Physical therapy geriatric residency program | veterans affairs

The mission of the Physical Therapy Geriatric Residency Program is to create and sustain a culture of continuous learning and professional development through advanced evidence-based

education and interprofessional collaboration in geriatrics, thereby elevating standards of excellence to optimally serve our nation’s Veterans and community at large. This developing

program offers a year-long advanced training program for physical therapists specializing in geriatrics. The program is funded by the VA Office of Academic Affiliations. ABOUT THE PROGRAM

HIGHLIGHTS * Residents treat a geriatric patient caseload about 30 hours per week - rotating through three different areas of practice including acute medicine, subacute care (Community

Living Center) and outpatient. * Residents are also involved in 1:1 mentoring sessions with expert clinicians a minimum of 4 hours per week, didactic coursework 6-8 hours per week, research

exposure and a variety of teaching opportunities throughout the year at Concordia University, St. Paul. * Residents who successfully complete the program are eligible to apply to sit for the

Geriatric Clinical Specialty (GCS) exam. BENEFITS * See Financial Fact Sheet for salary * Health, dental and vision benefits * Accrue 4 hours of sick and 4 hours of annual (vacation) leave

every 2 week pay period * Eleven paid federal holidays * Liability coverage and protection under Federal Tort Claims Act * Uniform (scrubs) provided by Minneapolis VA Health Care System *

Medical library access * MedBridge subscription GOALS * Support the mission, vision and values of the Minneapolis VA Health Care System by meeting the needs of our Veterans, service members

and geriatric residency program through provision of geriatric physical therapy services. * Contribute to the profession of geriatric physical therapy through writing, teaching and

leadership in consultative roles. * Be a discerning consumer of scientific literature and proficient in the inclusion of new evidenced-based treatment techniques and knowledge into clinical

practice. * Exhibit the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. * Complete required curricular content and clinical experience to successfully prepare for completion of the GCS

exam. * Participate in clinical research to advance geriatric physical therapy. FEES This program does not have additional application or tuition fees, although the RF-PTCAS process does

have its own fee. The Minneapolis VA Health Care System (MVAHCS) provides tuition support for didactic programming. The resident may incur fees to support attendance at a professional

conference if funding is not available through the MVAHCS. Fees for continuing education courses and national conferences are not covered by this program, but residents often qualify for

student rates or can attend VA or sponsored programming for free. PROGRAM OUTCOMES * Graduation and outcomes data to be posted upon completion of our first cohort. PROGRAM STRUCTURE We plan

to have one permanent residency position each calendar year. Evidence of an interest in geriatric physical therapy is desirable, although we don't require any specific continuing

education course work or specific clinical and/or didactic learning experiences to apply. Between the clinical practice, mentoring, teaching, research and didactic programming, it is

anticipated that the resident spends 50-55 hours per week on residency-related activities. In addition to direct patient care, this includes teaching prep time, data analysis, assigned

readings, webinar attendance, researching given topics, etc. Applications are submitted using the RF-PTCAS system. Prior to submitting an application, please check the "Am I

Eligible?" checklist to determine if you are eligible to apply to our program. *Health Professions Trainees (HPTs) are appointed temporary employees of the Department of Veterans

Affairs. As such, HPTs are subject to laws, policies and guidelines posted for VA staff members. There are infrequent times in which this guidance can change during a training year which may

create new requirements or responsibilities for HPTs. If employment requirements change during the course of a training year, HPTs will be notified of the change and impact as soon as

possible and options provided. The VA Training Director for your profession will provide you with information you need to understand the requirement and reasons for the requirement in a

timely manner. FAQ ASHLEY CASSEL, DPT OCS CHIEF PHYSICAL THERAPY RESIDENCY PROGRAM DIRECTOR  Minneapolis VAHCS, PM&R (117) One Veterans Drive, Minneapolis MN 55417 Phone: 612-433-2120

Email: [email protected] LAURA GUDE,  MPT, GCS RESIDENCY TRAINING DIRECTOR Minneapolis VAHCS, PM&R (117) One Veterans Drive, Minneapolis MN 55417 Phone: 612-707-2056 Email:

[email protected]