Residency Program

Didactics

Lectures and conferences occur three times per week and are organized around modules.  Modules range in length from one to four months.  Module topics include: Orientation to Inpatient Rehab, Research, Practice Management, Anatomy/Kinesiology, Prosthetics, Orthotics, Physical Medicine, Medicine, Pediatric Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation/Traumatic Brain Injury, Neurology, Spinal Cord Injury, Pain, and Electrodiagnostic Medicine.  Each module contains basic science, literature review, case presentations, and a lecture from the Graduate Medical Education Department which focuses on the general competencies.  Resident attendance at lectures is mandatory.  At the end of each module, a quiz is given to the residents.

During the Anatomy module, residents spend time in the anatomy lab doing dissections.  These dissections focus on the musculoskeletal and peripheral nervous system.  Clinical correlation is provided with lectures on the physical exam of the major joints and spine.

Clinical instruction and experience place emphasis on the pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of neuromuscular disorders including stroke, head injury, cerebral palsy, Parkinsonism and other movement disorders; spinal cord injury; anterior horn cell and lower motor neuron disorders; radiculopathy, peripheral neuropathy and primary muscle diseases; arthritis and other articular and periarticular disorders; and the wide range of muscle and soft tissue pain syndromes. Other areas of emphasis include the physiatric management and rehabilitation of orthopaedic conditions, amputations, burns, chronic pain, and pediatric disabilities. Thorough instruction and experience are provided in the use and prescription of orthotic, prosthetic and assistive devices. The Department operates orthotic and prosthetic facilities in the Health Science Center and utilizes similar facilities at the V.A. Hospital.

It is our present policy to afford all residents the opportunity to attend several short courses or professional meetings during their training program. The national level educational activities to which residents are sent have changed from time to time in the past on the basis of availability and our perception of which courses or meetings would provide the best learning experiences. Currently, these include attendance at one of the week-long annual meetings of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and one of the week-long annual Association of Academic Physiatrist meetings. During the course of their training program residents also have the opportunity to attend other local or state meetings.

Textbooks

Throughout the four year program, each resident is given a copy of approximately 13 standard text and reference books for his/her personal library, as well as other informational material chosen by the faculty for teaching and reference value.

Distributed at beginning of PGY-1 year of training:

• Aids to Examination of the Peripheral Nervous System
  W.B. Saunders
• House Officer’s Guide to Arthrocentesis and Soft Tissue Injection
  Bruce C. Anderson
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
  Randall L. Braddom, Editor
• Rehabilitation Medicine: Principles and Practice, 4th Edition
  Joel A. DeLisa, Editor In Chief
  Bruce M. Gans, Editor
  Nicolas E. Walsh, Managing Editor
• Orthopaedic Physical Assessment
  David J. Magee
• Physical Examination of the Spine and Extremities
  Stanley Hoppenfeld
• Geriatrics At Your Fingertips
  American Geriatrics Society
• Spinal Cord Medicine
  Editor in Chief, Vernon W. Lin, MD, Ph.D.
• Handbook of Emergency Cardiac Care for Healthcare Providers
  American Heart Association
• American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Supplement “Physiatric Research: A Hands-On Approach”
• Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Injury Patients
  (Brochure from American Spinal Injury Association)
• Think Business! Medical Practice Quality, Efficiency, Profits
  Owen J. Dahl, MBA, FACHE, CHBC

Distributed at beginning of PGY-3 year:

• Electrodiagnostic Medicine, 2nd Edition
  Daniel Dumitru, et al.
• Manual of Nerve Conduction Study and Surface Anatomy for Needle Electromyography, 4th Edition
  Hang J. Lee, Joel DeLisa
• Anatomic Localization for Needle EMG
  Steve R. Geiringer
• Pediatric Rehabilitation, 3rd Edition
  Gabriella E. Molnar, Michael A. Alexander
• Aids to Examination of the Peripheral Nervous System
  W.B. Saunders