Admissions Requirements
Degree, Licensure Requirements
- Graduate of a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program or currently enrolled and in good standing in a DPT program with expected graduation date by June (or the deadline to sit for the NPTE in July)
- Proof of licensure or Physical Therapy Licensed Applicant (PTLA) status by the Physical Therapy Board of California by program start date.
- If the applicant is a PTLA, please complete the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) within 90 days of being granted PTLA status by the PT Board of California per the California Physical Therapy Practice Act, Section 2655.93.
Letters of Recommendation
Three letters of reference are required. Two should be from physical therapists who personally know the applicant and their abilities, and one letter should be a previous course instructor or academician, who may or may not be a physical therapist.
Curriculum Vitae
- Academic history (undergraduate, graduate, or professional institutions attended or currently attending)
- Continuing education courses. Please include: Course title, name of course instructor/sponsoring organization, approximate number of contact hours, and date of completion.
- Clinical experience (PT clinical experiences/internships, professional employment history, research, volunteer work, teaching and professional presenting experience, research)
- Honors or awards
- Licenses (Please indicate if you currently have PTLA status)
- Residency or fellowship credentials or certifications (ABPTS certifications,APTA credentialed instructor, ATC, etc.) Professional memberships • APTA and Neurology Section memberships
- Proof of current BLS certification
Official Graduate Transcripts
Coursework/Schedule
The Residency is one year in length and begins at the start of September every year.
Resident Schedules
Resident schedules include:
• 27-32 hours per week of patient care
• 4-6 hours per week of mentoring
• 4-8 hours per week of didactic coursework, journal club, and/or inter-professional rounding
• 4 hours per week of teaching within the UCSF/SFSU Graduate Program in Physical Therapy
• Intermittent 1-day weekend coursework
Financial Commitment/Support
Residents will be employed by the University of California, San Francisco through the Office of Graduate Medical Education.
Stipend & Tuition
They will receive a stipend for time spent performing patient care, as well as benefits. In addition, the program will pay up to $1,800 in relocation costs, if your current principal residence is at least 50 miles from the campus. Annual tuition for the program is $2,500 and is due by the first day of residency. Residents are encouraged to contact the program as soon as possible if they are experiencing hardship and are unable to meet this deadline to explore further options.
At the request of the program's accrediting organization, ABPTRFE, prospective residents can also view program costs and program-sponsored financial assistance in the ABPTRFE Residency and Fellowship Financial Fact Sheet.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program is a United States government program that was created under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (CCRAA) to provide indebted professionals a way to reduce their federal student loan debt burden by working full-time in public service. The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on a person’s Federal Direct Loans after they have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. UCSF is considered a qualifying employer because we are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Orthopedic physical therapy residents are considered employees of UCSF during their residency and qualify for the PSLF program while making payments for the duration of the residency. Please visit the PSLF website for more detailed information on the program, qualifying repayment plans, and the enrollment process.
