About The Program
General Information
The residency program runs over a one-year employment period. The resident sees patients in the faculty’s satellite sports medicine center and works under the supervision of sports and orthopedic certified specialist mentors.
The resident maintains a patient load of 32 hours/week inclusive of four hours reserved for collaborative care with their mentor. Additional time during the week is devoted to additional learning opportunities at the discretion of the mentor but minimally include journal club participation, academic teaching in the undergraduate D.P.T. program’s sports physical therapy elective, in-service presentations, research development, physician rounds and conferences, poster/platform presentation at a state or national meeting, and field/venue coverage.
The resident will be encouraged to participate in research projects that are suitable for publication and/or conduct studies that culminate in a poster and/or platform presentation at a national or state meeting. It is also expected that the resident will sit for the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialty’s sports clinical specialist (SCS) certification exam within one year of the residency program’s completion.
Our program has athletic affiliations with professional hockey, local high schools, and varied athletic organizations. Additionally, we provide medical coverage for several athletic events and races.
Goals
The goal of the Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program is to provide a comprehensive continuing education experience that enhances your ability to examine, assess, and treat orthopedic and sports patients. The program will provide the resident tools to improve their examination, assessment, and treatment of the patients who are injured in or plan to return to competitive sports. At the end of your residency, you’ll be fully prepared to sit for the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties' sports clinical specialist certification exam.
Upon completion of the program, the resident will be fully prepared to sit for their SCS specialty examination (required expectation) and/or continue their training with a fellowship in a specific area of sports physical therapy practice. The residency training features four in-depth modules to strengthen your basic knowledge and skills along with sports physical therapy-specific didactic modules with one of the faculty members.
Objectives
At the conclusion of the Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program, successful residents will be able to:
- Explain the clinical reasoning skills needed to prioritize examination, assessment, and treatment techniques
- Continue to monitor personal clinical skill levels
- Conduct an effective and comprehensive subjective examination that enables development of a working clinical hypothesis of the primary problem before performing an objective examination
- List hypothesis categories for each patient and identify the relative information associated with each category, using patient demonstrations and case studies
- Perform an integrated physical examination—including differential diagnosis—for the craniofacial, cervicothoracic spine, lumbopelvic girdle, upper extremity, and lower extremity regions
- Perform passive joint mobilization and manipulation techniques using the grades of movement for all areas, and integrate these techniques into a treatment plan
- Perform specific soft tissue assessment and treatment techniques for all areas and integrate these techniques into the treatment plan
- Create appropriate specific clinic and home therapeutic exercise program techniques related to all areas of examination, and integrate these techniques into the treatment plan
- Critically analyze current scientific literature and conduct clinical research projects
Accreditation
The American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education has credentialed the Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program through December 31, 2025. If you have a question about accreditation, please contact the ABTRFE directly, in care of the American Board of Physical Therapy.
American Physical Therapy Association
3030 Potomac Avenue, Suite 100
Alexandria, VA 22305
