Deciding to Pursue a Residency

With the new year close to beginning, it is getting close to the time when residency applications should start getting sent in, so I thought I would review the pros/cons. It can be a tough decision whether you are just finishing up school or have been practicing for awhile, especially with the salary adjustments, but I believe it is worth it.

The primary reason I recommend pursuing a residency is to become a better clinician overall at a faster rate. We often forget that we graduate from physical therapy school as generalists. We know a little about a lot with tools to figure out how to treat most conditions. However, we are by no means specialists. Honestly, I was insecure about my knowledge and skills as an orthopaedic therapist coming out of school and that I would not help many patients. Now, of course, we improve with experience, mentoring and taking various courses, but it takes a long time. In completing a residency, the knowledge and skills are gained at a faster rate. With the advanced didactic and hands on material that is learned in conjunction with 1-on-1 mentoring, the reasoning that may take some to gain in more than a few years can be gained in one. If you look at the medical profession (with which our profession regularly tries to mimic - think white coat ceremonies, doctorate degrees, direct access), residency is required in order to gain the special skills and knowledge for the area of medicine.

I recognize there are many issues with the residency process. First of all, there are not nearly enough spaces for all the PT school graduates. It would be difficult to abruptly increase the number of residencies and ensure certain standards. I think there is potentially a place with certain continuing education programs that maybe take a year or so to complete but advance the clinical reasoning and skills in the field. In the orthopaedic specialty, this can be a COMT program, McKenzie, SFMA, PRI, or many others. There are similar type programs for each specialty. Another issue typically is cost. While, residencies themselves are not an option for all due to the pay cut, the continuing education programs discussed before can help to mediate those costs at a much more affordable rate.

There are many different types of clinical development programs from which to choose. The three of us chose residencies. Jim was at Harris Health's orthopaedic residency, Brian at USC's sports residency, and myself at Scottsdale Healthcare's (now Honor Health) orthopaedic residency. For a list of the available residencies, check out this link from the APTA.. Below you will see a couple different links we have had about our residency experience, but please don't hesitate to contact any of us in either making a decision about applying to a residency or the process itself.

-Chris

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If you are looking to improve upon your clinical skills and orthopaedic knowledge, consider joining OPTIM's COMT program. With OPTIM, you can expect a residency-like learning experience without breaking the bank, all while learning from highly skilled physical therapists. Check out optimfellowship.com for more information!

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USC Sports Residency Reflection

Scottsdale Healthcare (Honor Health) Ortho Residency Reflection