Program details

Inova’s neurologic physical therapy residency program is a comprehensive 52-week program that begins each September. This full-salaried position includes access to all employer-sponsored benefits. The resident is responsible for paying tuition and other fees. 

The residency focuses on post-acute care rehabilitation including: 

  • A nine-month clinical rotation in inpatient rehabilitation 
  • A two-month rotation in outpatient neurologic rehabilitation 
  • A one-month immersion in acute care 

Participants will engage in a variety of clinical and didactic experiences designed to enhance their advanced knowledge and clinical decision-making skills within the neurologic patient population. Residents will practice as treating clinicians while also benefiting from over 200 hours of dedicated mentorship. They will collaborate closely with members of the interdisciplinary team, receiving guidance from experienced clinicians and board-certified neurologic clinical specialists. 

This program is designed to equip residents with the skills and confidence to practice independently in the field of neurologic physical therapy and to prepare them to sit for their neurologic clinical specialist examination.

Note: The American Board of Physical Therapy Residence and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE) has granted the Inova Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency Program candidacy status. Candidacy status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation. Achieving candidacy status is not an indication that ABPTRFE will grant initial accreditation. Participants who graduate from a program in candidacy status are not deemed to have completed an accredited program.

Submit application

Program highlights

  • Competitive compensation: Enjoy a full salary and comprehensive benefits package 
  • Expert-led learning: Gain experiential opportunities with clinical experts 
  • Leadership and teaching: Engage in departmental leadership and teaching opportunities 
  • Advanced training: Receive extensive training with state-of-the-art rehabilitation technologies 
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration: Work alongside a team of interdisciplinary rehabilitation specialists to deliver holistic patient care 
  • Personalized mentorship: Benefit from over 200 hours of one-on-one mentoring with specialists  
  • Diverse expertise: Learn from a large team of more than 50 highly skilled and dedicated clinicians
  • Community engagement: Create impact within the community through service projects and volunteer opportunities. 
  • Comprehensive curriculum: Expand your clinical skills and prepare for the neurologic clinical specialist examination 
  • Diverse clinical rotations: Experience a variety of clinical rotations including inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient rehabilitation and neuro-focused acute care 
  • Hands-on learning: Participate in a variety of skills labs, gait labs, journal clubs and other interactive learning experiences that deepen your understanding and application of neurologic physical therapy approaches
     

Meet our residency program team

Program goals: 

To provide advanced practice training and education of the physical therapist in order to: 

  • meet the rehabilitation needs of the adult population with neurologic diagnoses and comorbidities in all relevant settings.
  • optimize patient performance and outcomes, through delivery of patient-centered care with a holistic approach to physical, emotional and psychosocial factors.
  • demonstrate utilization of evidence-based evaluations and treatment approaches with the adult population with neurologic conditions.
  • demonstrate understanding and implementation of ethical principles and scope of practice in the delivery of physical therapy services as documented by APTA.
  • demonstrate a commitment to our community through service projects and volunteer opportunities.
  • demonstrate leadership skills by fostering professional growth of interdisciplinary students and clinicians and through engagement in scholarly activities and presentations.
  • provide a curriculum that addresses all areas of the neurologic description of residency practice through didactive education and clinical experience to develop an independent and confident clinician.
  • provide a curriculum and mentorship to prepare residents to pass their neurologic clinical specialist certification examination.
     

Residency mission

Our mission is to promote clinical excellence by developing skilled residents through high-quality education in neurologic physical therapy with a devotion to quality patient care, mentorship and a commitment to community. Our program faculty, mentors and residents will succeed in managing complex neurologic conditions and utilize technology and evidence-based practice to improve patient outcomes and advance the field of neurologic physical therapy. 

Inova’s mission

To provide world-class healthcare to each person in every community we have the privilege to serve.

Curriculum overview 

Inova will prepare residents to achieve our mission and foster critical thinking, enhance clinical application and promote foundational knowledge through our full-time, 12-month program. Our curriculum is designed with a focus on post-acute care neurologic rehabilitation rotations in inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation but will also allow for exposure to, and immersion in, acute care. Our curriculum encompasses a diverse range of didactic education, clinical practice, teaching experience, mentorship and community service. Didactic education is offered through a multimodal approach featuring clinical expert presentations, skills labs, journal clubs, research opportunities, online CEUs and learning modules. In-person education courses are taught by experienced interdisciplinary clinicians and physicians in their specialty area of practice. 

To facilitate effective learning, residents are also allocated dedicated administrative time within their daily schedules to complete a portion of their didactic education onsite. Additionally, residents are expected to engage with educational materials outside clinic hours to further enhance their learning experience. Extensive one-to-one mentorship will be provided during and outside of patient care to promote mastery of handling skills, clinical reasoning and management of the complex neurologic patient.

Sample schedule

 MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursday Friday

 

AM        

Patient care at Inova Mount Vernon
 

One-on-one mentorship meeting with program mentor

Patient care at Inova Mount Vernon
 

Interdisciplinary conference 

Patient care at Inova Mount Vernon with mentor co-treat


One-on-one mentorship meeting with co-coordinator

Patient care at Inova Mount VernonPatient care at Inova Mount Vernon
Lunch breakLunch with educational inserviceLunchLunchLunch with journal club, gait lab or skills lab

 

Lunch


 

PMPatient care at Inova Mount Vernon with mentor co-treat

 

Patient care at Inova Mount Vernon with mentor co-treat

Admin time to review education modules

Patient care at Inova

 


Patient care at Inova Mount Vernon with mentor co-treat


Admin time to review education modules

Patient care at Inova Mount Vernon with mentor co-treat


Admin time to review education modules

After- work Review research articles and education modules  Volunteer with adaptive rugby team (not a weekly requirement) 

Contact us

For more information about the program, please contact: