Masters Entry RN versus Physical Therapy Assistant

leenak · May 4, 2011

Have you ever shadowed either? I'd shadow a PT if you can. I actually was heavily considering going to physical therapy school but I know I will like nursing more. It is a fairly active job I think but people aren't dying, bleeding, vomitting, etc. You'd work with a variety of people from old to younger. I only know this because I've gone as a patient :). I had an awesome PT and his assistants seemed to enjoy themselves.

JulyRN80 · May 4, 2011

Thanks for your reply! I did observe the PT department at a local hospital and they seemed very happy and had a great rapport with each other and the patients. Also, the associates program will cost me $5000 whereas the nursing program is $60000. I have a bachelors degree so I guess my chances of moving up as a PTA aren't nonexistent. It just feels like going backwards to get an associates degree.

Maybe I need to let that go....

SkiMama · May 4, 2011

I agree with leenak - do some shadowing if you can. I work in therapy as an aide (not a PTA) and have gotten to know OT/PT/ST pretty well - and I am going into nursing. There is amazing variety in nursing that PT does not have, this is what draws me to nursing. I am bored in therapy and having assisted therapists and watched PTAs (who are not allowed to be assisted by an aide) long enough to know that I want greater challenges and to learn a great deal more. Additionally, a MSN is going to be a different market than for ADN/BSNs. I am not sure the masters level nursing field is as difficult to find work in. And the pay and responsibility between a MSN and PTA does not compare :)

Good luck!

leenak · May 4, 2011

It just feels like going backwards to get an associates degree.
Maybe I need to let that go....

I will say yes, you need to let it go :) I'm in the same boat as I have a MS in a different field. My husband put it into perspective by telling me there are lots of fields where you need a bachelors in that field to work in the field.

The plus side of being a PTA is you could determine if you like physical therapy and want to pursue a higher degree or decide on nursing later.

ImThatGuy, BSN, RN · May 4, 2011

I'd say it depends on your interests. I can name five people that went back to school post-BA/BS to become a PTA. They make more than RNs around here and don't do crap during the day. It's a good investment really, and around here they're recruited. There is no applying for work. A couple even flunked out of nursing school, and went on to get the PTA associate's degree at a much cheaper cost in terms of money and devotion.

I take that back. I think one of them is an OTA.

I considered going for an MPT, but the next year they were changing it to DPT so screw that.

Bob_N_VA · May 5, 2011

It seems to me like you are comparing apples and oranges. Strictly from a dollar perspective, PTA's probably make around what a RN makes at least starting out and without a specialty certification. In my area, around the 40k+ mark. I do have a little background here, my wife is a PT working in the field going on 20 years or more. PTA's work under the direct supervision of a PT, but they do not do evaluations or open or close cases. And yes, the requirement for PT's has been upped to the doctorate level. Old timers like my wife (don't let her hear me calling her that, but she has been in the business a while) are grandfathered in. Job wise, she has always had agencies and recruiters contacting her for positions, and I would think PTA's are also in demand. Of course there are many fewer spots compared to nurses, and it may vary depending on location.

But I can't see a Masters level RN program as a comparable alternative. A 2 year degree to a 5 year program, there is no comparison. Salary wise you would probably be doing quite a bit better after a couple of years experience, but getting that first job may take more time. Compare the PTA program with an associates level RN program, then at least the school time and cost is the same.

JulyRN80 · May 5, 2011

Thanks for your input! The masters entry program is 20 months (same as the PTA program), and combines an accelerated BSN with a general masters degree. If I want to then become a nurse practitioner, it would take me another year after that. But I would be an RN after 20 months.

I thought about just getting my ADN, but from what I am hearing no hospitals around here are hiring ADN prepared nurses. The minimum requirement seems to be a BSN. I am 30, so I am concerned about being able to get a decent job, especially after giving up my former career to go back to school at this age.

I really appreciate everyone's advice so far!

Bob_N_VA · May 5, 2011

So you must already have a degree, that wasnt clear from the first post. If the time is the same, go for the RN.

BTW, I asked my PT wife what she thought and she was 100% on going for the masters RN, she says that there are changes coming due to the Medicare funding that are making the use of PTA's more problematic. In a nutshell, Medicare is pushing for much more PT involvement in a case as opposed to PTA's. Hospitals and agencies like to use PTA's and in some cases techs since they are cheaper per hour, but the govt. is moving a different direction. And a majority of your pts may be elderly and covered by medicare or medicaid. And she also said you would probably be happier as a Nurse with an advanced degree over working as an assistant with limited autonomy.

JulyRN80 · May 5, 2011

Bob N VA,

You're right- I forgot to mention that I already have a degree- oops!

THANK YOU so much for that information (thanks to your wife too!) That was extremely helpful and informative. Hearing information like that makes me so glad that I am doing my research this time around.