Wishful thinking to work in a PT environment w/o PT credentials yet?

[NATO]

Have you heard of or actually applied to work in PT clinics/envorinments without having a PT or PTA degree? I've decided to applying to PT schools for 2012 entry.

I'm really sick of being a ''Corporate slave'' so to speak. My work day is over for today and I can't stand wasting away in front of a computer screen crunching out numbers anymore.

In the grand scheme of time, 2 years is nothing; however, I just really can't stand the thought of working for Corporate America for that much longer. I want to help people directly as soon as possible. I've seen want ads for PT clinics offering paid opportunites to PT students. I'm a pre-PT student. Does that count?

Would it be a waste of time and energy to send my resume to PT out patient clinics? I did the math and I would only need to make 30K/year (pre-tax) to pay my necessary bills, feed myself, and emergencies. Yeah, I guess it's wishful thinking. I just want to do something outside of Corporate America right now. Any suggestions? I'm am single and my only debt is my mortgage. I have a undergraduate degree in business and a graduate degree in a technical field.

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[hujee]

If you want to work in a PT clinic you are looking for something like PT Aide or Rehab Tech as a title - it requires no degree, but duties often vary - helping PTs with patients but also some places have them work in an office or as a receptionist. They don't pay well (I've seen anywhere from $8-13/hr), but any experience you can get will make you look better to admissions committees - I too am a career changer and was rejected from one school because they wanted me to have had more medical experience. You can also keep your current job if it pays well and allows you to take pre-reqs and get a good amount of volunteer experience in various clinics.

 

[PTstudent11]

Get a job as a rehab aide/tech. I worked as a part-time aide at $11/hr for 2 years and I was a sophomore and junior in my undergrad with NO experience whatsoever.

Just try to negotiate a better wage and work full time. Hopefully you can find a position like that. Or you could always apply for a front desk job specifically. There were people in our company designated to handle the insurances, patient scheduling, things like that.

 

[l3orecl]

I have a BS Pre-PT and applied for a PT Aide position. The HR director said I was over qualified for the position and liked that I interned at a PT clinic and Outpatient facility prior. Having said that ('Curb' reference), I didn't get the job...complete BS. But aide is the way to go for sure like others have said.