Physical Therapy Residencies

[CS_DPT]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hello all,

I am likely going to apply to residency programs at the conclusion of my degree, and am curious how competitive the programs are. I spoke with a few universities, and they've mentioned that they typically receive 10-15 applicants/year and accept 2. I understand the probability of getting in, but would like to know more. With that being said:

A. Does this seem correct/representative of most residencies?
B. What are your experiences?
C. Do you have any pointers for maximizing my competitiveness for application?
D. Anything else you're interested in sharing is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

-C

 

[Sheldon]

C,
I'll do my best to offer my take on your questions.

A) Yes, this is the case for MOST residencies. This is to say that most residencies require you to be a full-time employee. Typically, you'll work in the clinic at a reduced salary and may or may not have additional costs associated with the residency.

B) In contrast to the above, there are a few residencies that are hybrid programs. Hybrid programs do not necessarily require you to be a full-time employee of the organization. I'm sure there are more, but hybrid programs like EIM and NAIOMT/Andrews work in such a way that you may have to travel for the didactic portions of the residency. You may also have to find a PT who is OCS in your area and work out the 1:1 hours and indirect hours independently; this may have increased costs. These types of programs are of benefit in the sense that you won't have to relocate to complete a residency. Also, these types of programs, IMO, require a lot of dedication d/t the fact you will not have your mentor and/or faculty next to you or nearby throughtout the typical work-week.

C) If your goal is to attend an in-house residency you may want to think about 1) Is the geographic location in a place that suits you? 2) Is the clinic where you'll be doing your hours a place you can see yourself working? 3) What is the reputation of the residency? 4) What are former residents doing in terms of research? Did they go on to a Fellowship 5) Reach out to former residents if that info is available and ask about pros/cons. 6) If you want to stand out, things like "being a hard-worker, dedication, etc" will not make you stand out. Did you do any research in under-grad or grad school? Do you have research interests? Think unique but not cheesy.

D) Like it or not, new grads are increasingly seeking residency opportunities. There are various reasons for this including increased competiveness for ideal jobs/locations, mild pay increase, quicker path to OCS and/or Fellowship opportunities, graduate school promotion (example: when I was in grad school, we were told we weren't anything special until we had board certification and, after that, pursuing residency and then Fellowship would be the path of the future).

Anyway, hope this helps. Check out the directory of residencies on ABPTRFE. PM if you have any specific questions.

 

[9benjaminsoccer9]

I am currently a freshman Exercise Science major at Longwood University. I am hoping to apply to physical therapy grad school after I graduate. An assignment I have for my Intro class is to acquire the resume of a student currently in PT grad school. I want to know what it takes to get in to a graduate program. I would greatly appreciate if someone would send me their resume to my E-mail, [email protected]. Thank you for your time.

 

[CS_DPT]

Sheldon,

I really appreciate you taking the time to give me your feedback. I anticipated most of your thoughts, and learned/considered a bit more after reading your reply, so thank you. I am currently doing my own research in my doctorate program (along side a faculty member), and have participated in a number of studies as a volunteer in undergrad/graduate school, so hopefully this builds some credit. I'll keep you informed of any further questions.

Thank again,

-C

 

[CS_DPT]

I am currently a freshman Exercise Science major at Longwood University. I am hoping to apply to physical therapy grad school after I graduate. An assignment I have for my Intro class is to acquire the resume of a student currently in PT grad school. I want to know what it takes to get in to a graduate program. I would greatly appreciate if someone would send me their resume to my E-mail, [email protected]. Thank you for your time.

Hi Benjamin,

I think I could be more helpful by answering any questions you might have on this forum, seeing that my resume is often changing and would not be an ideal representation of a resume for application to graduate programs. That being so, am happy to answer any/all questions you might have about my experiences and recommendations in order to be a successful applicant to programs, or just any questions you have about physical therapy in general (of you're still considering career choices). Fire away!

Best,

-C