MossRehab developed the first neurologic physical therapy residency program in the country, credentialed by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) in 2003 and reaccredited in 2014. Since the beginning, the program has produced 35 graduates, with 100 percent passing the NCS examination and receiving specialist certification.

Our residency program provides an intensive, one-year experience combining clinical and didactic learning opportunities. The foundation of the program is over 200 hours of one-on-one clinical mentoring with expert clinicians at MossRehab. This occurs concurrently with clinical practice as a treating therapist: residents move through several clinical rotations within the programs offered at MossRehab. The resident will also receive >150 hours of instruction based on the APTA's Neurologic Description of Specialty Practice. Additional components include structured learning opportunities in areas related to clinical practice, teaching and scientific inquiry.

Program Mission

The Mission of the MossRehab Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency Programs is to provide practicing physical therapists an advanced level of clinical training that will enable them to take a leadership role in the treatment of individuals with functional limitations associated with neurologic deficits. The program strives to create graduates who use evidence-based best practices to become accomplished patient-care providers who can serve as a resource and role model for peers and the community regarding neurologic physical therapy. Residents completing the program will be prepared to sit for and pass the Physical Therapy Specialist Certification Examination in Neurology.

Why choose the Moss Neurologic Residency Program?

As the oldest neurologic physical therapy residency program in the country, MossRehab's residency program draws upon a wealth of experience.

Several of our previous residency graduates continue to work at MossRehab and are involved with the program. MossRehab has a cadre of experienced physical therapists including more than 15 with neurologic specialty certification (NCS) working in its main facility, many of whom are mentors or lecture within the residency program. In addition to the formal mentoring that is a central aspect of the residency program, MossRehab provides a dynamic clinical environment fostering collaboration among physical therapists and those from other disciplines on the clinical team.

Outcomes

• 100 percent of MossRehab Neurologic residency graduates pass rate on the NCS exam on first attempt
• Approximately 50 percent of residency graduates elect to stay at MossRehab as full time staff members upon graduation from the program.
• The majority of MossRehab Neurologic residency graduates contribute to national and regional endeavors including poster presentations, lecturing, and teaching responsibilities after completing the program.
• Here’s what employers say about residency graduates:

“Jill is excellent at critical thinking, correlating the clinical presentation with lesion site and size, and incorporating various treatment techniques into the plan of care for her patients.”

“Kate was able to proficiently manage involved clients, demonstrating an advanced level of clinical expertise.”

"Alison demonstrates good application of current research during her treatment sessions and is a vital part of the multi-disciplinary team. She is well versed in multiple diagnoses and is able to independently, competently and confidently treat a wide variety of patients."

• Residency graduates say:

“Moss has done a fantastic job preparing me to work in any setting with any neurologic population.”

"The Moss PT residency program was an invaluable professional development experience. The mentored sessions and opportunity to collaborate with other therapists helped me to problem solve effectively, to reflect on my treatment biases and to critically appraise treatment ideas."

"Making the decision to participate in the residency program was the best decision I have made in my post-grad career. I feel much more confident in different areas- clinical decision making, presenting information to peers in in-services, patient handling skills… ."

What is a physical therapy clinical residency?

A clinical residency program is defined by APTA as a post-professional clinical and didactic program for physical therapists designed to advance the resident's preparation as a provider in a defined practice area. It combines opportunities for ongoing clinical supervision and mentoring with a theoretical basis for advanced practice and scientific inquiry. A clinical residency program is not synonymous with a "clinical internship" or "clinical fellowship". For further information, visit the APTA Web site.

Curriculum

The MossRehab neurologic physical therapy residency program combines clinical mentoring, the opportunity for advanced clinical practice, didactic information, and specialty learning opportunities into a rich, comprehensive learning experience.  We believe strongly that:

• Advanced clinical decision-making requires solid foundational knowledge and skills
• Advancement of clinical skills requires guidance and reflection
• Advanced clinical practice requires the ability to critically appraise and contextualize current research
• Patients are the best teachers

Therefore, the didactic portion, as well as the entire program, is developed around these ideas. Further, we use as a framework the APTA’s Neurologic Description of Specialty Practice (DSP). This is the same document on which the examination for specialty certification in neurologic P.T. practice is based. This ensures that the residency graduate will be well prepared to sit for the specialty certification examination and practice autonomously at an advanced level.

In each week, the resident can expect to participate in the following:

• 28 hours of direct care with patients with neurologic diagnoses
• 2 hours of work with a patient and a mentor (“mentored session”)
• 3 hours of one-on-one mentoring with a mentor
• Up to 6 hours of didactic lectures and structured learning experiences

Note that some lectures will be provided on weekday evenings, while others may occur during Saturday or the full weekend. Although the structure of each week will vary depending on the clinical service and other responsibilities, a typical week might look as follows:

Clinical Sites

MossRehab has long been recognized as a rehabilitation leader regionally, nationally and internationally. MossRehab's Drucker Brain Injury Center was one of the first dedicated programs for rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the country. In conjunction with the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, it houses the MossRehab TBI Model System, which has been funded as a center for excellence in TBI research and care by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) since 1997.

MossRehab’s stroke, TBI and SCI programs are all CARF accredited. MossRehab has been recognized as one of the top 10 rehabilitation hospitals in the country by US News and World Report. Rehabilitation robotics has been strong focus over the past10+ years, and we feature multiple robotic options for our patients.

These exciting new training modalities are recognized as additional options for our most important treatment tool: the clinician who is able to apply advanced clinical reasoning and treatment techniques to achieve the best outcome for the patient.

Faculty

Mentorship is a crucial element of developing advanced clinical skills. Our faculty of dedicated clinician-educators has a collective of nearly 150 years of clinical experience. They include:

Outpatient Neurologic & Vestibular Rehabilitation

• Janine Brodovsky, PT, MS
• Matt Vnenchak, PT, MS, NCS
• Vincent Long, PT, DPT, NCS
• Ruba Nacheff, PT, DPT

Inpatient and Outpatient Brain Injury

• Kim Miczak, PT, NCS
• Elizabeth Marcy, PT, DPT, NCS

Inpatient Stroke and Spinal Cord Injury

• Naomi A. Greenberg, PT, DPT, GCS
• Kelly Sprik, PT, DPT, NCS
• Erika Harold, PT, DPT, NCS
• Andy Packel, PT, NCS
• Kelsey Loose, PT, DPT

Individuals both within MossRehab and from the local community provide didactic instruction. This includes professionals across a wide spectrum of clinical and academic perspectives. They include:

• Andrew Packel, PT, NCS
• Kate Boyd, MSPT, NCS
• Shailesh Kantak, Ph.D, PT
• Madeline DiPasquale, Ph.D.
• Eileen Fitzpatrick, Ph.D.
• Laurita M. Hack, PT, MBA, Ph.D., FAPTA
• Maria Flach, PT
• Claire McGrath, Ph.D.
• Marcia G. Moore, PT, APT
• Thomas Watanabe, MD
• Bob Wellmon, Ph.D., PT, NCS
• Carolyn Tassini, PT, DPT, NCS

Application and Contact Information

The MossRehab residency program is an intensive, dynamic experience intended to provide an advanced level of training. For this reason, we provide admission preference to individuals with one year or more of clinical experience. New graduates who are interested in the program are encouraged to apply.

Current Pennsylvania licensure or eligibility for Pennsylvania licensure is required to apply. Residents must obtain their PA license prior to the start of the program.

What are the dates and timelines of the program?

The residency program begins in July each year and runs for 53 consecutive weeks.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until January 15th of each year. Following that, applications will continue to be accepted until all positions have been filled. Qualified candidates will be invited for a required on-site interview. Notifications of acceptance will be provided by mid-April.

How do I apply?

We are a participating program in the RF-PTCAS online application system.

Who do I contact for more information?

The program leader is:

Kimberly Miczak, PT, NCS
Coordinator, Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency Program
MossRehab 
60 E. Township Line Rd
Elkins Park, PA 19027
Office Phone: 215-663-6388
Email: kimberly.miczak@jefferson.edu