Ryan Said:

When asked about your current salary, how do you answer?

We Answered:

You have two ways to look at this. Either be up front and honest (usually my choice), or you can hope that the employer will not dig that deeply. By law they are only allowed to ask if you were employed there and title. Once you start getting into the particulars, the company will usually stop the answering process as they are entering dangerous territory.

A good and reputable employer will stop and want to listen to credible reasons. Especially if the position that you are applying for is of a higher caliber than what you are doing now.

They will not look at this as an apples to oranges type thing. If they do, then it is not a company that is not worth working for because you will have to fight for every raise, promotion and benefits that you could get. In most cases, these are the businesses that will leave you in a position to rot; regardless of your ability.

Good Luck.

Brittany Said:

better career by opinion, nursing or physical therapy?

We Answered:

PTs tend to have much higher job satisfaction. The reason most people switch their major from pre-PT is that they realize they are not hacking it and go for an "easier" major.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both PT and nursing.

For nursing, first, is much less academically challenging. The level of science courses is much less than what PTs typically take, however, nursing school is still somewhat competitive. The best advantage that nursing has is that you can start with an associates degree. If you wanted to continue your education, there are many programs available for you to progress to a BSN, MSN, or even DPN...many times on a part time basis. Whereas with PT, you can start with an associates as an assistant, but after that, you usually have to drop your career and go back to school full time if you want to become a PT. The major disadvantage with nursing is that right now, there is an overabundance of RNs. We get about 350 applicants for every 3 or 4 positions we have open. My friends daughter graduated 4 months ago and hasn't even been able to get an interview (and she went to a very prestigious nursing school). However, the market in nursing historically fluctuates dramatically every couple years.

For PT, the major disadvantage is that it's a lot of schooling; and although the average salary IS higher than the average salary for an RN, it's not by much...especially considering how much schooling it is. Job satisfaction IS higher and turn over of PTs is very low. Job prospects remain high, but are subject to minor regional variations.

My advice, is that if you are torn between the two and really like both of them (observe both if you can), choose nursing if you cannot go to school for that long and need to get out of school as quickly as possible (even if that means not getting a job right away), but if you can be in for the long haul (6-7 years), I'd stick with PT.

Ted Said:

Who has a higher salary? Doctor of Physical Therapy or Chiropractor?

We Answered:

Go with physical therapy - that's a real field of medicine taught by actual medical schools, whereas chiropractors are just scam artist. Chiropracty does NOT work and never has. It's not a legitimate form of medicine. Don't waste your time on it.

Rachel Said:

nursing, nurse practitioner or physical therapy?

We Answered:

Nursing seems like a quick shot for good money, but realistically, the RNs who really make bank are the ones who've become nurse practicioners. So, they've put in their hours as a regular RN, but then go on to complete further education in the long run. I really have a lot of respect for NPs...they are very knowledgeable and highly sought after...yet, you have to spend time getting experience in order to become a good NP.

The DPT, on the other hand, you can obtain as an entry level degree. In otherwords, you begin your career as a DPT, however, they are still considered entry level professionals without any special salary privlidges over people who have obtained their MPT. Yet, PTs have the option to obtain advanced master's and advanced doctorate degrees which will affect your area of expertise and your salary.

Both are great careers...they have similar earning potential between RN and PT (although some surgical NPs REALLY clean up)

While PT really sounds like it takes "a lot longer"...if you want to become a nurse practicioner, you are going to spend the same amount of time in school as someone with their entry level DPT.

Both are great careers and are in demand...the projected career opportunity for PTs will continue to increase...
Both careers are also highly dominated by females...so you will be in the minority.

Rene Said:

Is physical therapy a better career choice than becoming a doctor?

We Answered:

if u want to be a doctor because you find gross anatomy appealing (that is, anatomy dealing with muscles and bones) I would chose physical therapy over being a physician. Being a doctor, requires utilizing all sciences: physics, chemistry, biology, calculus, anatomy and physiology, ecology, etc. But the reward is much higher, both salary wise and in terms of prestige. A physical therapist though is more laid back. It just all depends on your interests.