Post-Professional Education

The region’s leader in physical therapy offers a unique Orthopedic Residency for licensed physical therapists who have graduated from an accredited physical therapy program. We offer a planned program of post-professional clinical and didactic education, designed to significantly advance patient care services in the area of orthopedics. The program provides ongoing mentoring and clinical supervision by experienced, highly qualified clinicians. The curriculum prepares you for the Orthopedic Certified Specialist (OCS) examination. The current passing rate for our residency graduates is 96%.

Our teaching faculty includes physical therapists and athletic trainers with advanced training and subspecialty certification. Several residency faculty also teach in the entry-level physical therapy program at Ithaca College – a collaborative partner of the residency program. Board certified physician specialists in orthopedic surgery, sports medicine, hand injuries, neurosurgery, radiology, and pain management provide clinical instruction in their areas of specialty, further enhancing the clinical and didactic education provided.

The residency program is located in Ithaca, NY, at a state-of-the-art facility on the water’s edge at the southern end of Cayuga Lake. This is the heart of the Finger Lakes and home to Ithaca College and Cornell University.

Mission

To develop physical therapists with advanced clinical reasoning and patient management skills in the area of orthopedic physical therapy, who will provide evidence-informed care and education within the communities they serve, and will contribute to the profession of physical therapy through clinically relevant research, teaching, leadership and service.

Commitment

We offer two program options: a traditional model and a more flexible model to give access to post-professional education to a broader range of professionals:

Full-time Internal Resident Position

• A 12 month program that runs from January to December. These are paid positions, employed by Cayuga Medical Center at 75% of a full time entry-level salary, with full benefits including health insurance and paid time off.

Internal Resident Financial Fact Sheet

External Resident Position

• A 12-24 month program that begins in January. External Residents are employed by another facility, allowing these individuals to access the program while continuing to live and work where they choose. The details of their employment are mutually agreed upon by the External Resident and the employer.

External Resident Financial Factsheet

Clinical Practice Hours

• The Internal Resident will be involved with direct patient care for 30 hours per week, for a minimum of 1500 hours over the course of the program.
• The External Resident will complete a minimum of 1500 hours of direct patient care over the course of the program, as determined by the resident and the employer.

Education Hours

• The Internal Resident will attend weekend didactic courses, which take place ~1 weekend per month. Throughout the year, there will also be opportunities for interdisciplinary observation within the health system, professional lectures, independent study and research, and teaching in the entry-level Physical Therapy Program at Ithaca College.
• The External Resident will attend all weekend didactic courses provided by Cayuga Medical Center. Throughout the program, there will be opportunities to attend professional lectures and complete interdisciplinary observations, as well as opportunities to teach and engage in independent study and research.

*a minimum of 300 education hours are required for program completion

Clinical Mentoring

• The Internal Resident will receive 1:1 clinical mentoring 4 hours per week, for a minimum of 150 hours over the course of the program. Using a multiple mentor model, the mentoring schedule will align with didactic course work, allowing the resident to receive timely mentoring from experts in particular areas of orthopedic practice.
• To allow for reduced travel and greater flexibility, the External Resident will receive 1:1 clinical mentoring with both permanent program faculty as well as a chosen local mentor with OCS certification. This mentoring will take place at both Cayuga Medical Center clinics as well as the resident’s “home clinic” to allow direct observation and guidance of the resident’s practice on their caseload in their typical environment.

Requirements for admission

The following items are prerequisites for an individual to meet in order for them to enter the Cayuga Medical Center Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program:

1. Graduate of a CAPTE accredited physical therapy program.
2. Proof of licensure or eligibility to apply for licensure to practice physical therapy w in New York State.
3. Meet all eligibility requirements to be employed as a practicing physical therapist within Cayuga Medical Center.
4. Complete the application process via RF-PTCAS – link below

Please visit the Program Directory for detailed information about the program’s admission requirements. Please apply via RFPTCAS at https://rfptcas.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login The application deadline for the next cycle is August 28.

Requirements for successful completion of residency program

The resident will have successfully demonstrated clinical and didactic orthopedic physical therapy competencies consistent with the Orthopedic Physical Therapy Description of Resident Practice of the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties by achieving a minimum of 80% on all written, practical and live patient exams. The resident must also complete a case report, worthy of submission to a professional journal, and meet the minimum required hours for clinical practice, mentoring and education as determined by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties.

Program Outcomes:

1. Demonstrates competency in conducting a systematic, efficient patient examination. Consistently utilizes valid and reliable outcome measures. Consistently recognizes common clinical patterns. Formulates and discusses a PT diagnosis with all stakeholders – patient/family, mentor and referral source.
2. Demonstrates the ability to perform an accurate assessment, prioritize and list patient’s problems, and develop a plan of care based on the assessment. The plan of care identifies a prognosis and objective goals with timeframes for completion, established discharge criteria, and a multimodal treatment approach guided by evidence, clinical experience and patient beliefs/values.
3. Demonstrates specialist-level decision making and psychomotor skill in manual intervention, therapeutic exercise prescription and implementation and use of therapeutic modalities and assistive/adaptive devices.
4. Demonstrates professionalism in written and verbal communication and collaboration with all stakeholders – includes documentation, patient/family education, mentoring session preparation and discussion, physician/provider communications, teaching
5. Contributes to evidence-informed practice through the preparation of a case report/case series capable of publication, professional publications, etc.
6. Demonstrates adequate preparation to sit for the OCS exam

Enrollment, Graduation and OCS Exam Pass Rate Information (since 2010):

Number Enrolled – 33

Number Graduated – 29

Graduate OCS Exam Pass Rate – 96%

For questions or more information, please contact Dr. Vanessa Mirabito Gerner at [email protected].