3 answers
Isabella
Student
Hanna, WY
1
Question
Updated
282 views
What matters more? Education or experience?
I am currently a high school senior and plan to go into college to become a physical therapist, this question lingered on my mind if the experience in the field matters more than the education you learn in the classroom. Essentially I am wanting to see if hands-on and physically learning about physical therapy is better than learning from the books.
Login to comment
3 answers
Lauren Ellis Triemstra
Physical Therapist Assistant
30
Answers
Joliet, Illinois
Updated
Lauren Ellis’s Answer
Hi Isabella,
I'm a Physical Therapist Assistant with 15 years of orthopedic experience and a Bachelor of Science degree and an Associate of Applied Science degree. I agree with the other responses below, in that both experience and education are important. Education is the necessary step in order to become a clinician and start gaining real world experience.
It is required to have a DPT or PTA degree from an accredited university or college in order to sit for their respective licensure exams. With that being said, I think the exams are the same across the board, no matter where you get your education. So if you're wondering if an education from one program is better than another, all programs SHOULD teach you what you need in order to pass the same licensure exam. You can check the program's PASS RATE specifics on their websites. (ex. 85% of enrolled students pass the licensure exam, or 95% pass rate of graduates) Here's an example: https://www.midwestern.edu/institutional-disclosures/academics-disclosure/student-achievement-disclosure/licensure-pass-rate-downers-grove
Once you're in a PT program, you will get to do a lot of hands on learning. Because, in our profession, we are hands on with patients in the field! That's what we signed up for :-) So, yes, you will learn from books, but then can almost immediately apply the sorts of things you learn about PT to your lab partner or to yourself. Your own body is a cheat sheet. You'll be learning about kinesiology and, for example, the insertion and origin of the bicep muscle...well, you have a bicep. So you can physically touch or move what you're learning. Then you'll get into lab which looks like you and other students at a treatment table and you practice on each other. Even while you're learning, a lot of times there are visual and tactile ways to reinforce what you've just learned from a lecture, slide, or book. Then, any PTA or DPT program requires clinical rotations in the field so that you can practice what you've learned in the classroom and lab on actual patients under the guidance of a treating therapist.
Experience in the field is valuable. It'd be great if you're thinking of supplementing that with your studies. I was a rehab tech while I was in PTA school. So I got to see what I was learning about in the classroom directly in the clinic. I found that to be beneficial. If you have the chance to volunteer, observe, or get an entry level job to gain experience, it will definitely be valuable in your learning experience. And when it comes time to apply to a program, you will be required to have logged so many hours anyway. The more commitment you have to the profession, and experience, the better your application looks while trying to get into a competitive program.
You'll get a good dose of education from books, but there will be plenty of hands-on learning opportunities from lab, skeletal models, cadavers, and clinical rotations, too. It's all mixed in to the program already. One of the things I love so much about this industry, is that you never stop learning! Enjoy it!
I'm a Physical Therapist Assistant with 15 years of orthopedic experience and a Bachelor of Science degree and an Associate of Applied Science degree. I agree with the other responses below, in that both experience and education are important. Education is the necessary step in order to become a clinician and start gaining real world experience.
It is required to have a DPT or PTA degree from an accredited university or college in order to sit for their respective licensure exams. With that being said, I think the exams are the same across the board, no matter where you get your education. So if you're wondering if an education from one program is better than another, all programs SHOULD teach you what you need in order to pass the same licensure exam. You can check the program's PASS RATE specifics on their websites. (ex. 85% of enrolled students pass the licensure exam, or 95% pass rate of graduates) Here's an example: https://www.midwestern.edu/institutional-disclosures/academics-disclosure/student-achievement-disclosure/licensure-pass-rate-downers-grove
Once you're in a PT program, you will get to do a lot of hands on learning. Because, in our profession, we are hands on with patients in the field! That's what we signed up for :-) So, yes, you will learn from books, but then can almost immediately apply the sorts of things you learn about PT to your lab partner or to yourself. Your own body is a cheat sheet. You'll be learning about kinesiology and, for example, the insertion and origin of the bicep muscle...well, you have a bicep. So you can physically touch or move what you're learning. Then you'll get into lab which looks like you and other students at a treatment table and you practice on each other. Even while you're learning, a lot of times there are visual and tactile ways to reinforce what you've just learned from a lecture, slide, or book. Then, any PTA or DPT program requires clinical rotations in the field so that you can practice what you've learned in the classroom and lab on actual patients under the guidance of a treating therapist.
Experience in the field is valuable. It'd be great if you're thinking of supplementing that with your studies. I was a rehab tech while I was in PTA school. So I got to see what I was learning about in the classroom directly in the clinic. I found that to be beneficial. If you have the chance to volunteer, observe, or get an entry level job to gain experience, it will definitely be valuable in your learning experience. And when it comes time to apply to a program, you will be required to have logged so many hours anyway. The more commitment you have to the profession, and experience, the better your application looks while trying to get into a competitive program.
You'll get a good dose of education from books, but there will be plenty of hands-on learning opportunities from lab, skeletal models, cadavers, and clinical rotations, too. It's all mixed in to the program already. One of the things I love so much about this industry, is that you never stop learning! Enjoy it!
AZIZUR RAHMAN
Technical Representative in hp and Mathematics Teacher for 7th–10th grade students.
26
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
AZIZUR’s Answer
Hey Isabella,
Short answer: For becoming a physical therapist, you need both — but education opens the door, and experience makes you great at the job.
In PT, you can’t legally practice with just experience. But once you’re in the field, experience is what separates good PTs from great ones. Here’s how it breaks down for your path:
1. The “education first” reality for PTs
Physical therapy isn’t a field you can apprentice into anymore. To become a licensed PT in the U.S. you must:
Requirement
Bachelor’s degree
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
Licensure exam + clinical hours
Why it matters
Prereq to get into DPT programs. Usually exercise science, biology, kinesiology.
3-year grad program. Required to sit for the NPTE licensure exam.
Every state requires ∼30 weeks of clinical rotations during your DPT. You literally can’t graduate without hands-on experience.
So “books vs hands-on” is a false choice here. The DPT curriculum forces ∼6-9 months of full-time clinical internships. Schools know you can’t learn PT from slides alone American Physical Therapy Association.
2. Where experience pulls ahead
Once you’re licensed, experience starts to matter more than your GPA.
Pattern recognition: Great PTs can watch someone walk into the room and already suspect what’s wrong. That only comes from treating hundreds of patients.
Hands-on skills: Manual therapy, cueing exercises, reading body language, building trust — textbooks can’t teach feel.
Specialization: Want to do sports, neuro, pediatrics, pelvic health? You’ll learn that through CEUs, residencies, and years on the floor, not DPT 101.
New grad PTs will all tell you: “I learned more in my first 6 months of work than 3 years of school.” School teaches you what can go wrong and how to not hurt people. Experience teaches you what actually works.
3. For you as a high school senior: do this
Since you’re heading to college, you can front-load experience without skipping education:
Shadow now: Call 3-4 local clinics. Most PTs will let a high schooler observe 10-20 hours. You’ll see if you even like the day-to-day.
Work as a PT aide/tech: After 1-2 semesters of college, clinics hire aides. You set up equipment, clean tables, watch treatments. It’s paid experience + letters of rec for DPT school.
Volunteer in diverse settings: Hospital, outpatient sports, nursing home. DPT applications require observation hours anyway, and you’ll learn PT isn’t just “massage + exercises.”
In college, pick a major with anatomy labs: Kinesiology or exercise science gives you cadaver labs, biomechanics, and exercise prescription. That’s “book learning” that’s already physical.
The mindset that wins
Think of it like flying a plane. Education = ground school + flight simulator. You need it or the FAA won’t let you near a cockpit. Experience = actual flight hours. That’s what makes you a captain people trust.
For PT, the sequence is fixed: education → license → experience → mastery. You can’t flip it. But you can start stacking experience early through shadowing and aide jobs so you hit the ground running in DPT school.
Short answer: For becoming a physical therapist, you need both — but education opens the door, and experience makes you great at the job.
In PT, you can’t legally practice with just experience. But once you’re in the field, experience is what separates good PTs from great ones. Here’s how it breaks down for your path:
1. The “education first” reality for PTs
Physical therapy isn’t a field you can apprentice into anymore. To become a licensed PT in the U.S. you must:
Requirement
Bachelor’s degree
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
Licensure exam + clinical hours
Why it matters
Prereq to get into DPT programs. Usually exercise science, biology, kinesiology.
3-year grad program. Required to sit for the NPTE licensure exam.
Every state requires ∼30 weeks of clinical rotations during your DPT. You literally can’t graduate without hands-on experience.
So “books vs hands-on” is a false choice here. The DPT curriculum forces ∼6-9 months of full-time clinical internships. Schools know you can’t learn PT from slides alone American Physical Therapy Association.
2. Where experience pulls ahead
Once you’re licensed, experience starts to matter more than your GPA.
Pattern recognition: Great PTs can watch someone walk into the room and already suspect what’s wrong. That only comes from treating hundreds of patients.
Hands-on skills: Manual therapy, cueing exercises, reading body language, building trust — textbooks can’t teach feel.
Specialization: Want to do sports, neuro, pediatrics, pelvic health? You’ll learn that through CEUs, residencies, and years on the floor, not DPT 101.
New grad PTs will all tell you: “I learned more in my first 6 months of work than 3 years of school.” School teaches you what can go wrong and how to not hurt people. Experience teaches you what actually works.
3. For you as a high school senior: do this
Since you’re heading to college, you can front-load experience without skipping education:
Shadow now: Call 3-4 local clinics. Most PTs will let a high schooler observe 10-20 hours. You’ll see if you even like the day-to-day.
Work as a PT aide/tech: After 1-2 semesters of college, clinics hire aides. You set up equipment, clean tables, watch treatments. It’s paid experience + letters of rec for DPT school.
Volunteer in diverse settings: Hospital, outpatient sports, nursing home. DPT applications require observation hours anyway, and you’ll learn PT isn’t just “massage + exercises.”
In college, pick a major with anatomy labs: Kinesiology or exercise science gives you cadaver labs, biomechanics, and exercise prescription. That’s “book learning” that’s already physical.
The mindset that wins
Think of it like flying a plane. Education = ground school + flight simulator. You need it or the FAA won’t let you near a cockpit. Experience = actual flight hours. That’s what makes you a captain people trust.
For PT, the sequence is fixed: education → license → experience → mastery. You can’t flip it. But you can start stacking experience early through shadowing and aide jobs so you hit the ground running in DPT school.
Jane Akinyemi
Lecturer
36
Answers
Salem, Massachusetts
Updated
Jane’s Answer
Hi Isabella,
Education and experience go hand in hand. Education is where it all starts, it gives you the reasons behind everything you do. In the classroom, you learn anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, how injuries happen, how healing works, and what treatment methods actually have scientific backing. Without this, working with patients becomes a guessing game. Say you want to know which muscle is hurt or why a particular exercise helps, education answers those questions. Plus, you really need a degree to practice legally (like a DPT in a lot of places), so you can’t skip this step. It’s your ticket in.
Then comes experience. That’s where you actually get good at the job. It’s experience that teaches you how to deal with real people, how to adjust when patients don’t fit the textbook, how to communicate, and how to handle those moments when things don’t go as planned. No book can prep you for every reaction or personality. You only pick that up by working with real patients.
Physical therapy training is built to combine both. You get the classroom knowledge, but you also do clinical rotations and internships, so you put everything into practice. That’s what makes you a solid therapist: you know the theory and you’ve seen it in action. Education keeps patients safe, and experience helps you do the job well.
If you’re still in high school, focus on your science classes, especially biology. If you can, try to shadow a physical therapist or volunteer at a clinic, it’s a great way to see how what you learn lines up with what happens in the real world. Don’t be shy about asking questions, either. In this field, you really can’t pick just education or just experience, you need both. That’s how you become a great physical therapist.
Wishing you the best.
Dr. Jane Akinyemi
Education and experience go hand in hand. Education is where it all starts, it gives you the reasons behind everything you do. In the classroom, you learn anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, how injuries happen, how healing works, and what treatment methods actually have scientific backing. Without this, working with patients becomes a guessing game. Say you want to know which muscle is hurt or why a particular exercise helps, education answers those questions. Plus, you really need a degree to practice legally (like a DPT in a lot of places), so you can’t skip this step. It’s your ticket in.
Then comes experience. That’s where you actually get good at the job. It’s experience that teaches you how to deal with real people, how to adjust when patients don’t fit the textbook, how to communicate, and how to handle those moments when things don’t go as planned. No book can prep you for every reaction or personality. You only pick that up by working with real patients.
Physical therapy training is built to combine both. You get the classroom knowledge, but you also do clinical rotations and internships, so you put everything into practice. That’s what makes you a solid therapist: you know the theory and you’ve seen it in action. Education keeps patients safe, and experience helps you do the job well.
If you’re still in high school, focus on your science classes, especially biology. If you can, try to shadow a physical therapist or volunteer at a clinic, it’s a great way to see how what you learn lines up with what happens in the real world. Don’t be shy about asking questions, either. In this field, you really can’t pick just education or just experience, you need both. That’s how you become a great physical therapist.
Wishing you the best.
Dr. Jane Akinyemi