back to school

I've been a physical therapist for the last 3 years and I enjoy helping others. I don't love it completely because obviously I'm limited to how much I can help someone. I started thinking seriously about going back to school to become an orthopedic; after telling someone to rest, exercise and wear an ankle brace there is only so much good I can do in my current position. How long would it take start to finish to become a practicing Orthopedic doctor. Currently live in New Jersey.

1.5 years to get into medical school and start assuming your have all your pre-reqs already done and you get accepted and start in the Fall of 17.

4 years of medical school then try to get into orthopedics

5 years of orthopedics then could be a generalist

1 year of fellowship if you specialize

Looking at a commitment of 11-12 years at the minimum hinging upon a lot of ifs

Agree with orthodoc. Worth mentioning as well that orthopaedics is a very competitive specialty, so you need to do well in medical school to get a residency spot.

OP, a more realistic alternative might be orthopaedic physician assistant. Between PA school and postgraduate training (which is optional), you can be working in an orthopaedic practice within 3 to 4 years. You would have a lot more involvement in clinical care than PT. The responsibilities can vary depending on your practice setup, but you would likely get opportunities to see patients in clinic, manage postoperative inpatients on the floor, and first assist in the operating room.

My best friend from undergrad is doing the exact thing that butterfinger mentioned & I would strongly recommend it, OP. It's 1/3 of the time, can be lucrative for a midlevel & you can have a decent amount of responsibility in the OR if you find the right practice to join.