PT Lifestyle in Canada

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Hi all, I'm not sure if there are any practicing PTs on this subforum or if its just mainly students aspiring to become one, but recently i've been contemplating switching gears to becoming a PT after I realized that having more emphasis on family life and raising children in the future is going to be a greater priority than my original pursuit of becoming a doctor.

 

I'm shadowing a PT in a couple weeks and will be asking him questions but just to get a primer, what do you guys know about the feasibility of being a PT and family? And are PT's relatively well compensated? I've heard in the ballpark of 60-80k but I don't know if this is accurate anymore in recent years.

[ptptptpt]

Practicing PT here (Ontario)

I'm not really sure what you mean by the feasibility of being a PT and having a family? Most PTs have families and still work full-time or part-time depending on financial situation at home or family/partner situation. Right out of school I was making $73,000/year, but it all depends on geographic location (rural vs city), practice area, and practice setting. I would say the range in pay when first starting is $65,000 - $75,000. This is only part of the picture though, you also have to consider paid vacation time, benefits, mentorship, education allowance, etc. Hours are pretty standard, most clinics are open 8-7 M-F, some are open on Saturday. Most PTs work 8 hour days. Expect to work some nights, maybe some weekends, especially when first starting out. 

Over the next few years, pay should go up every year with education, case-load, experience, etc. In hospitals you peak at around $90,000, unless you get into a management position, in which case your pay can be $100,000+. In private practice, you can peak at $90-100,000/year, unless you go off on your own and open your own clinic, which is risky, but your earning potential can vary from $250,000 to $1,000,000+/year depending on the number of people working for you, geographic location, referral sources, etc. This is before overhead costs.