UCSF Acute Care Physical Therapy Residency
We provide a comprehensive acute care curriculum including mentoring and teaching experiences to facilitate the advanced clinical development of physical therapists.

The UCSF Acute Care Physical Therapy Program is accredited by the American Physical Therapy Association as a post-professional residency program for physical therapists in acute care physical therapy.

Residents will be exposed to a rich curriculum and mentoring experience that integrates the clinical expertise of practitioners both within and outside of the UCSF Medical Center. The Residency will include collaboration with the UCSF/SFSU Graduate Program in Physical Therapy and access to the breadth of resources and clinical expertise available within the UCSF Health System.

The mission of the Acute Care Physical Therapy Residency Program is to provide a comprehensive acute care curriculum, mentoring, and teaching experience to facilitate the advanced clinical development of physical therapists who will provide exceptional evidence-based and patient-centered physical therapy services, and become future educators of the next generation of physical therapists.

The UCSF Acute Care Physical Therapy Residency Program is committed to training and supporting physical therapists, including clinicians from medically underserved and disadvantaged backgrounds, to reflect and meet the needs of the diverse populations we serve.

Program Outcomes

87% graduation rate

Program Goals and Objectives

Goal 1: Support the Mission and Values of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science.

Objectives

  • Develop and offer a post-professional residency program to enhance the advanced educational opportunities in acute care practice for physical therapy health care providers.
  • Foster professional development and teaching opportunities for faculty and medical center employees within the UCSF Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science and the UCSF Department of Rehabilitative Services.
  • Provide education and training to facilitate collaboration and provide opportunities to implement diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility for patients and within the broader healthcare community.

Goal 2: Prepare the residents to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and behaviors unique to acute care physical therapy as set forth in the Acute Care Physical Therapist Practice Analysis published in Physical Therapy October 2010; 90:1453-1467.

Objectives

  • Develop and deliver a curriculum that meets the standards set forth by the Acute Care Physical Therapist Practice Analysis.
  • Conduct regular journal clubs to enhance the residents’ ability to critically assess literature and current evidence to support advanced physical therapy practice.
  • Provide opportunities for self-assessment and advancement in clinical practice.
  • Support ongoing educational opportunities to demonstrate and effectively communicate diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-oppression values to patients, colleagues, and the greater medical community.

Goal 3: Assist residents and residency faculty in providing advanced patient-centered and evidence-based care to better serve both the community and the profession.

Objectives

  • Provide academic resources to facilitate development of residency faculty and residents.
  • Provide mentorship to elevate clinical reasoning and enhance patient care.
  • Promote interdisciplinary collaboration between health care providers to better facilitate patient care and professional development.
  • Promote diversity, equity and inclusion, and anti-oppression for faculty and residents to facilitate equitable patient care.

Goal 4: Facilitate development of residents as clinical educators.

Objectives

  • Provide opportunities for teaching within the UCSF/SFSU Graduate Program in Physical Therapy and in the community.
  • Provide learning resources to develop teaching skills.
  • Provide constructive feedback and assessment of teaching methods.