Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency

In collaboration with clinical partners, we offer a Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency, which currently offers opportunities for physical therapists working in the neurologic rehabilitation setting. The neurologic physical therapy residency is accredited through the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE).

Mission Statement

In support of the mission of the Division of Physical Therapy, the mission of the post-professional physical therapy neurologic residency at the Medical University of South Carolina is to develop reflective practitioners who constantly seek evidence to promote excellence in patient care, to optimize functional outcomes, and to utilize financial and physical resources efficiently. The residencies strive to promote a lifetime of learning among the residency graduates.

Residency Outcomes

• Graduation rate 98%
• ABPTS Neurologic Specialty Exam pass rate 97.5% first-time pass rate

About the Neurologic Residency Program

Why MUSC?

MUSC has a rich 40+ year history of educating physical therapists at the entry- and post-professional levels. Our academic and clinical faculty have many years of clinical and educational experience in various specialties, holding board certifications in orthopedic, neurological, and pediatric physical therapy.

The MUSC Neurologic Physical Therapy program is designed as a hybrid program, blending clinical experience, and mentoring with online and in-person didactic work. Throughout the course of the residency, the resident will attend weekly virtual meetings as well as four intensive weekends in Charleston throughout the year.

This program is designed to advance your practice and prepare you for the Neurologic Physical Therapy Specialist Certification (NCS) Examination.

Graduation & Certification

Residents who successfully complete the Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency receive a certificate of completion from MUSC and documentation to apply residency hours towards continuing education certification with the state of South Carolina. Graduates are eligible to take the Neurologic Specialty Certification exam administered by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) and should apply for the examination while they are participating in the residency.

Neurologic Residency Admissions

Admissions Policy

The holistic admissions process aims to build a Neurological Residency class that reflects a wide range of individual characteristics and backgrounds, preparing students for the variety of experiences they will encounter in their practice. For the admissions process, we intend to foster a rich learning environment for students in the program and create a class of graduates who will, as a group, achieve excellence across the many domains of physical therapy. Our consideration will include background and several other factors contributing to a class with a broad range of life experiences.

The goals of the admission process for the Neurologic Residency at the Medical University of South Carolina are to:

• Identify the most qualified applicants through a fair and impartial admissions process.
• Enroll highly qualified individuals with the most significant potential to become Certified Neurologic Therapists.

Requirements

To apply to this program, you must:

• Must have graduated from a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program.
• Must have a physical therapy license in the state where they will be practicing.
• Must be employed full-time at a partnering clinical institution.
• Must have completed your employer's pre-application residency paperwork.
• Must demonstrate membership to APTA.
• Applications open from March and close mid July.
• The Program starts on the first Thursday of September.

Application Process

Email program director, Victoria Wilson Harris at wilsotar@musc.edu, to apply.
Complete an employment application for the participating residency facility of your choice.

Curriculum

The curriculum for the residency program includes training in the management of patients with a wide variety of neurologic conditions as guided by the APTA’s Description of Specialty Practice. However, the MUSC program also includes topics designed to improve all aspects of being a therapist, including neuroplasticity and motor learning, movement analysis, statistical interpretation, business management, professionalism, cultural competency, and teaching and learning theory. As educating peers is paramount to being a leader in the profession, all residents produce several written analysis projects and also teach at least one content module.

Focused weekends occur in Charleston four times per year to address the following topics:

• Spinal Cord Injury
• Stroke
• Movement Disorders
• Traumatic Brain Injury / Vestibular Disorders

The curriculum totals approximately 300 hours of didactic training including live classroom experiences in Charleston, virtual classroom experiences, and recorded lectures in addition to a minimum of 150 1:1 hours of mentoring.

Mentoring

Each resident is mentored by an employee of the clinical partner, and involves at least 150 hours of 1:1 time together, 100 of which must be in patient care. Mentoring a resident is different than mentoring an entry level student, as many residents will enter the program with some degree of clinical experience. The resident-mentor relationship:

• Is a partnership in which the mentor actively supports the professional growth and development of a resident
• Is a reciprocal and evolutionary process
• Challenges AND supports
• Promotes knowledge translation (how does that gained knowledge relate to this patient situation today)?
• Helps the resident integrate the knowledge – not the mentor’s responsibility to provide the knowledge
• Teaches the resident how to learn so they can approach any future situation
• Opens discussions of intention versus impact
• Guides clinician to finding their own professional identity
• Strives to provide just the right amount of challenge, just the right amount of support at the right time to obtain learning and professional growth
• Promotes rapid transformation of research into clinical practice