's. Also what are competitive GPAs for DPT school? Thanks.

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[myr11]

A lot of professional teams hire physical therapists usually who posses an athletic training degree as well to sit on the bench...I know the NY METS do this...He sits right along with the other trainer...The physical therapy practice which I volunteer at does a lot of the physical therapy for the athelets at the college I go to. One of the therapists travel with some of the teams once in a while.

 

[Cyrus44]

We just had a lecture about this in class. The speakers we had were Ph.D/ ATC and one was a PT/ATC. It is better to have a ATC degree for working with athletes b/c ATC work more closely with them. Physical therapists work more closely with patients of all ages and disabilities. If you want to focus on just athletes i would recommend you get an ATC degree although it was alot of work and the pay is not as good as a PT. The PT/ATC said she made better money as a PT, but feels once her children have gone back to college she would like to return back to ATC. As for GPA it depends on the school. I'm going to UB and was accepted with a 3.8 avg but my friend got in with a 2.9. However, no one in my class is from another school this is because they only usually accept students who were undergrads from UB. Hope this helps

 

[kingroger317]

so what's the real difference between ATC and PT. If PT's are "higher" than ATC, they can't just go into athletics? why are salaries so different?

 

[matotom]

so what's the real difference between ATC and PT. If PT's are "higher" than ATC, they can't just go into athletics? why are salaries so different?

PT jumped on the insurance bandwagon when medicare got started. Now PTs are providers and directly reimbursed by most all Ins companies for their services. They can generate revenue.

ATCs are trying like mad to hop on the medicare train but so far not much luck. They cannot generate as much revenue and often work as PT techs when in a clinical environment.

This is the reason for the pay scale differences.

As far as working with sports, the ATC has the advantage b/c of the emergency response training they get and the specificity of training they get with athletes. But there are lots of AT programs with 'not so much selective' admissions and there is tons of competition for 'glory' jobs like pro sports and d1 college. In this realm the head ATC/PT salaries are likely more comparable than in a clinic.

 

[DocWagner]

A PT/ATC is a perfect combination. I would take a PTA/ATC on the sideline ANY day over a pure DPT.

The ATC is invaluable on the sideline of an athletic team.

As a former team Doctor, and PT...the ATC is a Docs best friend.

 

[PT2MD]

On the sideline I couldn't agree more. ATC's are way more competent. However, I think it's tough to beat the PT's in the clinic. I know several PT/ATC's, but that's becoming less common now that the ATC is a four-year program at many universities as opposed to a certificate.

I have a good relationship with the local school districts ATCs. They send athletes to me pretty consistently (through their MD of course), with the understanding that they return to the training room as soon as they are ready. It can be a tricky balance, but it works. I still think PT's have more options for working with the athlete's than ATCs.

 

[villiarp]

I still think PT's have more options for working with the athlete's than ATCs.

Regarding the fact that PT's have more option working with athletes...I would have to argue that this is false, when it comes to upper level athletes, i.e. Collegiate/professional/olympic athletes. Local PT clinics get alot of high school and weekend warrior athletes. ATC's at the HS don't have time to properly treat all their athletes, so like PT2MD said they refer thru Docs to the outpatient PT clinics.

In the upper level athletics I do know of some professional/collegiate athletic programs who employ PT's to run their rehabilitation programs. It is really a good blend. The PT can do what he/she is excels at, and that frees time for the ATC to attend practices, evaluate injuries, perform treatments, and and run the administrative aspect of sports medicine. This is more common is professional athletics because there is so much going on at one time but in the collegiate setting I do not think this is the norm. Most colleges employ only ATC's who have completed their Masters of PhD. Obviously there are exceptions but as I said the ATC role is more prominent in college athletics.

Does anyone know how many jobs are posted on the APTA website for athletics?

 

[Keau]

A PT/ATC is a perfect combination. I would take a PTA/ATC on the sideline ANY day over a pure DPT.

The ATC is invaluable on the sideline of an athletic team.

As a former team Doctor, and PT...the ATC is a Docs best friend.

DocWagner

Where would you put an ATC/PA in the sports med system? Thanks, Keau

 

[PT2MD]

In the upper level athletics I do know of some professional/collegiate athletic programs who employ PT's to run their rehabilitation programs. It is really a good blend. The PT can do what he/she is excels at, and that frees time for the ATC to attend practices, evaluate injuries, perform treatments, and and run the administrative aspect of sports medicine. This is more common is professional athletics because there is so much going on at one time but in the collegiate setting I do not think this is the norm. Most colleges employ only ATC's who have completed their Masters of PhD. Obviously there are exceptions but as I said the ATC role is more prominent in college athletics.

Does anyone know how many jobs are posted on the APTA website for athletics?

I do agree that you'll find quite a few ATC's in the pro/college level. This is consistent with our local pro teams here in Houston. However these jobs are pretty tough to come by. I can't pretend to speak for the athletic training profession, however I would imagine that you will find most of the ATC jobs out there are for high school and lower profile college programs. Another point is that athletic training focuses almost entirely on - well athletes. This sounds great initially but the shine does wear off over time. There are plenty (repeat plenty) of drawbacks to working with athletes. These inlcude but are not limited to coaches and parents along with - well coaches and parents.

I could have worded my earlier post a little better. I think both professions a strong. It's simply a matter of choice.

 

[truthseeker]

ATCs are way more suited to handle the variety of potential problems an athlete or team might have. I am both ATC and DPT. An ATC is a cross between an EMT, an orthopedic PT, and a PA, with some of the skills of each and all of the skills of none. I agree with Doc Wagner, a GOOD ATC is a team physician's best friend.

In PT school, we never talked about, let alone practiced an extraction from a pool of a diver with a cervical injury, or a gymnast with a cervical injury from a pit of foam blocks, or discussed in detail eating disorders with high school dancers, or how to treat a blister etc . . .

In undergrad athletic training, we didn't talk about cardiac rehab, or stroke rehab, or Parkinson's, or the potential consequences of CHF, how to deal with someone with dementia etc . . .

ALL professional teams have trainers, SOME (most) have PTs.

 

[TriMatt12]

DPT have the highest degree in their field. This is also an insurance and malpractice issue. PT's have had legal trouble with mobilizations and manipulations that were ruled in favor of chiropractors because chiropractors had the highest level degree in their field. One of the reasons for most programs switching to a doctorate.

Also, PT's work on rehabing all types of patients with all types of disorders including neurological deficits and other systemic conditions. PT's are not allowed to treat on the field; whereas, AT's are. AT training focuses more on recognizing acute injuries and the immediate treatment of them. The more rigorous education and training that PT's receive opens them to practice on a wider base of clients with a wider range of disorders and complications.

If you have both degrees, then you can be on the field and treat at the time of injury and then work with the athlete on the rehabing process as well. This is valuable for the team and better for the athlete to be working with one person throughout.

 

[optionpaloma]

Hi i am a current undergrad at UCLA. I plan to go to DPT school afterwards. I was wondering what kind of opporunities to work with sports teams there were as a DPT. I would like to work for professional/collegiate teams etc, kind of like ATC's. But i don't know if there is any positions like that for DPT's. Also what are competitive GPAs for DPT school? Thanks.

Cal State Northridge (CSUN) has an internship with the Dodgers, so definitely apply there... they admit off straight numbers using an algorithm (prereq GPA, overall GPA, and GRE score in that order) with references and essay given pass/fail status. They also don't interview. Good luck!

 

[SAJ19]

ATCs are way more suited to handle the variety of potential problems an athlete or team might have. I am both ATC and DPT. An ATC is a cross between an EMT, an orthopedic PT, and a PA, with some of the skills of each and all of the skills of none. I agree with Doc Wagner, a GOOD ATC is a team physician's best friend.

In PT school, we never talked about, let alone practiced an extraction from a pool of a diver with a cervical injury, or a gymnast with a cervical injury from a pit of foam blocks, or discussed in detail eating disorders with high school dancers, or how to treat a blister etc . . .

In undergrad athletic training, we didn't talk about cardiac rehab, or stroke rehab, or Parkinson's, or the potential consequences of CHF, how to deal with someone with dementia etc . . .

ALL professional teams have trainers, SOME (most) have PTs.

So what is your suggestion for someone like me who already has a BA (psych & spanish 2005) and master's (MPH -Health Behavior, 2011) but would like to pursue a professional degree like a DPT but is interested in mainly working in athletics? Honestly ATC is PERFECT for me (can't believe I didnt think of it after undergrad), but Im a bit unsure about going back to school "just" to get another Masters. Help!!!

 

[wjs010]

I hear everyone saying the same thing about dpt is less valuable on the SIDELINE , but what about throughout the offseason and preseason,? I can't understand why professional teams don't hire dpt to rehab the athletes off the field. Seems like that would make a lot of money


Sent from my iPhone using SDN Mobile app I will accept any pt school at this point. I cannot sleep

 

[PTisfun]

I hear everyone saying the same thing about dpt is less valuable on the SIDELINE , but what about throughout the offseason and preseason,? I can't understand why professional teams don't hire dpt to rehab the athletes off the field. Seems like that would make a lot of money

Because ATCs can rehab athletes quite competently and they are already part of the organization. If there is something that an athlete requires PT for, the AT can just refer the athlete to PT at a clinic.

 

[wjs010]

True enough. It still seems like working for a pro team would get an atc or pt tons of money though.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN Mobile app I will accept any pt school at this point. I cannot sleep

 

[atstudent]

Because ATCs can rehab athletes quite competently and they are already part of the organization. If there is something that an athlete requires PT for, the AT can just refer the athlete to PT at a clinic.

As an athletic trainer I agree completely! However I also do believe that a PT can play a vital role in an athletic training room as well as a member of the sports medicine team.

The NFL is now requiring a PT be hired fulltime by their teams. It was a part of the new CBA. They must have a full-time PT, a minimum of two full-time athletic trainers, and any new physician must have a sports medicine fellowship background..

 

[Prsvranc10acity]

Just thought I'd finally join in on this thread since I plan on working in the sports field after obtaining my DPT. However, it will probably not be with a college or pro team. To work at the college or pro level it is almost required that you are certified as both a DPT and ATC. From what I have heard, the athletic trainers just love the nature of their job, although it can be extremely stressful (The DPT/ATC I spoke with said it was not uncommon for him to have 90 hour weeks in season). He also said that he got his DPT to (1) get a pay raise and (2) have something to fall back on if he didn't want to deal with the stress anymore. I cannot picture myself being happy working 90hr weeks, but that doesn't mean I can't work in sports. There are sports physical therapy clinics that I have worked at and it is where I aspire to go. You get a variety of patients with about 60% being athletes ranging from kids in middle school to professional athletes. Just letting everyone know that working at an NCAA College or Pro Sports Team is not the only way to work in sports.