Orthopedic physical therapy residency
Our mission
The Corewell Health - West Michigan Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program mission is to develop specialty practice orthopedic physical therapists who improve the health of their communities by providing evidence-based, exceptional, and affordable care while guiding them to become leaders and educators of orthopedic clinical practice. The program will utilize continuous improvement and strategic initiatives to deliver a learning experience that is founded upon a current, evidence-based curriculum, mentored clinical practice, and scientific inquiry.
The Corewell Health - West Michigan Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program is designed to provide licensed physical therapists with advanced training in orthopedics. The program emphasizes the development of skills in clinical decision making, treatment strategies, and scholarly review of the latest evidence throughout the scope of outpatient rehabilitation. Participants will maintain a part-time clinical schedule and rotate through four clinical sites while working closely with senior clinical staff who will serve as mentors. This will allow the participant to gain specialized orthopedic training with a variety of settings and patient demographics. The program utilizes a rigorous, evidence-based curriculum coupled with dedicated time spent with a mentor to foster the development of strong clinical practice management skills. The participant will complete multiple interprofessional experiences in which they will join other medical professionals in clinical and surgical settings observing cases which correspond to their current curricular component. They will assist with instructing physical therapy topics in an academic setting in partnership with Grand Valley State University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program. The participant will complete a monthly presentation which emphasizes their critical inquiry skills by reviewing the current literature in a journal club format. The final component to the curriculum will consist of a capstone project in which the participant will complete and present an orthopedic topic of their choice in a grand rounds format to the rehabilitation department at Corewell Health - West Michigan.
The program curriculum is designed to prepare the participant to sit for the ABPTS Orthopedic Clinical Specialist Examination and is approximately 53 weeks in duration beginning the week prior to Labor Day of each year.
The American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE) has granted the Corewell Health - West Michigan Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program candidacy status. Candidacy status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation. Achieving candidacy status is not an indication that ABPTRFE will grant initial accreditation. Participants who graduate from a program in candidacy status are not deemed to have completed an accredited program.
Upon graduation, the program will track participant performance on the ABPTS Orthopedic Clinical Specialist Examination and employment roles for a period of up to five years.
Goals
- The program maintains sustainability through continuous curriculum review, process improvement measures, financial and strategic planning for program growth and development.
- The program will maintain ABPTRFE accreditation.
- The program provides consistent, high quality clinical practice mentoring to the program participant(s).
- The resident will demonstrate proficiency in knowledge and skill as required for specialist orthopedic physical therapy practice.
- The resident will be exposed to a variety of high quality clinical and educational experiences throughout Corewell Health.
- The resident will demonstrate continued progress toward leadership in orthopedic physical therapy excellence in clinical practice, research, and/or education following graduation from the program.
Outcomes
- The resident will demonstrate advanced knowledge, clinical-reasoning skills, and evidence-based practice in effectively treating a variety of patient populations across orthopedic settings to deliver patient-centered care designed around the latest Description of Residency Practice: Orthopaedics.
- The resident will be prepared to sit for and successfully pass the ABPTS examination for board certification in orthopedic physical therapy.
- The resident will demonstrate advanced skills in appraisal, communication, and integration of clinical research into practice.
- The resident will be proficient in appropriate skills as an educator to effectively engage and instruct patients, caregivers, students, colleagues, and other healthcare professionals in orthopedic topics.
- The resident will demonstrate high standards of ethical clinical practice and professional behavior with patients, families, and colleagues.
Following program completion, the program will track graduates continued professional development, their performance on the ABPTS Orthopedic Clinical Specialist Examination, and employment roles for a period of up to five years.
The curriculum will be based on the requirements detailed in the Description of Residency Practice from the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education.
Didactic Education will include:
- Current Concepts of Orthopedic Physical Therapy, 5th edition published by AOPT with monographs addressing the following:
Integration and Application of the Scientific Method
The Cervical Spine
The Temporomandibular Joint
The Thoracic Spine and Rib Cage
The Shoulder
The Elbow
The Wrist & Hand
The Lumbar Spine
The Pelvic Girdle
The Hip
The Knee
The Foot & Ankle
JOSPT Clinical Practice Guidelines that align with the above listed monographs
Select MedBridge knowledge tracks
Experiential Learning
- Mentoring Experience
A minimum of 208 hours over the duration of the program will be dedicated to one-to-one mentoring with clinical faculty
156 hours of this experience will be provided while resident is acting as primary care provider
Other Learning Experiences
- “Journal Club” discussion and presentations
Interprofessional observation experiences with other health care providers in both clinic and procedural settings
Prepare, assist, and deliver orthopedic skill and anatomy presentation to entry-level DPT students in partnership with Grand Valley State University
Participate with community-based activities offered by Corewell Health intermittently throughout the year
Capstone Presentation on an orthopedic topic in a Grand Rounds setting
Daren Johnson PT, MSPT
- Mentor
- Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopedics
- 25+ years of orthopedic physical therapy experience and mentoring physical therapy students
- MS PT, Grand Valley State University
Jason Mottes PT, DPT
- Mentor
- Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopedics
- Graduate of Michigan Medicine Orthopedic Residency
- 6 years of orthopedic physical therapy experience
- DPT, Central Michigan University
Casey Stokes PT, DPT
- Mentor
- Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopedics
- Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
- 9 Years of orthopedic physical therapy experience
- USATF level 2 Certified Coach
- DPT, Central Michigan University
Gina Terhune PT, DPT
- Mentor
- Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopedics
- 10+ years of orthopedic physical therapy experience
- DPT, Grand Valley State University
Nate Twietmeyer PT, DPT
- Mentor, Program Advisor
- Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopedics
- Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Sports
- 10+ years of orthopedic physical therapy experience
- DPT, Concordia University Wisconsin
Don Packard, PT, DPT
- Director of Clinical Rehab Practice, Corewell Health - West Michigan
- Program Director
David George, PT, MSPT
- Program Coordinator
- 20+ years of orthopedic physical therapy experience
- 15+ years as Site Coordinator of Clinical Education
- 20+ years of clinical education experience
- MS PT, Grand Valley State University
- Graduate of a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program, or currently enrolled and in good standing in a DPT program with expected graduation date to enable to sit for the NPTE in July.
- Licensed or eligible to be licensed to practice physical therapy in the State of Michigan by the start of the program.
- Eligible for employment by Corewell Health.
- APTA and Orthopedic Section membership by the start of the program.
All applications are processed through the Residency and Fellowship Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (RF-PTCAS) and include:
- Completed of application form
- Essay
- Professional Resume
- Professional letters of recommendation from the following:
- DPT academic program instructor
- Clinic-based physical therapist
- Applicant's choice between either an academic or clinical reference
Applicants will be evaluated on the following:
- Clinical and Mentorship Experience
- Clinical Orthopedics Experience
- Quality of Application Essay
- Letters of Recommendation
- Applicant’s Career Development Plan
Academic Performance
For those with questions about our orthopedic physical therapy residency program, please email the Program Coordinator.
Application criteria
Learn more about how to apply and what you need to include in your application.