Program Overview

Introduction to the UCSF Acute Care Physical Therapy Residency

The UCSF Acute Care Physical Therapy Residency provides a comprehensive acute care curriculum, including mentoring and teaching experiences, to facilitate the advanced clinical development of physical therapists. The program's mission is to provide exceptional evidence-based and patient-centered physical therapy services and to become future educators of the next generation of physical therapists.

Program Overview

As a resident in the program, participants will have access to the full breadth of resources and clinical expertise available through UCSF and UCSF Health, as well as through collaboration with the UCSF/SFSU Graduate Program in Physical Therapy. The program is committed to training and supporting physical therapists, including clinicians from and/or interested in serving medically, economically, or educationally disadvantaged populations.

Program Details

• 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.
• The program has a 90% graduation rate.

Program Goals and Objectives

The program has four main goals:

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

• 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, widen perspectives, and increase accessibility for patients and within the broader healthcare community.

2. Prepare the residents to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and behaviors unique to acute care physical therapy.

• 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 committed to UCSF PRIDE values and Principles of Community with patients, colleagues, and the greater medical community.

3. Assist residents and residency faculty in providing advanced patient-centered and evidence-based care.

• 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 UCSF PRIDE values and Principles of Community for faculty and residents to facilitate equitable patient care.

4. Facilitate development of residents as clinical educators.

• 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.