How to Save Money in PT School: Don’t Buy the Textbooks

Now that it’s the new year, many of you are getting ready to start PT school in the next few months. One question I’ve seen a few times is whether or not you should buy textbooks for your classes. In short, I would say: NO!

I’ve been a physical therapist for over five years, and most of my textbooks collected dust over my desk at work. I actually had to unwrap some of them before I put them on display!

It’s not that I was a bad student, but do you really need a book to learn how to use a goniometer? No! You learn how to measure range of motion in lab and by practicing. Similarly, I had many classes where I studied by reviewing my notes and lectures and didn’t need to crack a book.

For other classes, however, I read the entire textbook!

But as a PT, I almost never look at even the most useful books. Why?

Because many things in physical therapy change over time and much of what I read in textbooks is outdated now. It takes a few years for research findings to be published in textbooks. Add to that the eight years since I’ve bought the books, and we’re talking information that’s over 10 years old.

The caveat to this rule is my Netter anatomy book! It’s pretty much the gold standard in learning anatomy, plus it’s relatively affordable as far as textbooks go. It’s great to have a reliable and hands-on source for reviewing anatomy, and it’s not like much is changing in that area. This is the one book I actually look at regularly.

Secondly, it’s quick and easy to look things up online these days.

So, what should you do? Talk to professors and students in the class above you in school to find out which books you actually need.

Then see if you can rent those textbooks or even borrow them from your school’s library. When possible, don’t buy textbooks.

This is a simple way to save hundreds of dollars in grad school!