Didactics take place every Thursday morning during protected time. Board specific lecture topics are organized into blocks throughout the year. Residents, PM&R attending physicians and guest lecturers from other departments, including Anesthesia Pain, Orthopedic Surgery, Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Geriatrics provide lectures and interactive small group activities.

The anatomy curriculum includes visits to the cadaver lab for hands-on anatomy learning. Workshops throughout the year include Musculoskeletal Physical Exam, Ultrasound, Spasticity, and EMG/NCS workshops where residents are able to practice their skills with guidance from attending physicians.

Educational visits to a local Prosthetics and Orthotics clinic, Wheelchair vendor site, and comprehensive Day Rehabilitation program are included.

Residents participate in monthly Grand Rounds and Patient Safety Conferences. Mock ABPMR Part 2 Oral Board Exams are provided quarterly. Resident Roundtable sessions with the Program Director and a Quality Improvement curriculum are provided quarterly. The department chairman holds Chairman’s Rounds with the residents monthly.

The residency program in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Kansas Medical Center offers a comprehensive, well-rounded and high clinical volume procedural training experience. Residents will acquire the skills for a broad scope of procedures such as peripheral joint, tendon and trigger point injections, ultrasound-guided peripheral joint injections, neurocryolysis, and spasticity management including botulinium toxin injections and baclofen pump management.

Residents obtain training in nerve conduction studies and electromyography with several physiatrists and neurologists. Residents will have hands-on training in performing fluoroscopically guided spine procedures that range from caudal, transforaminal & interlaminar epidural steroid injections, medial branch blocks/radio frequency ablations, facet joint injections, sacroiliac joint injections, as well as fluoroscopic guided nerve blocks and ablations throughout the body.

Additionally, KU remains on the forefront of ortho-biological advancement, allowing residents to be exposed to the world of regenerative medicine through procedures such as platelet rich plasma injections.

Our residents are eligible for elective time during their PGY-3 and PGY-4 years. Residents usually do 1-week or 2-week elective rotations during the outpatient rotation block, and preference is given to rotations within The University of Kansas Hospital System.

The program attempts to be flexible with the rotation schedule to allow each resident to have the necessary exposure to their subspecialty of interest. Some of the electives recently done by our residents include Neurology, Neuromuscular Medicine, Palliative Care, Anesthesia Pain Medicine, Prosthetics and Orthotics, Wound Care, and others.

First Year Residency (PGY-1): We are an advanced track program and do not offer an integrated four-year residency program. Many applicants choose to apply for a PGY-1 position through the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Preliminary years through transitional or general surgery programs are also accepted.

Second, Third, and Fourth Year (PGY2-4): Residents rotate at several sites throughout their training, with broad exposure in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Rotations are divided into two-month blocks: each resident will spend at least 12 months on inpatient rotations and 12 months on outpatient rotations. The remaining time is for dedicated procedural training (EMG) and consults.

Our program offers clinical rotations at five facilities:

• The University of Kansas Hospital
• Children’s Mercy Hospital
• Kansas City VA Medical Center
• Leavenworth VA Medical Center
• Rehabilitation Hospital of Overland Park

Inpatient rotations:

The University of Kansas Hospital Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit is the primary site for inpatient experiences. At the University of Kansas site, the major patient populations include Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, Stroke and General Rehabilitation – which encompasses Oncology, Transplant, Burn, Pulmonary, Cardiac and Neurologic diagnoses. Starting in Summer of 2021, residents will also have a community-based acute inpatient rehabilitation rotation at The Rehabilitation Hospital of Overland Park, which is the affiliate inpatient rehabilitation facility for the University of Kansas Health System.

Outpatient rotations:

All clinical sites have general and sub-specialty Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation clinics. These clinics enable follow-up of patients discharged from their respective inpatient units and provide the opportunity to address a variety of neurological and musculoskeletal clinical problems. These sites also have a number of individual and collaborative (interdepartmental) clinics.

Specialty clinics residents rotate through include:

• Amputee/Prosthetics/Orthotics
• Seating and Positioning Clinic (Adult and Pediatric)
• Spina Bifida
• Cerebral Palsy
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Brain Injury
• Stroke
• Spasticity
• Cancer Rehabilitation
• Musculoskeletal
• Spine
• Pain
• Sports Medicine
• Neurology
• Electrodiagnostic Medicine