Hello, all!
My name is, obviously, David, I have been a lurker for some time, enjoying the stimulating conversations on this forum. I can't say I've digested it all yet, but I am interested in learning more. I am a injury prevention/post rehab focused personal trainer and currently a health coach (sort of a preventative health/injury prevention guy for a large company), working on the next step in my career.
Sometimes I have difficulty in letting go of my 'mesodermalist' perspective, which was inculcated for years within two degrees in exercise science/rehabilitation sciences, but this site has been a huge corrective.
I hope to contribute more over the coming months, as I am trying to transition into a more pain-focused field.
I figure that I would combine my introduction with bouncing my current career dilemma off of whomever is interested in giving their two cents. :teeth:
My goal was originally to be a physical therapist, but the combination of financial concerns, job changes, and having to work full time through undergrad and my master's while not making a lot of money, has left me with a rather mediocre undergraduate GPA and some debt. Since most PT programs I have encountered seem care mostly for how well one could study for Chemistry and Physics, cumulative undergrad GPA and not much else (that's fine, this is their criteria), I am struggling with how to do what I love, which is helping a person resolve pain and poor function.
My goal is really to help people generally, and particularly those who have some pain (via manual methods and exercise) and I am also in love with the science of the body and how it works, so whichever option unites these causes is an interest.
A specific goal would be to have my own business/practice around rehabilitation, diet, and health.
I love the assessment process, and (trying to) figure things out for each person, or helping them figure it out.
So, long story long (I apologize for that), I find myself with post 9-11 GI bill money to use on SOME educational program, and there are two options with which I am currently presented :
1) An MSAT (athletic training) program, which would allow me to learn how to do a proper orthopedic assessment and some systems review, more on therapeutic exercise and modalities, and allow me at least a foot into the clinic...so basically content that I love...but would require that I probably not make much money for two years, could not pay down much debt, and would require some fancy footwork in paying for it (though most of it would be paid without more debt).
OR
2) I could just continue working FT while obtaining a massage therapy license, and just use the money on a nutrition degree or something that I could do (mostly) online. This would give me broader capacities in nutrition, some manual techniques, but without the more medically based training in assessment and exercise rehabilitation.
So, I guess my questions would be: If you were me, what would you do?
Is there a way to combine proper assessment education, manual therapy, exercise rehab, some dietary/health interventions, into either career field (AT or MT)?
Can some of it be done with continuing education, or does one's degree trump all?
Okay, sorry for the length and the autobiography, but I figured I'd get straight shooting from this group. :teeth: I honestly am at a point where one day I want to be an AT, another it's an MT/nutritionist/personal trainer, it's driving me nuts. I need some objective input to help break my cycle of thought.
Thanks for anyone who is willing to chip in, and nice to meet everyone!
My name is, obviously, David, I have been a lurker for some time, enjoying the stimulating conversations on this forum. I can't say I've digested it all yet, but I am interested in learning more. I am a injury prevention/post rehab focused personal trainer and currently a health coach (sort of a preventative health/injury prevention guy for a large company), working on the next step in my career.
Sometimes I have difficulty in letting go of my 'mesodermalist' perspective, which was inculcated for years within two degrees in exercise science/rehabilitation sciences, but this site has been a huge corrective.
I hope to contribute more over the coming months, as I am trying to transition into a more pain-focused field.
I figure that I would combine my introduction with bouncing my current career dilemma off of whomever is interested in giving their two cents. :teeth:
My goal was originally to be a physical therapist, but the combination of financial concerns, job changes, and having to work full time through undergrad and my master's while not making a lot of money, has left me with a rather mediocre undergraduate GPA and some debt. Since most PT programs I have encountered seem care mostly for how well one could study for Chemistry and Physics, cumulative undergrad GPA and not much else (that's fine, this is their criteria), I am struggling with how to do what I love, which is helping a person resolve pain and poor function.
My goal is really to help people generally, and particularly those who have some pain (via manual methods and exercise) and I am also in love with the science of the body and how it works, so whichever option unites these causes is an interest.
A specific goal would be to have my own business/practice around rehabilitation, diet, and health.
I love the assessment process, and (trying to) figure things out for each person, or helping them figure it out.
So, long story long (I apologize for that), I find myself with post 9-11 GI bill money to use on SOME educational program, and there are two options with which I am currently presented :
1) An MSAT (athletic training) program, which would allow me to learn how to do a proper orthopedic assessment and some systems review, more on therapeutic exercise and modalities, and allow me at least a foot into the clinic...so basically content that I love...but would require that I probably not make much money for two years, could not pay down much debt, and would require some fancy footwork in paying for it (though most of it would be paid without more debt).
OR
2) I could just continue working FT while obtaining a massage therapy license, and just use the money on a nutrition degree or something that I could do (mostly) online. This would give me broader capacities in nutrition, some manual techniques, but without the more medically based training in assessment and exercise rehabilitation.
So, I guess my questions would be: If you were me, what would you do?
Is there a way to combine proper assessment education, manual therapy, exercise rehab, some dietary/health interventions, into either career field (AT or MT)?
Can some of it be done with continuing education, or does one's degree trump all?
Okay, sorry for the length and the autobiography, but I figured I'd get straight shooting from this group. :teeth: I honestly am at a point where one day I want to be an AT, another it's an MT/nutritionist/personal trainer, it's driving me nuts. I need some objective input to help break my cycle of thought.
Thanks for anyone who is willing to chip in, and nice to meet everyone!
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