Lessons from PT School

Welcome to Pelly biz podcast. I'm Dr. Kelly Alhui. I've grown my pelvic health practice, orthopelvic physical therapy, and now I'm helping pelvic health professionals do the same. Each week I give you the knowledge you need to grow your practice. Let's get into today's episode.

Today I'm going to talk about lessons I learned in PT school and maybe stuff that I would have told myself, you know, looking back at the younger version of Kelly El haui and PT school. So I would say the next, like, couple lessons here that I've learned was study hard, play harder. That actually is what got me through PT school. I would study really hard. I'd wake up in the morning, I would go to the computer lab, I would bring my now husband, my boyfriend at the time, to the computer lab. He would help me study for like an hour and then he would pass out in the computer lab and then I would continue to study. Um, and that was just, you know, you gotta find what works for you. What worked for me was I was not one of those, like, stay up all night and study. Like, I was like, oh, get home from class, I'm done. Everyone else would study, I'd be done. I'd just go eat something, lay in my bed, watch some TV. I guess I'd always wake up at like 4 o' clock in the morning, go to the computer lab and just study my butt off before a test or before class or whatever it may have been. But just not killing yourself trying to study, study, study. And really just like, the more studying the better. Because the reality was, I remember when it was in my books and if I was studying and I just fell asleep and then woke back up, I was able to retain it better. It was crazy how my brain worked. So that was kind of, you know, fascinating. You learn your strengths and you learn your studying habits. So by grad school, school, because of all the schooling we have to go through, you really should know what works out best for you. Maybe you are one of those, you know, overnighters that you're like, man, I just study the best. Then cool, well, then do that and then sleep in. You know, everyone's going to be a little bit differently or it's a little different, but, you know, and to each his own. I learned to make friends with my people, right? Like, I didn't have to be friends with everyone. I pretty much was friends with everyone at PT school, but, you know, your crew. So for us in PT school, I went to One of those that had like a hybrid. So they already had, like, the younger kids that were, like, didn't have to complete their four year degree, you know, come through. And then they had the people like me that completed my four year degree. And now I was entering into this program that these kids have been in since they were like freshmen in college. So there was about 16 of us that entered that already had a degree and were coming in to get our doctors of physical therapy. And we were a little bit older. And so because we were a little bit older than these guys, I just felt like we all vibed better because we were all a little bit more mature. So it was a good environment to be like, yeah, let's all come together and, you know, have this collaborative approach. Because we were all kind of on the same page and everyone was from all over the freaking country. So it was amazing to deal with, like, different personalities and different beliefs and different ways people grew up. So that was pretty cool. I was the event coordinator, so I planned all the parties. We had like a Rubik's Cube party and you would dress in, like, different colors. I was a theme girl, so I always came up with a great theme and threw amazing parties at people's homes and stuff like that. So I think that was awesome. Getting people together and just always going out and getting a little crazy. Um, there's nothing wrong with that, especially of how hard you had to study. I think the next lesson I learned was get a job. Like, for us, I went to school. What? Back in 2009, 2008, PT Schools literally would tell you this. Do not have any other jobs because you can't have a job and you can't go to school. Like, it's just not possible. So everyone would be freaking out. And everyone's like, no, I don't have a job. I don't have a job. Like, they would frown on you if you said that you had a job. Like, you get negative points. They wouldn't even let you in school if you said you had a job. That's how, like, weird the culture was around having a job in PT school. Because they knew it was hard, which a hundred percent, that's true. It was my hardest time ever. But I probably still could have had a job, you know what I'm saying? And so looking back on it, I would have said I probably wouldn't have taken as many student loans out if I had a job. Now I had a job. In the fact I did. I think my third year, I was an assistant for One of my professors and. But they only paid you. Like, I had to do so much work, and they only paid me like a thousand dollars. It was something so stupid. And looking back, if I were to have started my own business back then, like personal training business or Pilates business, I could have. I was certified in both. I would have made way more working for myself than the school for a thousand dollars. Helping this professor out, just crazy. The. The lies that I feel like I was told, you know, and also looking back on, could I have a job? I could have definitely had a job. I probably could have taught, I don't know, at least, like 10 classes a week. And I got paid $60 an hour back then, so it was really good. Cause you go to these boutique studios and they would give you a lot of money. So that was. That was really good. Yeah, I probably wouldn't taken out as many student loans, probably. What would have been really strict on learning, like, how to manage money. Because when you get all these student loans and there are these big loan amounts, what do you do with that? What do you do with that money? You know, you're like, great, that's gonna go to my school. Oh, wait, but now they gave me an extra thousand dollars so I can spend it on books. But, oh, wait, I don't need. So now I'm gonna go spend it on these parties I'm throwing. Bad idea. You know, Bad idea. So. Because I came out with 9% interest rate in student loans, so that party cost me a hundred dollars. Probably cost me like 300. So not a good idea. Something with that. But, yeah, I think. I think just learning how to do life, and no one taught us that. And it just. They taught us to go to school. You're doing the right thing. Do what your professors say, don't get a job, and you'll be good. The reality is that led me down the path. Looking back, it led me down the path of brokenness. Defeatedness, I would say. Like, I felt defeated when I graduated. I didn't feel at all empowered. Um, I felt, you know, like, wow, I worked so hard for this. And I remember the day I graduated, and I thought, oh, my God, like, the. The freaking sky would light up, right? And I was so stressed out. My parents were coming into town. Um, my husband's parents were coming into town. We're gonna go up to Niagara Falls. Cause we were close by there, and it was horrible. I just was like, can this be over? And I remember I had to take the boards like, two weeks later. So it was just like this looming cloud over you that you're just like, this is supposed to be celebrating, this is supposed to be fun. And I was sick. I was getting sick because I was so stressed out. It was horrible. And that probably should have been the first red flag of what are these people teaching us? Honestly? What's the school system teaching us? That's a whole nother topic I can get into with schools. But it wasn't what it was all hyped up to be. Which your school guidance counselor in middle school is telling you, yeah, become a doctor, it's gonna be amazing. No, that's not the case. The only time things became amazing, to be honest, is when I became an entrepreneur. And that last day of my freaking job, that's when things became amazing. And that's when I was like, wow, I got some fire underneath me. And, and it was lit, right? But graduating from PT school, it was not lit. I was a hundred Percent defeated with $200,000 student loan debt, walking away, having no money management skills, not wine. I didn't even know how, how to open a business or just a bank account in general. I didn't even know how to write a check. My parents didn't teach me that stuff. Like we didn't know how to use money, cuz we didn't have any money, so why would I learn money skills, right? So I feel like schools really should be honing in on that. Um, and looking back too, I wish I had more pelvic health courses. I had zero pelvic health courses in my graduate school. Zero. I don't even think we talked about it, to be honest. So I had no clue what it was. But when I came outta school, I started to see that there was gaps because I taught Pilates when I was working with these women and they were peeing themselves. And I'm like, wait, why is it solving this problem like this is like something we can help out with? And that's how I figured out the pelvic health world and started getting into that. School didn't teach us that. I mean, I really look back on school, I'm like, what the heck did they teach us? I wish they also would have taught us this. Now I'm in a tangent, but I, I wish they would have also taught us instead of these dinky little exercises and manual muscle testing and range of motion exercises. I wish they also would have taught us that we should just teach patients functional exercises, AKA functional movements are functional exercises and do those. And if you do that repetitive Task which everyone in their daily life is repetitively bending probably 50 plus times a day. Let's get really good at that. And then overall, that movement pattern and that motor control, it should be good. Like we shouldn't have a problem, we shouldn't have any dysfunction. So I wish they would have taught us not these little leg lifts. It's going to strengthen your glute, Mead. Okay, what functional movements and let's correlate that to daily movements. And how are we going to combine that to get people to be compliant, to get people to do their exercises, AKA they're just routines, and to live a happier and healthier life. But I believe most of the stuff in PT school we were taught, there's just a lot of BS stuff that's just been repeated for 20 something years because of the medical world. And we move so slowly. And what some study said from 20 years ago, like, no, thank you. So I don't know. I kind of have a lot to say about PT schools, but it was different. I mean, it was. I don't know if I'm happy I went through it, but it was. It was different. Would I ever do it again? I think that's the next question. I would not do it again. Mbpt if I just worked for an outpatient orthopedic clinic, it wouldn't be worth it. The return on my investment would be sucky. However, because I'm an entrepreneur now, I could potentially say, potentially that it was worth it. All the heartache of student loans, all the four jobs, all that stuff. I guess maybe it was worth it to become an entrepreneur. But those eight years beforehand, before I became. It was not worth it. It was stupid. So I think that's also something you guys should question is if I go to PT school, what is the outcome? Because more than likely you're going to come out like, I came out making $62,000. So how was I going to pay $200,000? Student loan debt, 9% interest? Please tell me that it was going to take me 21 to 25 years. I want to say, to pay that off. Crazy. And I think it was going to cost me an extra $160,000 interest to my student loans. Okay. Just doesn't make sense, guys. Makes no sense. So I would encourage those that are like, thinking, should I go to PT school? Like, really think about it and you may not even know you want to become an entrepreneur. Because I didn't want to be an entrepreneur because I saw my bosses all stressed out and I was like, there's no way I'm going to do that. I was forced to because of my health. So you may not know that yet, but just know that if you're going to go that path, I highly recommend you figuring out a way to work for yourself or make extra streams of income for yourself if you're going to be a physical therapist. These are my thoughts for the day on if you are thinking about going to PT school and the lessons I've learned in PT school. Now looking back on it, it's an eye opening experience. So bye guys.

I consider myself a business and life coach. Are you ready to live the life of your dreams as an entrepreneur? If so, let's chat. See the episode notes below and go ahead and book a call. See you all next week.