I’ve been thinking about both professions and I really like both of them. I just want to know If i do go for a Bach. for nursing and perhaps try to apply for a grad school for physical therapy would be a good choice like a possible career path? I know I would need to take a couple of extra courses they require to be a PT but I would do it if I had to. I’m not sure but I would just get feedback on this.
#1 by mistify on March 1, 2010 - 7:33 am
Yes, this is acceptable. As you said, you will have to take several courses that you would need to take to a few extra cournse…probably an extra chem course, a year of physics to start with.
What I would look into as to whether you are allowed to do this in the particular nursing program you plan to attend. If nursing is anything like PT, your courses are determined for you and there is no room to take extra classes. However, certainly if you start with an AA in nursing, you can certainly do whatever you want after that.
#2 by Mary on March 1, 2010 - 9:08 am
I agree with Mistfy. An AAS in nursing will allow you to work through your BS and maybe while getting your DPT. Many hospital need weekend nurses or evening nurses. With shift diff, you will do really well. Your 3rd and 4th years of undergrad you will need to take chemistry, bio, physics, stats, and math. These are generally not required in a nursing program. Micro and A and P are.
I am biased. I am a respiratory therapist and a physical therapist. I did the PT first and RT second for more info on how to treat the resp and cardiac patients. If I had to do it over I might have done an RRT program first. The same thing, the first 2 years, you do RT program. Second 2 years, do your pre reqs. You can work evenings and weekends. At many hospitals there is a lot of down time that you could study.
Best wishes.
#3 by Nurse 2 PT on March 12, 2010 - 12:39 pm
I am a nurse who went on to become a PT and now am a CHT (certified hand therapist.) I actually went the route of LPN but AAS(RN) would also be a good route. What I found is that several of my nursing courses transferred but several did not. I had to retake chemistry and adv phys (tip: check with PT school as you begin your nurse program to see which credits will transfer), Mine ws simply the difference in Univeristy coding for those classes. In the PT program I was in required you to keep FULLTIME credit hours (12 hours per semester) well with many of my credits transferring, I took additional courses to double major. This is 2 fold: nice to get an additional major in business, education, etc but still extra hours that I necessarily would not have taken if not needed to remain fulltime student to meet requirements of PT program.
Huge benefit of nurse 2 PT…while my classmates were working fastfood (minimum wage) I was working in hospital and/or nursing home applying skills and making more money in less time, nurse program gave me increased medical background/knowledge so many things came more easily for me. Benefits after PT school: wound care skills, medicine knowledge, network system with other nurses (nurse case managers, etc), marketable,k marketable