Corewell Health West Michigan Physical Therapy Residency Programs
Our mission
Our mission is to develop specialty practice, board-certified physical therapists, preparing them to become leaders and educators in orthopedic clinical practice. Our program supports the mission of Corewell Health by producing graduates who provide evidence-based, exceptional, and affordable care to improve the health of the communities they serve.
The Corewell Health West Michigan Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program is designed to provide program participants advanced training in this specialty area. We utilize our large hospital system in West Michigan to provide our residents with a wide array of experiences and the chance to collaborate with a large multi-disciplinary team. Furthermore, our evidence-based didactic curriculum is supplemented by dedicated mentoring to foster the development of strong clinical skills.
- Our program is approximately 12 months in duration, starting and concluding the last week of August.
- Each week 3 hours will be dedicated to patient care alongside a mentor, with an additional 1 hour of time to discuss cases or resident identified topics.
- Residents are considered full time employees of Corewell Health. They have a clinical appointment of 32-hours per week which includes the time spent with their mentor. Residents are benefit eligible and are compensated at 80% of the average market rate for an entry-level PT.
- Our program admits 1 resident annually.
Curriculum: The didactic component of the curriculum uses APTA Orthopaedic’s Current Concepts of Orthopedic Physical Therapy, 5th edition, JOSPT Clinical Practice Guidelines, select MedBridge knowledge tracks, and other multimedia content. The program provides the resident assistance in obtaining these resources at a discounted rate.
Structure: The program curriculum is comprised of two six-month units with each unit consisting of two clinical rotations. The first unit focuses on the lumbar spine, pelvis, and lower extremity. The second unit focuses on the cervical spine, thoracic spine, and upper extremity. Sequencing of the didactic curriculum, designated learning activities, and clinical patient care experiences starts with the axial skeleton and trunk, then progresses distally culminating with total limb integration by its completion.
Each unit is divided into two rotations providing residents the opportunity to treat these anatomical regions and their related health conditions in a varied and diverse patient population. This sequencing enables residents to continuously build upon their previous learning and clinical experiences.
Mentoring: Residents receive a minimum of 200 hours of dedicated to one-to-one mentoring with clinical faculty over the duration of the program with 150 of these hours conducted in a patient-care setting. All program mentors are board-certified orthopedic physical therapists who are strong clinical educations in addition to being content experts in their area of practice.
Learning Experiences: In addition to the didactic curriculum and mentoring, residents also complete:
- Guided self-reflection activities
- Journal club activities
- Interprofessional experiences with other health care providers in both clinic and procedural settings.
- Prepare, assist, and deliver orthopedic skill and technique presentation to entry-level DPT students in partnership with Grand Valley State University.
- Opportunities to participate with community-based activities offered by Corewell Health
- Capstone project or presentation
Outcomes: As of September 2024:
- Total number of program graduates: 1
- Overall Program graduation rate: 100%
- Percentage of program graduates who pass ABPTS Exam: To be published June 2025
The program monitors graduates’ ongoing professional development, performance on the ABPTS Orthopaedic Specialist Exam, and their career roles for up to five years.
All applications utilize the Residency and Fellowship Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (RF-PTCAS). Applications are due on March 31.
To be considered, each application must include:
- Completion of the application form
- Professional resume or curriculum vitae
- Program specific essay
- At least two letters of recommendation
- New graduates must provide at least one letter from either a clinical instructor or DPT program faculty member.
Minimum Requirements:
- Graduate from a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program.
- Licensed to practice physical therapy in Michigan by the program start date.
- Eligible for employment by Corewell Health.
- APTA member and program specific section member by the program start date.
For those with questions about our orthopedic physical therapy residency program, please email the Program Coordinator.
The Corewell Health West Michigan Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program is accredited by the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education as a post-professional residency program for physical therapists in orthopedics.
Application criteria
Learn more about how to apply and what you need to include in your application.