Description

Regis University’s Residency in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy (RUROPT) program is an intensive one-year program focusing on progressive didactic education with courses specific to advanced orthopedic physical therapist practice and advanced clinical practice. This 12-semester hour specialty allows for rapid post-professional development, advanced clinical decision making and prepares candidates to sit for the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) certification examination.

Admission

Admission to the Residency in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy program is granted on a competitive basis.

• Applicants must have successfully completed a CAPTE accredited professional physical therapy curriculum, or have had a state physical therapy board approve the applicant’s first-professional physical therapy program as “equivalent” to a US CAPTE accredited professional physical therapy program.
• The applicant is required to be licensed in the state of practice(s) or be license-eligible and successfully completed licensure before officially beginning studies. This license must not be under suspension, revocation, probationary status, or subject to disciplinary proceedings or inquiry.
• All applicants must have current CPR certification and professional liability insurance coverage that applies to all clinical settings in which they work.
• Applicants must be an APTA and Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy (AOPT) member, pass a background check, and be committed to professional development.
• Applicants must submit a completed application in a timely manner in order to be considered for the program. Admission will be granted on a competitive basis utilizing the online RF-PTCAS application system.

Application Process

Applicants must submit all required admission information as instructed on the RF-PTCAS (Residency and Fellowship Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service) application. This, in part, includes the following:

• RF-PTCAS web-based application
• RF-PTCAS application fee
• Three letters of recommendation that address the candidate’s qualifications for the residency, including letters from former physical therapy faculty members, former clinical instructors, physical therapists, rehabilitation researchers, or other health care practitioners.
• Entry-level DPT degree transcript. Candidates with a non-PT terminal degree are eligible for entry if they graduated prior to 2017 with a CAPTE-approved terminal education in Physical Therapy. Official transcripts of terminal degree are required.
• Physical therapist license verification or license eligibility. 
• Two essays - one from RF-PTCAS, and one specifically for the RUROPT program responding to the following essay prompt: The Regis University Orthopaedic Residency is designed to optimize clinical decision making and accelerate the professional development of a Physical Therapist to be a leader in orthopaedic patient management. Why are you the best candidate for our program?
• Resume/curriculum vitae
• APTA membership and AOPT membership are required for admitted students (can be completed within thirty (30) days after acceptance).

Compliance Requirement

Students need to demonstrate that they are in full-time (32 or more hours per week) employment in orthopaedic clinical practice.

Ranking

Admission to the RUROPT is granted on a competitive basis.

Regis University reserves the right to deny admission, continued enrollment, or re-enrollment to any applicant or student who would pose an unreasonable risk of harm to self or others, or any unreasonable risk of disruption to the academic or clinical processes of the School of Physical Therapy, the Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions, or the University. Also, adherence to the Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapist, and Standards of Practice for Physical Therapy as described by the American Physical Therapy Association is required for all students in the program.

Computer Literacy

Due to the online format of the courses in the residency, students need to be proficient in several computer applications. In addition to the applications found in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), students are expected to be comfortable navigating web pages using common Internet browsers, attaching documents to e-mails, and participating in online discussion groups and other social media. Similarly, it is expected that students will have a home computer that has Internet access, preferably high-speed (broadband) Internet access. All students enrolled in the residency must have ready access to a computer system compliant with RHCHP systems requirements and configuration for the online learning management system.

Advising

Ranked residency faculty in the School of Physical Therapy are assigned as an academic advisor to each of the residents. The advisors counsel students on meeting requirements for the program and provide guidance and support for progression through the program.

Academic Information

The residency program consists of online courses, online mentoring that is continuous with the program, and two one-week long on-site intensives. Residents will be guided in independent study in their primary employment/mentoring site in the clinic off-site to Regis. Mentoring in orthopaedic physical therapist clinical practice will occur either at the clinic the resident is practicing in or at clinical partner site/s that the resident will be able to attend in order to reach the required 150 hours of 1:1 mentoring as part of an accredited residency under ABPTRFE.  Residency students are held to the same academic progression and standing requirements as the Doctor of Physical Therapy student.

For additional policies related to Academic Progression, Academic Withdrawal, and Academic Standing and Penalty, students should refer to the Doctor of Physical Therapy section of this Catalog, and Appendix R of the School of Physical Therapy Handbook. 

Course List

Code	Title	SHs
Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency Requirements
DPT 801	Advanced Clinical Practice I	2.00
DPT 811	Orthopaedic Specialty Practice I	2.00
DPT 802	Advanced Clinical Practice II	1.00
DPT 812	Orthopaedic Specialty Practice II	3.00
DPT 813	Orthopaedic Specialty Practiceiii	4.00
Total SHs		12