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The Paso del Norte Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency program will provide physical therapists with high-impact evidence-based education and clinical mentorship to develop Orthopaedic Clinical Specialists who will enhance the health outcomes in our undeserved Paso del Norte community. The comprehensive program will strive to attain sustainable excellence through continuous quality improvement and strategic initiatives.

Overview

The University of Texas at El Paso (Â鶹¹ÙÍø) in partnership with Spectrum Therapy Consultants and Spine & Rehab Specialists offer The Paso del Norte Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency Program. We are collaboratively committed to training the next generation of orthopaedic clinical specialists by providing the resident with high-impact education and clinical mentorship to enhance access and outcomes to patients and clients in our underserved Paso del Norte Region.

The intensive, 52 consecutive week orthopaedic residency systematically exposes the resident to a variety of structured learning, clinical, and teaching experiences. These experiences are organized in a logical sequence to facilitate growth of knowledge, clinical reasoning, evidence-based practice, teaching, and leadership.

The comprehensive curriculum addresses all areas of the Orthopaedic Description of Residency Practice and Core Competencies of a Physical Therapist Resident per the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE). The program prepares the resident to successfully complete the Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist Exam offered by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS).

We currently accept two residents annually. The Residency year typically starts and ends in late August each year (aligns with the Â鶹¹ÙÍø Fall Semester start date).

Sponsoring Organization:

• • The University of Texas at El Paso Department of Physical Therapy and Movement Sciences

Participating Clinical Partner Sites:

The Resident Handbook contains additional program details:

Earnings

The resident is employed by two organizations during the residency, a) one of our clinical partners as a physical therapist and b) also employed by Â鶹¹ÙÍø as adjunct faculty teaching musculoskeletal labs. The combined salary is aligned to 75% of an entry-level graduate for our region and includes a comprehensive benefits package from their respective clinic. While a resident, you may be able to defer any student loans; check with your individual lender(s) on their requirements. Residents are eligible for reduced APTA, Section and Academy dues.

Costs

There are no tuition expenses for the residents.

Projected non-tuition program expenses are approximately $845. This includes purchase of AOPT Core Curriculum, Texas Clinical Instructor part 1 fee, OCS Prep Exam fee, APTA/TPTA/AOPT annual membership (reduced fee for Residents), and program acceptance fee. Fee details are in our .

The resident is responsible for the purchase of personal tablets or laptops, scrubs, and supplies as well as personal transportation and parking expenses.

Accreditation

In Candidacy Status: The Paso del Norte Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency is currently in candidacy status by the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education as a post-professional Residency program for Physical Therapists in Orthopaedics. The program’s candidacy status decision is pending September 2024.

Recruit and retain motivated physical therapists committed to advancing their orthopedic clinical skills, clinical reasoning skills, and leadership skills to enhance health outcomes in our underserved Paso del Norte community.

Advance the profession of physical therapy by facilitating the development of advanced clinician skills in orthopaedic physical therapy and promoting a commitment to lifelong learning, teaching, advocacy, and service.

Implement a sustainable residency program by meeting stakeholder expectations to gain and then maintain ABPTRFE credentialling.

Resident Outcomes: Develop Orthopaedic Clinical Specialists by providing high-impact evidence-based education and clinical mentorship. Upon graduation, the resident will demonstrate…

• Professional behaviors and communication consistent with experienced clinicians.
• Knowledge at the level of board-certified Specialist in orthopedic physical therapy.
• Clinical reasoning at the level of a board-certified specialist in orthopaedic physical therapy.
• Patient/client examinations at the level of a board-certified specialist in orthopaedic physical therapy.
• Patient/client interventions at the level of a board-certified specialist in orthopaedic physical therapy.
• Effective teaching to patients, students, and peers congruent with the needs of the learner.
• Resident will pass the ABPTS OCS Board Certification Exam within 2 years of residency graduation.

Overview

We are excited and humbled that you are considering The Paso del Norte Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency as an integral component to your lifelong commitment to enhance yourself, the care provided to your community, our society, and the continued advancement of our profession.

The Â鶹¹ÙÍø Paso del Norte Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency Program is committed to training and supporting physical therapists, including clinicians from medically underserved and disadvantaged backgrounds, to reflect and meet the needs of the diverse populations we serve.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must display professional behaviors and enthusiasm in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy and demonstrate motivation and commitment to the profession. Desired applicants embody patient centered management and possess clinical reasoning skills for the application of examination and treatment procedures. Further, the applicant must…

1. Possess a valid Texas Physical Therapist license or be eligible for and successfully attain Texas PT License before officially beginning studies. This license must not be restricted in any way (not under suspension, revocation, in probationary status, or subject to disciplinary proceedings or inquiries).
2. Possess current Basic Life Support Certification for the Healthcare Provider.
3. Be a current American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) member.
4. Be a current Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy (AOPT) member (aka Orthopaedic Section).
5. Desirable experience.
   1. One year of post-graduate clinical experience in outpatient physical therapy prior to start date of the residency.
   2. New graduates and current DPT students with a demonstrated interest and acumen in orthopaedic physical therapy are eligible to apply. Examples of demonstrated interest and acumen include:
      1. Clinical rotations or internship with an instructor that has attained Board Certification as a Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy or other clinical specialization.
      2. Academic performance in MSK-related courses, student volunteer support of the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy, research agenda, volunteer experience in OP Ortho, etc.
   3. Experience being a clinical supervisor of physical therapy interns.
   4. Experience in providing education (presentations) or supporting Physical Therapy DPT student curriculum.
   5. Participated in activities that have positively addressed a need in the community.
6. If selected to be a resident, the resident must:
   1. Pay a program fee of $200.00 to verify and secure residency seat. This fee is non-refundable.
   2. Meet employment standards of clinic partner you are matched to (either Spectrum Therapy Consultants or Spine & Rehabilitation Specialists).
   3. Meet employment standards of Â鶹¹ÙÍø. which includes passing a background check.
   4. Possess and maintain professional liability insurance: Clinic Partners provide this to their resident employee.

Application Process Overview

There are two methods to apply – select the method best for your individual needs.

Method 1. Program Director. Submit residency application materials directly to program director.

Method 2. RF-PTCAS. Submit all required admission information per the Residency and Fellowship Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service ( ) application.   Key application materials include the following:

• Official transcripts from all Universities attended for physical therapy education (PT or PTA education). If PT applicant is foreign trained, a copy of the credentialling report validating substantial equivalency of your entry-level PT degree is acceptable.
• NPTE Performance Feedback Report (available for $100 at )
• Texas Physical Therapist License (or confirmation to attain prior to residency start)
• Current Basic Life Support/Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Certification
• American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) current membership.
• Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy (AOPT) current membership
• Current curriculum vitae or resume (not to exceed 4 pages) which includes, at minimum, the following: a) Education history, b) Physical Therapy employment/experiences history, c) Continuing Competency Education, d) PT related certifications attained (such as Dry Needling, Selected Functional Movement Screening, Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach, etc.), e) Physical Therapy content you have presented and audience, f) Research (capstone project, professional publications and posters), g) Community Service (activity, impact, hours), and h) Leadership experience (activity, impact and hours).
• Three letters of recommendation are required.
  • Licensed PTs . If you are a currently practicing physical therapist, please submit:
    • A letter from your current supervisor
    • Two other letters from references of your choice (such as former PT professor or clinical Instructor, peer Physical Therapist, other health care practitioner, or other personal reference).
  • Student PTs . If you are a current physical therapy student, please submit:
    • A letter from one of your physical therapy program professors
    • A letter from a current/past clinical instructor (from an orthopaedic rotation)
    • A letter from a reference of your choice (such as former PT professor or clinical Instructor, peer Physical Therapist, other health care practitioner, or other personal reference)
  • Personal essay addressing, at minimum, the 4 areas below. Essay not to exceed 2000 words. (upload to RF-PTCAS)
    • What do you wish to gain by participating in our residency (your goals)?
    • Residency experience is a unique opportunity to develop your clinical skills. Please use the space below to describe a patient that reflects your need for residency experience. This could be anything from a situation where mentorship might have changed the patient’s outcome or a case where having a larger skillset might have changed how you managed the patient. Please respect HIPAA rules and do not use patient identifiers.
    • What are your future plans related to orthopaedic physical therapy specialization? Your focus should be in 2-3 areas of professional growth related to clinical work, leadership, scholarship/research, or academia over the next 5 to 10 years.
    • Why are you the best candidate for our residency program? Discuss aspects of your background and professional experience that particularly qualify you for participation in a residency program.
  • Short answer questions addressing the following (embedded within RF-PTCAS).
    • Learning Environment: What type of learning environment would be a good fit for you to achieve your goals within the residency?
    • Experience: Describe the rigor and scope of the orthopeadic experiences that have prepared you to excel in our residency and beyond.
    • Community Service: Describe your philosophy for community service and provide an example of your real-world community service that has prepared you to enhance the health outcomes in our underserved Paso del Norte community (annotate if experience was required community service for your physical therapy program).
    • Leadership: Describe your leadership/mentorship experiences and how they have prepared you to excel in our residency.
    • Academic Physical Therapy: Describe your interest, past-experiences, and future goals in academic-based physical therapy (e.g., become involved in teaching such as providing continuing education course(s), supporting physical therapy curriculum as an examiner or as adjunct faculty providing focused education or becoming core faculty responsible for entire curricular content).
    • Scholarship: Describe your research and scholarship area(s) of interest and future goals that will help advance the physical therapy profession.

Application Evaluative Criteria Overview

Our residency committee evaluates all applications on the following criteria:

• Academic performance
• Clinical experience in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy
• Professional behaviors, motivation, and enthusiasm in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy
• Community Service to advance the health outcomes in our underserved community
• Teaching experience and interest in academic-based physical therapy
• Leadership experience to advance the profession
• Research experience
• Program match/fit to Mission and goals
• Additionally, essential resident attributes assessed include a) be adapt at actively changing personal behaviors and actions based on feedback, self-reflection and new knowledge; b) be accountable to self and others; c) demonstrate critical thinking that is disciplined, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence; d) and demonstrate perseverance to attain long-term goals.

Overview

We believe that a strong and reciprocal resident-faculty relationship is the foundation of a successful learning environment. Both residents and faculty have the responsibility and power to contribute to teaching and active learning.

We believe the most important role of faculty is not to deliver content, but to teach residents how to learn. Residents who practice self-reflection and self-regulation, and who utilize metacognition are more likely to become reflective practitioners and lifelong learners. ¹

The curriculum is systematically sequenced using a joint systems and regional interdependence approach to facilitate the acquisition of the knowledge, skills, and competence expected of board-certified specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy. 

1. Nilson LB. Teaching at Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors. San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass, 2010.

Mentorship

A key and essential component of residency is 1:1 mentorship with highly qualified mentors. The clinical mentorship facilitates the resident’s synthesis of didactic education and real-world clinical reasoning and application of newly acquired knowledge. Further, clinical mentorship and resident reflective practice helps the resident attain the psychomotor skill and outcomes outlined in the Program Goals, Residency outcomes, as well as the Orthopaedic Description of Residency Practice and ABPTRFE Core Competencies.

Didactic Learning Experiences

The program uses the AOPT Residency Curriculum to develop the foundational didactic knowledge required for the future success of the resident. The AOPT curriculum was selected due to content as the modules were created by orthopaedic experts in our field who synthesize evidence and clinical acumen to support the teaching material. The AOPT curriculum will be augmented by current literature and clinical practice guidelines to enhance resident knowledge and improve patient outcomes. See Curricular map below.

Teaching Experiences

Residents serve as adjunct faculty for the Â鶹¹ÙÍø DPT Program Musculoskeletal Course series. As an adjunct faculty, the resident receives teaching and educational mentorship from Â鶹¹ÙÍø faculty to enhance their content knowledge, psychomotor skills, teaching competence, and ability to objectively assess DPT student performance. The resident will develop foundational teaching competence to independently lead MSK labs.

ISC = Independent Study Course from Residency Core Curriculum Courses. 
An asterisk (*) after the week number = anticipated Â鶹¹ÙÍø semester break

Faculty

Bryan Boyea, PT, DPT, OCS. Biography/CV:: 
Harry Koster, PT, Cert. MDT. Biography/CV: 
Levi Johnson, PT, DPT, OCS. Biography/CV: 
Sandra Terrazas, PT, MS, MBA. Biography/CV:
Sam Singleton, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS. Biography/CV:

Current Residents

John Moreno, PT, DPT, Cert. MDT. Biography/CV:
Lily De Castro, PT, DPT. Biography/CV: 

Past Residents

Pending graduation of 1 ^st cohort August 2024.

Residency Graduation rate: no data yet available *

Residency ABPTS Pass rate: no data yet available *

Graduates Stay in Region rate: no data available *

* will post data after program has completed two graduation cycles

1. I'm still finishing up my DPT; what are the licensure requirements at the time of application?
   1. A valid, unrestricted Texas physical therapy license is required by the start of the program, however students (and new graduates) that are not licensed at the time of application can be admitted conditionally. The PT license must not be under suspension, revocation or probationary status.
2. More to follow