Program Details

The curriculum of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Residency Program at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School follows topics delineated in the syllabus published by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Each month a different topic in the area of physical medicine and rehabilitation is addressed in depth. Each week the residents have protected didactic time during which they learn through lectures, Journal Club, Grand Rounds, department seminars, as well as from lectures given by visiting speakers. In addition, each month the residents have time dedicated to the Ultrasound curriculum, which includes an anatomy review and hands-on ultrasound training. Over the course of the program, residents also learn through participation in an anatomy cadaver lab, radiology lecture series, case reviews, a prosthetics course, orthotics course, EMG course, trach workshop, joint injection workshop, and other training. CME lectures are also part of the residents’ weekly schedule. Senior residents participate in an extensive board review course, which extends from January through June of the senior year. This course helps prepare seniors for part I of their board-certification examination. Residents are exposed to a balance of 65/35 inpatient/outpatient clinical experiences. Residents benefit from a 1:1 teaching ratio. This allows for a significant amount of individualized attention to be given to each resident during his/her training.

Utilizing the guidelines/toolbox outlined by the ACGME, the competency development committee developed a comprehensive competency program. This program integrates the six general competencies into our existing academic and clinical curriculum.

Curriculum

Our clinical rotations and academic curriculum have historically been centered around the individual AAPM&R syllabus topics (as published in the archives of PM&R).

• Clinical Component: A clinical rotation is assigned for each topic, with an Attending Physician who is a subject matter expert.
• Academic Component: A full month of blocked time lectures including review of syllabus material.

For each rotation, the Attending, who is a subject matter expert, participated in several meetings to assist with the development of competency materials specific to that rotation.

View our June 2020 Academic Schedule

View our Rehabilitation Resident Didactics

View our PM&R Resident Rotations

Residents have the opportunity to rotate through all areas of the JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in central New Jersey, including:

• The Center for Head Injuries and its Brain Trauma Unit
• The Cognitive Rehabilitation Department and Extended Recovery Unit
• The Pediatric Rehabilitation Department
• The JFK Hartwyck Subacute Rehabilitation Center
• The Inpatient Rehabilitation Service
• The Acute Care Therapy Service
• The Outpatient Occupational Therapy/Physical Therapy Department
• JFK University Medical Center’s Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Programs
• The Spasticity Program
• The Electro-diagnostic Service
• The Spinal Cord Injury Service
• The Industrial Rehabilitation Program
• The Prosthetics and Orthotics Clinic
• The Pain Management Service including interventional procedures
• The Wheelchair Evaluation Program
• The Wound Care Clinic at SPUH
• The Speech Pathology and Audiology Department
• JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute’s Independence Square, a safe, therapeutic area where patients can regain their ability to perform daily living skills

Residents also care for patients within a variety of other on-site and off-site health care settings, including various inpatient and outpatient units at JFK University Medical Center; the JFK Hartwyck Nursing, and Rehabilitation Center in Edison, NJ; and Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, NJ. We have consult and EMG services in Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ.

Schedule of Rotations

PGY 2

• Inpatient Brain Injury Unit/Spasticity
• Inpatient Cardiac/Pulmonary Service
• Inpatient Neuromuscular Rehab/General
• Inpatient Spinal Cord Injury/General
• Inpatient Parkinson's/Cardiac Rehab

PGY 3

• Outpatient/Spasticity
• JFK Consult Service
• EMG
• Pediatrics/Musculoskeletal-Sports Medicine/Spinal Cord Injury
• MSK Sports/Concussion/Interventional Pain Medicine

PGY 4

• Elective
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital/St. Peter’s University Hospital-Consult Service/Rheumatology
• Prosthetics/Orthotics/SAR/Pain Management
• Industrial Medicine/Musculoskeletal/EMG
• Subacute Rehab/Aftercare/Stroke Recovery Rehab

• History and Physical Exam Checklist: Developed for the major diagnostic groups encountered within each clinical rotation.
• Multiple Chart Simulated Oral Exams (Oral Case Studies): Developed for the major diagnostic groups encountered to assess each resident’s integration of academic knowledge into clinical practice. Case studies include differential diagnosis, treatment plan and prescription writing.
• Technical Skills Assessment: Developed for pertinent skill assessment
  • Joint injection
  • Tracheotomy management
  • EMG
• Globally for the program several other competency tools were developed:
  • 360-degree global rating survey
  • Patient survey
  • Procedure logbook

Resident Annual Courses

As part of the ACGME Program Self-Study, JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute faculty, residents and program leadership developed Program AIMS that align with our vision, goals and expectations for the PM&R Residency Program. They include:

• Resident and Faculty Wellness:
  • “Educate Resident and Faculty Physicians in wellness with the need to focus on health and well-being of themselves.”
• Resident Competency:
  • “Produce Excellent Independent PM&R Practitioners who will exhibit the highest level of clinical and medical competence to “Advance what’s possible.”
• Ultrasound:
  • “Train residents in the knowledge and proficiency of diagnostic and interventional musculoskeletal ultrasound.”
• Transition of Care:
  • “To educate residents in transitions of care for patients from the acute inpatient rehabilitation setting, to subacute and outpatient rehabilitation settings.”