Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program

The clinical time during the residency, which includes structured one-to-one mentoring, comprises approximately 90% of a typical week. The remainder is spent completing didactic training, research projects, presentations, physician rounding and athletic venue coverage.

The program is designed to provide residents with a year-long intensive study of sports physical therapy, preparing them to become advanced practitioners, and qualify to take the Sports Clinical Specialist Exam offered by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties.

Residents will receive didactic training on numerous topics related to sports physical therapy, published in the Learning Domain Expectations section of the Description of Residency Practice for Sports Physical Therapy.

Educational methods will include a 168-item online module that provides a comprehensive outline of the foundational knowledge required to sit for the exam.

Residents will receive live lectures from clinical faculty to enhance practical skills and reinforce the knowledge gleaned from the didactic modules. They’ll also attend affiliated sports medicine physician rounds and lectures through Rothman Orthopaedics.

Residents will also learn acute injury management by working with our sports medicine team partners at Stetson University, the Orlando Solar Bears, ESPN and Disney Wide World of Sports and local high schools.

Each resident will, at minimum, receive:

• 175 hours of one-on-one mentoring
• 100 hours of live practical classroom instruction
• 75 hours of rounding and lectures with a sports medicine physician
• 1,800 hours of clinical practice in sports PT
• 200 hours of athletic venue coverage
• 200 hours of online didactic training

Doug Allen, PT, MPT, ATC, OCS
Program Director

Todd Furman, PT, DPT, SCS, ATC, CSCS
Program Coordinator

David Garcia, PT, DPT, OCS

Bob McCabe PT, OCS

Kenny Palmer, PT, DPT, SCS

Julian Richards PT, DPT, OCS

Sam Singleton, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS

Applications submitted by the deadline are evaluated by the program director and program coordinator based on the following criteria:

• Academic education and background
• Clinical education, internship and mentoring experience
• Research experience and interest
• Clinical experience in sports physical therapy
• Interest in the advancement of the profession
• Letters of recommendation

Acceptance is based on interest, ability and aptitude for a career as a sports physical therapist. Selected candidates must meet the admission criteria set forth by the advisory committee. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Graduation from a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program
• A current license to practice physical therapy in the state of Florida
• Completed application form
• 10 hours of athletic venue coverage within the past 12 months

Candidates must also seek CPR certification from the American Heart Association’s BLS Healthcare Provider course or the American Red Cross CPR for the Professional Rescuer. Additional certification is required in First Responder and Emergency Cardiac Care. These requirements must be met before enrollment in the program.

The usual timeframe for the application process is as follows:

Application deadline
October 1 to December 31

Interviews with Admissions Committee
February

Candidate selection
March

AdventHealth employs residents during their residency, so acceptance into the program is contingent on meeting all AdventHealth Human Resources hiring process requirements.

The program's policy is to recruit, admit and retain participants on a nondiscriminatory basis. The program does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, gender, age, national or ethnic origin, marital status, sexual orientation, disability or health status.

Applicants requesting disability accommodations must file a request (detailing necessary accommodations) in writing to the program director.

To apply, please send a CV, answers to the three essay questions outlined below, and two letters of recommendation to our AdventHealth Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program Coordinator, Todd Furman, via email at [email protected].

Essay questions:

1. What do you wish to gain through participation in a residency program?
2. Discuss aspects of your background and professional experience that particularly qualify you for participation in a residency program.
3. What are your future plans as they relate to a specialized area of physical therapy?

Deadline for applications is December 31, to be considered for a residency slot that commences in the fall of the application year.

Residents are eligible for benefits through AdventHealth. This includes employer-supported health and dental insurance, disability and life insurance and paid time off. This is not an all-inclusive list; applicants may receive a full description of benefits upon request.

Residents will begin working in the clinic during the first week of September, and the residency officially starts on December 1. This allows residents to acclimate to the use of EMR and the flow of patient care for a seamless transition into the residency program.

As employees of AdventHealth during the residency period, residents are expected to see patients for 36 hours per week, which includes a minimum of 4 hours per week of 1:1 supervised clinical practice with a mentor. Compensation for a resident is 90% of a comparable staff physical therapist's salary.

While enrolled in the AdventHealth Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program, there is no tuition fee for admittance into the sports residency program. Residents are required to purchase recommended textbook with the approximate cost of $150. Please CLICK HERE for our financial fact sheet.

Program Completion Rate: To be determined

• Pass Rate of Sports Clinical Specialty Board Certification Exam: To be determined
• Employment Rate of Residents post completion at AdventHealth: To be determined