Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency

Whether you are a recent physical therapy graduate or an experienced clinician, our orthopaedic physical therapy residency gives you the specialized skills and hands-on experience to provide high-quality physical therapy to a broad spectrum of patients with orthopaedic issues within a clinical setting.

Guided by knowledgeable faculty and mentors, you will receive rigorous training in physical therapy for all ages, expand your knowledge by conducting and publishing clinical research, and practice your collaboration skills with physician teams to make lasting contributions to your community and prepare you to become a leader in orthopaedics.

Curriculum & Training

Our rigorous orthopaedic residency curriculum uses a combination of formal and informal educational, clinical and academic activities, as well as mentored co-treatment of patients at affiliated clinics, including The Steadman Clinic.

The orthopaedic residency consists of key modules for each joint: knee, hip, foot/ankle, shoulder and spine. With addition of adjunct modules that is specific to in depth specialty in orthopaedics.others.

An Orthopaedic Resident’s typical week includes:

The orthopaedic residency begins in July and lasts for 12 months. Requirements for successful completion include passing oral, practical and written exams.

Admissions Requirements

To qualify for the Vail Health Howard Head Orthopedic Residency program, you must be a graduate of an APTA-accredited program in Physical Therapy and licensed as a Physical Therapist in Colorado prior to the first day of the program.

In residency candidates, we are looking for highly skilled PT’s; a desire to advance clinical knowledge in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy, strong communication skills, initiative, adaptability, and responsibility.

How to Apply

All orthopaedic residents must have a Colorado State License prior to beginning residency in July.

To apply for the orthopaedic residency, visit the Residency and Fellowship Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (RF-PTCAS), create a login and indicate that you are applying for the ‘Vail Health Howard Head Orthopedic Residency’.

Applications open October 1 and close December 1. Interviews will be held in January/February for the upcoming class.

If you would like to understand costs and financial implications of this program, please review the documents found in our ‘Residency Financial Transparency’ section further below on this page.

Program Outcomes

Although the orthopaedic residency is novel, Howard Head Sports Medicine has a history of success in our long-standing sports residency. The same high standard of success is expected of our future orthopaedic residency classes. We have a 100% pass rate with our first two orthopedic residents, both of which have been invited back as full-time employees.

At Howard Head Sports Medicine we measure success with APTA specialty exam pass rate, academic and scholarly achievement, professional growth, and employment status. We are collecting data starting with our class of 2023. Our goal is to achieve 100% orthopaedic specialty exam rate year over year, and 100% program pass rate.

Contáctanos

For more information, please contact Sonya Greider PT, DPT, OCS, Residency Program Lead of Howard Head Sports Physical Therapy Residency, at sonya.greider@vailhealth.org or Matt Mymern, PT, DPT, SCS, MHA, CSCS, Howard Head Sports Medicine Program Director at mymern@vailhealth.org.

HHSM Orthopaedic Residency Faculty

Residency Financial Transparency

The American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education program provides a financial fact sheet to ensure financial transparency for applicants, and to further understand the true costs to undergo residency and fellowship education, please click the links below to review this information.

Orthopedic Residency Financial Fact Sheet

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Howard Head pays the Resident a salary at 75% a full-time entry-level employee status set at a regional competitive level. There is no tuition or fees.

Yes, full medical benefits are provided similar to a staff physical therapist including a yearly wellness credit and allotted PTO days.

Employee housing is available at a decreased cost of market value, making it significantly more affordable to live in the Vail Valley.

Weekly mentoring is scheduled for 4 hours with 1:1 mentoring with a specialist in the module-specific region.

Involvement in research is a requirement of the program. This can be on a spectrum from a full IRB approved study with access to a biomotion lab and research professionals, writing of a case-study or clinical commentary, or a presentation to our staff based on your chosen field of study. Residents meet with the research mentor at the beginning of the program and are assisted throughout the year.

Both sports and orthopaedic residents do a 5-week rotation as a physical therapist in the Vail Health Emergency Department during the Winter months.

  • Weekly high school training room and game coverage
  • Full season game coverage of the Yeti Hockey Team, Vail’s semi-professional ice-hockey team
  • On-snow with the US Ski and Snowboard team at Copper Mountain
  • 4–6-week duration at the Center of Excellence in Park City, UT with the US Ski and Snowboard Teams
  • US Climbing Team coverage at the GoPro Mountain Games