Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Curriculum

Students learning medical tools, with a sensor placed on a volunteer's arm

Students eating lunch together in the lab

Students outside on a patio, talking with each other

Students watching a demonstration in a classroom

In addition to the core curriculum, we provide supplementary courses and hands-on workshops to augment your education and sharpen your skills. Also, view the residents page and educational activities.

Residents enjoy protected time for research, to attend seminars, and to present at national conferences. They participate in the AAPM&R SAE each year. Additional experiences include caring for injured athletes at the Houston Marathon, other athletic events in Houston and the surrounding area, and community rehabilitation experience at the Texas Rehabilitation Services Volunteer Program (RSVP).

Our program offers teaching in all the required areas of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Our nationally recognized faculty provide specialty training in spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, pain management, and musculoskeletal rehabilitation. Residents are exposed to rotations in pediatric rehabilitation, sports rehabilitation, cancer rehabilitation, cardiac rehabilitation, electrodiagnostics and rehabilitation of veterans, among others.

Rotations

Our program offers teaching in all the required areas of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Our nationally recognized faculty provide specialty training in spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, stroke rehabilitation, pain management, pediatric rehabilitation, and musculoskeletal rehabilitation. Residents are exposed to a variety of different clinical settings including a nationally recognized inpatient rehabilitation facility (TIRR Memorial Hermann), the largest veterans affairs hospitals in the country (HOU MED VAMC), one of the perennial leaders in pediatric care (Texas Children's Hospital), a robust county based tertiary system (Ben Taub Hospital in Harris Health), and a leading private affiliated academic hospital (Baylor-St Luke’s).

Every resident will have the following experiences:

At least 12 months of inpatient rehabilitation experience
At least 12 months of outpatient rehabilitation experience with a focus on spasticity management, musculoskeletal-sports, and pain medicine, exclusive of EMG experience
Four to five months of EMG experience (residents will exceed the required 200 EMGs during their training)
Three to Five months of rehabilitation consultation experience
Three to Four months of pediatric rehabilitation experience
Several core rotations where senior residents are given opportunity to have teaching roles to junior residents

Sample Rotation Schedule

PGY-2	PGY-3	PGY-4
VA Musculoskeletal - Spine	VA Musculoskeletal - Spine	VA Musculoskeletal - Spine
VA Electrodiagnostics	VA Electrodiagnostics	VA Electrodiagnostics
Gulfgate Clinic	Gulfgate Clinic	Gulfgate Clinic
Ben Taub Consults	Ben Taub Consults	Ben Taub Consults
McNair Outpatient	McNair Outpatient	Smith Clinic, Electrodiagnostics and MSK
3 months VA Spinal Cord Injury	Smith Clinic Electrodiagnostics	Smith Clinic Electrodiagnostics
3 Months TIRR	Texas Children’s PM&R Outpatient	TIRR Outpatient
VA General Rehab	Texas Children’s PM&R inpatient	Texas Children’s Musculoskeletal - Sports
	Texas Children’s Musculoskeletal - Sports	St Luke’s Consults
	2 months TIRR	VA Selective
	McNair Pain & Spine	McNair Musculoskeletal - Sports

Call Schedule

Call responsibilities vary by rotation site however all are taken as home call and none require overnight stay. Residents average four-six days of call (inclusive of weekday and weekend call) per month during their PGY-2 and PGY-3 years. Residents average two-four days of call (inclusive of weekday and weekend call) per month during their PGY-4 year.