Designing and Implementing an Orthopedic Residency Program with a 4-month Inpatient Rotation: Benefits and Challenges

Abstract

ABPTRFE accreditation standards for orthopedic physical therapy residencies and the current ABPTRFE Description of Residency Practice for Orthopaedics [Jun 2017] are written with an exclusive focus on the outpatient setting. Physical therapists in the outpatient setting often care for postsurgical patients who have recently spent time in the inpatient setting. Significant exposure to the inpatient setting may be useful to support outpatient physical therapist practice. There are few orthopedic PT residency programs that include a full-time inpatient rotation, but none contains an inpatient rotation of this length. The University of Maryland is a graduate healthcare university that offers the possibility of many partnerships.