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Academic Residency in Physical Therapy

Complete Your Academic Residency

Academic Residency Highlights

Residency and fellowship programs build on physical therapists’ foundational knowledge and facilitate the development of advanced practitioners with enhanced skills in a defined area of practice. Mentoring develops residents and fellows-in-training who enhance the profession. Programs focus on advancing skills and knowledge including, but not limited to, teaching, service, scholarship, governance and policy, leadership, management, ethical, and legal issues. The comprehensive curriculum integrates these combined skills and knowledge specific to a defined area of practice that is consistent with the program’s mission, goals, and outcomes. (ABPTRFE)

Course work from the Healthcare Professions Education certificate track and some PhD coursework is used as didactic content. The sites receives additional faculty support for course teaching, committee work and scholarly activity. This also allows the residency sites a prolonged vetting process of potential future faculty members. The resident receives quality education through Rocky Mountain Univeristy of Healthcare Professions (RMU) and mentoring/experience through the residency site’s institutional resources. As the HPE certificate can then be transferred to the PhD program, the resident has a pathway to continue in faculty development.

Upon completion of the residency, the resident will have obtained a Health Professions Education Certificate. Additionally, the Resident will have 27 credits towards their PhD at RMU or credits that can transfer to another institution.

Outcomes

By the end of the academic residency, the faculty resident will be able to-

 

  1. Plan and implement curricula to meet CAPTE criteria for the instruction of entry-level physical therapy.
  2. Develop a scholarly agenda to contribute to the scholarship of physical therapy practice.
  3. Provide meaningful service to various agencies for the advancement of the delivery of physical therapy services and academic physical therapy.
  4. Contribute to the delivery of higher education in all areas of academic physical therapy.
  5. Function as a member of a faculty in a physical therapy program.

Residency Curriculum

Core Courses (7 courses, 21 credits required)

Code

Course

Credits

This course examines a variety of assessment models and techniques used to evaluate student classroom performance, student clinical performance, instructor performance and educational programs. Students will design and execute assessment plans, interpret assessment data and develop continuous improvement plans.

This course incorporates a learner centered approach to course development and instructional delivery based on the best evidence of how people learn. Students will demonstrate both traditional and innovative instructional techniques and strategies for teaching in didactic settings based upon the evidence-base of best teaching practices.

This course explores the history and theory of instructional technology used in educational settings. Focus is on identifying, discussing and comparing various instructional technology utilized in the design and delivery of online, blended, and traditional classroom learning environments. Best practices of current instructional technologies applied in higher education classrooms are systematically designed, created, shared, and reviewed.

This course provides an introduction to general research principles and research ethics. The student will be introduced to the following topics in the research process: question formulation, principles of measurement, basic design and methodological features, issues of reliability and validity, and fundamentals of conducting a literature review. A quantitative article critique will be conducted in class and outside of class. The class format will include lecture, small group discussion, and practice.

This course introduces the student to qualitative research methods and their applications to problems and phenomena in healthcare. Emphasis is placed on the appropriate use and differences of qualitative methods, their philosophical underpinnings, and application to clinical issues.

Choose one of the following:

The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to biostatistics, the science of evaluating information in a biological setting. Such topics as simple descriptive statistics, basic probability concepts, probability distributions (normal & binomial), sampling distributions, correlations, regression, t-tests and one-way ANOVA testing.

This course is the second in a two-course sequence on qualitative research methods that extends and elaborates on the topics covered in HS 720. Major approaches used in conducting qualitative research and the application of these methods to problems and phenomena in healthcare will be examined. The emphasis of the course is on the collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of qualitative data. Exploration and application of topics such as sampling, interviewing and observation techniques, data analysis methods, and reporting of qualitative research will be addressed. Evaluation and critique of research studies utilizing qualitative methods will also be examined.

Choose one of the following:

Concepts of leadership related to current healthcare organizations are examined. Specific concepts including communications, public relations, team building, negotiation, and conflict resolution are explored. Strategic aspects such as vision, viewpoint and admission included. Managing uncertainty is discussed in relation to healthcare organizations. Contemporary leadership challenges, communication strategies and crisis communication are explored. Leadership functions and decision-making are analyzed.

This course will focus on presenting and analyzing contemporary social, political and economic issues surrounding higher education and the effects these issues have on healthcare education programs. Current challenges in healthcare education programs will also be explored. Students will learn how to successfully navigate the role of a faculty member in the higher education environment. A brief history of higher education will be included.

Elective Courses (2-3 courses, 6 credits required)

Code

Course

Credits

This course supports knowledge of the theories of organizations, the use of leadership, management processes, and organizational structures and outcomes. Specific topics include governance, strategic management and marketing, human resources management, recruiting, training, process improvement, management theory, and employee wellbeing. This course is designed for future managers and leaders of healthcare organizations and those who expects to have extensive involvement with each from the perspective buyers, insurers, or policymakers. The course provides students with knowledge about how the best healthcare provider organizations deliver high quality, cost-effective healthcare, how the response to their environment, and how they reach and implement decisions about future activities.

This course explores the legal and ethical issues and dilemmas in the delivery of healthcare. The principles and practical application of laws and regulations affecting operational decisions of healthcare providers, health plans, and third-party payers are discussed. Also addressed are social, moral, and ethical issues encountered in the balance of patient interests, needs and rights.

This course will train healthcare leaders to implement or teach principles of delivering better healthcare at lower costs through improving clinical and non-clinical processes. This course will introduce methods and tools for conducting quality improvement projects. Also discussed will be methods of health services research, teams and teamwork, outcome measurement, and medical informatics. A key learning experience of this course will be developing and implementing a quality improvement project.

This course addresses the many issues germane to experiential or clinical education in the healthcare professions by reviewing the design, implementation and assessment of clinical experience in the healthcare fields. Among the topics to be covered include supervisory policies and practices, communication, feedback, developing clinical expertise and reasoning skills, professionalism, student learning documentation and mapping, preceptor/supervisor training and development, and the role of entrust able professional activities, competencies and milestones in student clinician development.

Students will learn how effective health professions curricula must integrate the basic and clinical sciences, connect didactic to experiential learning, be competency-based and time-variable, include andragogic underpinnings and approaches of delivery, and create meaningful program outcomes and assessment opportunities that verify quality and excellence. In addition timely issues such as the curricular incorporation of clinical experiences/education, the sociocultural aspects of healthcare, and pertinent accreditation issues and constraints for healthcare professions will be addressed.

This pass/fail course reviews PubMed, Index Medicus, other search methodologies, American Psychological Association editorial format, the composition of a scientific/professional manuscript, and the style of Scientific/professional writing, its construction and formats.

This course will familiarize students with the theory, development, and application of survey research design and methods. Students will learn the principles and practices of conducting survey research, including developing psychometrically sound accounting for and reducing sources of error, designing appropriate sampling strategies, assessing the reliability and validity of self-constructed questionnaires, administering surveys through various means, and analyzing and reporting survey research results. How to integrate qualitative inquiry with survey research to develop and conduct a mixed-method study, including writing results, will be emphasized.

The purpose of this course is to build upon the topics introduced in Biostatistics 1. This course will cover such topics as factorial ANOVA, ANCOVA, MANOVA, multiple linear regression and non-parametric group comparisons.

This course is the second in a two-course sequence on qualitative research methods that extends and elaborates on the topics covered in HS 720. Major approaches used in conducting qualitative research and the application of these methods to problems and phenomena in healthcare will be examined. The emphasis of the course is on the collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of qualitative data. Exploration and application of topics such as sampling, interviewing and observation techniques, data analysis methods, and reporting of qualitative research will be addressed. Evaluation and critique of research studies utilizing qualitative methods will also be examined.

This course provides a theoretical framework for interviewing approaches for various situations, types of interviewing formats (e.g. focus group, evaluation interview, cultural interview) and development of interview formats. Recording, analyzing, and reporting interview data, ethical and relationship issues, and research on interviewing methods.

This course provides students with techniques used to integrate quantitative and qualitative data, analysis and results based upon a mixed methods study design. Writing tips of a mixed methods publication is also included.

This course will seek an in-depth exploration and practice regarding the mechanics, design and construction of case series and single subject research designs in a healthcare environment. Students will develop and submit a single subject/case series research design related to individual dissertation topics or to relevant clinical questions.

View Curriculum PDF

Resident Mentored Activities

Progression in Teaching and Learning

Semester 1

HPE 740: Learning Theory and Design (3)

Lab assistant-

Grading assignments
Assisting in lecture
Assisting in lab

Semester 2

HPE 670: Learning Assessment and Evaluation (3)

Lab Assistant/ Leader-

Leading lab activities
Assessing lab performance
managing lab organization and planning
Assessed by Peer Evaluator

Semester 3

HPE 760 Instructional Technology (3)

Course co-instructor-

Course design with direction
Delivery of course material
Assessment of student learning
Course assessment
Peer Assessment

Semester 4

HPE 752: Curriculum Design for Healthcare Professions (3)     

Or 

HPE 620 Clinical Education Experiential Design & Application for Healthcare Professions (3)

Course coordinator- Mentored-

Course design and modification from course evaluation
Delivery of course material
Assessment of student learning
Course assessment
Co- Assess another course

Progression in Research

Semester 1

HS 712: Research Methods: A Quantitative Approach (3)

Assist with data collection

Semester 2

HS 722: Biostats I (3)
Or
HS 720: Survey of Qualitative Research(3)

 

HS Research Practicum- runs an entire year (3)

Assist with Data collection
Assist with Data Analysis

Semester 3

HS 722 Biostats II (3)
Or
HS 720: Survey of Qualitative Research (3)

Assist with data analysis

Assist with presentation
Manuscript writing/editing
Poster design
platform development
Submission to dissemination medium.

Semester 4

Presentation at conference (state, national, professional)
Poster presentation,
Platform presentation, 
Assist in a major education session.

 

 

*Research project should be in some area of education delivery

Progression in Teaching and Learning

Semester 1

Department committee participation

Semester 2

Department committee task force

Semester 3

Professional committee

University Committee

Semester 4

HLA 700: Healthcare Legal and Ethical Issues (3)

Professional committee
University Committee
Meeting attendance with PD/Deans/Department Chair

Progression in Governance

Semester 1

Participation in Department organization-
Professional Learning Communities
Present at faculty meeting

Semester 2

HPE 718 Climate of Higher Education (3)

Participation in College organization
Attend and Participate in college meetings
Assist in college projects.
Assist in faculty search.

Semester 3

Participation in university faculty senate/association

Semester 4

HLA 670: Organizational Behavior & Mngmt in Healthcare (3)

Participation in university faculty senate/association

Mentorship

A Faculty mentor will be selected. This should be someone with at least 5 years of higher education experience, preferably with an advanced doctorate degree.

Weekly meetings to create a trajectory plan with the resident for the first year.

Bimonthly meetings for the second year. Frequent assessment and feedback provided to assure desired development is being met.

Weekly cadre meetings will offer additional mentorship opportunities. The residency cadre will meet weekly as a professional learning community to discuss how to enhance each resident’s teaching, scholarship, committee work and discuss governance in higher education.

Program Accreditation

The Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions Academic Faculty Residency is accredited by the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education as a post-professional residency program for physical therapists in academic physical therapy.

American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education logo
Financial Fact Sheet