The Foundations section of the curriculum takes place during the first five weeks of the residency program. Prior to beginning the residency program, an orientation session will be held that will go over the curriculum and the clinical mentoring schedule for the next year and describe the expectations SPTE has for the residents. Once the residency begins, the first 2 weeks covers the topic of Evidence Based Practice. This module serves as two heavy weeks of reading to help establish the platform in which the remainder of the orthopedic residency will be based upon. It attempts to build upon the skills of the resident to becoming an Evidence Informed Clinician. The second three weeks address medical screening and musculoskeletal imaging as a component of the musculoskeletal evaluation. This module will better prepare the resident to answer the primary question of whether physical therapy is indicated for a specific patient by identifying red flags that warrant a physician referral and/or diagnostic imaging. The topics covered in the Foundation section will continue to be threaded through the CORE didactic courses.

Intro To Evidence Informed Practice

This course will emphasize the basic and implementation of the patient/client management model in the realm of musculoskeletal physical therapy. It is the first of two introductory courses in the series of Special Topics in Orthopedic Physical Therapy.


Medical Screening and Musculoskeletal Imaging

Now that you have been introduced to the foundations of clinical problem solving and patient-centered care we will now delve into the actual Physical Therapy examination/evaluation. This 3-week module entitled "Medical Screening/Imaging" will focus on the global concept of the practice of medical screening and delve into the practice guidelines established for musculoskeletal imaging. Obviously, in a 3-week course, we will not be able to cover all nuances of these topics. This course is intended to lay down a FOUNDATION that will be continue to be revisited in the four CORE courses that follow.

Pain Science Education