why does PT school require a bachelor's degree?

[NewTestament]

I think the bottom line is this - The debt that many students are incurring is a problem, and I think it may take some outside-the-box thinking to look at ways to rectify it. I don't think we can count on graduate schools to reduce their tuition, but if they required fewer courses prior to entering PT school, it might reduce the debt load, and I don't think it would negatively impact patient outcomes, or our standing (or lack thereof) within the Allied Health Professions community.

As long as students want to become physical therapists regardless of the costs, then tuition will continue to be a problem. No one is forcing these students to incur $150k+ of debt. That's why there is no downward pressure on tuition.

The only courses that should be required for admission to PT school is the pre-requisites (chemistry, statistics, biology, etc.) The pre-requisites might be 60 credits, but not 120 necessary for a four-year degree. I think the reason a four-year degree is necessary is to enhance the prestige of the profession. We're trying to become autonomous health care professionals and eliminating the four-year requirement would undermine our status. That's the argument. I don't accept it.

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[jesspt]

Talking with, relaing to and being "smooth" with patients likely has little to nothing to do with education and a lot to do with experience and basline social skills. So saying PTA's are "doing just fine with 2 years" and you've seen "DPT's" (students at the time) "be horrible" makes no sense. You imply education doesn't matter (I agree, at least it probably doesn't matter very much) but your reasoning with partially educated PT students anectdote doesn't flow. And what does this have to do with undergrad? If anything undergrad builds social skills a lot more than grad school. PT school clinicals help quite a lot too probably.

So now education doesn't matter very much?

I'm not trying to be confrontational here, but what is your stance regarding this question: Yes or no, your undergraduate degree has significantly and positively impacted your ability to treat patients as a physical therapist.

 

[jesspt]

This is a bit off topic, and has little to nothing to do with undergrad. But I'll go on a rambling anyway.
We have immense evidence to support what we do, this is not remotely the issue with regard to out credibility. The "folks" who read physical therapy literature/evidence are by and large in the profession of physical therapy. What impact does evidence have on public policy? Little to none (especially when there is history of doing things a certain way). The majority of non physical therapist healthcare providers who have a say with regard to physical therapy or impact policy with regard to physical therapy are ignoramouses or diletants. Our credibility issues to me (from the perspective of patients and other healthcare providers) stem from lack of self esteem, lack of taking ownership in ones profession, and antiquated policy and procedure. If our credibility were in question as you suggest then we wouldn't be getting "orders" all day long from "credible" doctors. Credibility in physical therapy as you describe it has long been established. A simple example of our credibility issue, to me, is use of the words "orders, script, prescription", etc. I find it hard to see someone as credible when they're following someone else or using words like that to describe communication or interprofessional collaboration.

But just a few posts up you stated that our credibulity issues were due to our initial entry level training?

 

[Fiveoboy11]

But just a few posts up you stated that our credibulity issues were due to our initial entry level training?

No. I said undergraduate education increases our credibility.

 

[Fiveoboy11]

So now education doesn't matter very much?

I'm not trying to be confrontational here, but what is your stance regarding this question: Yes or no, your undergraduate degree has significantly and positively impacted your ability to treat patients as a physical therapist.

Education doesn't matter very much with regard to social skills, IMO. Additional physical therapy evidence will not make much difference with regard to our credibility, IMO.

Yes I believe it has without question.

 

[truthseeker]

the question wasn't asked of me but my undergrad ed was in athletic training and I believe it was very very helpful. Maybe the difference is that an undergrad major of biology includes classes in botany, comparative vertebrate anatomy, virology, genetics etc . . . which don't always apply to the human patients that we see every day. I was taking comp. vert anatomy and dropped it after 1 lecture and one lab of classifying extinct fish. biology is such a broad area, they have to cover lots of stuff and fungi are alive so you have to include them, yeast is sort of alive, viruses etc . . . I like fuzzy things like mammals, we are all similar. the human ones are the coolest because you can talk to them.

 

[jesspt]

the question wasn't asked of me but my undergrad ed was in athletic training and I believe it was very very helpful. Maybe the difference is that an undergrad major of biology includes classes in botany, comparative vertebrate anatomy, virology, genetics etc . . . which don't always apply to the human patients that we see every day. I was taking comp. vert anatomy and dropped it after 1 lecture and one lab of classifying extinct fish. biology is such a broad area, they have to cover lots of stuff and fungi are alive so you have to include them, yeast is sort of alive, viruses etc . . . I like fuzzy things like mammals, we are all similar. the human ones are the coolest because you can talk to them.

Yes, I'd have to say that Athletic Training might be one of the few exceptions.

And you're right about Bio. I still remember one of my early bio lab instructors beginning the course in a totally dead pan voice (similar to Bueller? Bueller?): "Welcome to the exciting world of Kingdom Plantae."