We offer a 12-month program that starts in August. Employment begins a couple of months prior to that so you are comfortable in your clinic setting before starting your residency. The residency is offered in partnership with Bellin College.
Hybrid Format
- Didactic course mix of synchronous and asynchronous virtual environment
- Four eight-week body region management courses
- Eight-week Intro to Clinical Reasoning – Patient Management 1
- Year-long Patient Management 2 – clinical decision making in a virtual round/case
- 2 self-paced courses – Evidence Based Practice and Professional Formation
- Four weekend primarily lab-based courses (hosted at Bellin College in Green Bay and at the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network in Milwaukee)
- Mentorship 150 hours
- Mentorship provided by residency/fellowship trained clinicians that have gone through the same program and have years of mentoring experience
- Mentoring: About five hours weekly with resident’s patients
- Works in the same clinic with mentor
- Guidance on OCS prep
Apply for the Physical Therapy Residency
Time Commitment
Expectations: About 10 to 15 hours a week outside of work hours
Process
If you are not a current Froedtert & MCW employee, you need to apply for the PT/resident position. This position is posted annually at jobs.froedtert.com under the Mequon Health Center location.
Apply to Froedtert & MCW health network first (which would also include a short essay application).
Tuition
Tuition is $4,810. We send the full quarterly payment to Bellin College.
Benefits of the Residency Program
You will grow at an accelerated rate as a clinician due the continued didactic course work, hands on lab weekend intensives and 150 hours of one-on-one mentoring with a team of mentors with decades of experience as a mentor.
- Mentoring is with your own patients and is spaced out about four to five hours on a weekly or biweekly basis to allow you the time to reflect and work on implementing what you have learned during the session.
- You learn and are able utilize a patient-centric framework that helps guide your clinical decision making for the rest of your career.
- You will be integrated into clinical leadership roles helping with skill labs, developmental programs, mentoring and other programs as well as many teaching as adjuncts in the local area.
- Residents generally seek to continually grow and have further opportunities with the fellowship and DSc programs.
Residency Overview and Plan
12 months starting in August
Course Descriptions and Content Overview
Course timing is shown in the curricular map. Labs are listed in the map but do not have descriptions in this document.
Patient Management Framework (PMF-1): Intro to Clinical Reasoning
Defines person-centered clinical reasoning grounded in a signs-and-symptoms approach used in orthopaedic manual physical therapy practice. Emphasizes shared decision making, hypo-deductive reasoning, and the role of severity, irritability, nature, stage, and stability in guiding prognosis/theranosis and planning the interview and examination.
Content covered:
- Clinical Reasoning: The Signs and Symptoms Approach & Person Centered Care
- Does the Person Belong in my Clinic? Red and Yellow Flag Screening and Critical Safety
- Person Centered Care, The Body Chart & Type 1/2 Thinking
- Communication Strategies & Shared Decision Making in Person-Centered Care
- The Person-Centered Interview/Subjective Exam and SINSS
- Planning the Objective Exam
- The Objective Exam
- Assessment of Prognosis/Theranosis; Trial Treatment
Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) - Self-Paced
Improves understanding and use of evidence-based practice and its impact on person-centered clinical reasoning. Focuses on efficient appraisal of peer-reviewed literature and accurate interpretation of findings to support clinical decision making.
Content covered:
- Evidence-Based Practice within Person-Centered Care & Tracking Down The Evidence
- How to Read a Research Paper & Types of Research Design
- Critical Appraisal Strategies
- Interpreting Confidence Intervals & Statistical Significance
- Clinical Meaningfulness & Correlations
- Interpreting Sensitivity, Specificity and Likelihood Ratios
- Reliability, Validity, and Identifying Risk
Management of Cervicothoracic Disorders
Integrates manipulative intervention techniques for cervical-thoracic spine and ribcage disorders. Includes use of diagnostic imaging, classification systems, and outcomes tools within an evidence-based practice framework. (Lab weekend listed separately.)
Content covered:
- Classifying People with Neck Pain - Do they Belong in my Clinic?
- Neck Pain with Mobility Deficits
- Neck Pain with Referred LE Symptoms
- Neck Pain with Radiating Symptoms
- Neck Pain with Movement Coordination Impairments
- Chronic Neck Pain with Generalized Pain
- Neck Pain with Cognitive/Affective Tendencies
- Other Conditions
Management of Upper Extremity Disorders
Integrates manipulative intervention techniques for upper extremity disorders and dysfunction. Includes classification systems, outcomes tools, and diagnostic information for medical screening of systemic and vascular disorders. (Lab weekend listed separately.)
Content covered:
- The Shoulder - Medical Screening & Regional Interdependence of the UE
- Shoulder - Common Conditions
- Shoulder - Evaluation
- Shoulder - Interventions Strategies
- Elbow - Evaluation & Interventions Strategies
- Wrist & Hand - Foundations
- Wrist & Hand - Evaluation & Interventions Strategies
Management of Lumbopelvic Disorders
Provides an in-depth review of current concepts and published evidence related to examination, evaluation, diagnosis, and interventions for disorders of the lumbopelvic spine. Addresses evidence-based classification systems, diagnosis, and outcomes tools. (Lab weekend listed separately.)
Content covered:
- Classifying People with LBP - From Asking Do they Belong in my Clinic to Recognizing LBP Classification Systems
- Low Back Pain with Mobility Deficits
- Low Back Pain with Referred LE Symptoms
- Low Back Pain with Radiating Symptoms
- Low Back Pain with Movement Coordination Impairments
- Chronic Low Back Pain with Generalized Pain
- Low Back Pain with Cognitive/Affective Tendencies
- Other Conditions
Management of Lower Extremity Disorders
Integrates manual therapy and exercise intervention techniques for lower extremity musculoskeletal disorders. Includes discussion of radiology rules for acute injuries and diagnostic information for systemic and vascular disorders affecting the lower extremities. (Lab weekend listed separately.)
Content covered:
- Hip - Medical Screening & Mobility Deficits
- Hip - Non-Arthritic Conditions
- Hip - Soft Tissue Conditions
- Knee - Medical Screening & Mobility Deficits
- Knee - Stability and Movement Coordination
- Knee - Motor Performance
- Ankle/Foot - Medical Screening & Stability and Movement Coordination
- Ankle/Foot - Soft Tissue Conditions
Professional Formation
Supports development of professional behaviors needed for advanced practice and leadership. Emphasis includes education and teaching roles, advocacy, leadership, quality improvement, community health engagement, interprofessional collaboration, ethical decision making, and ongoing professional growth.
Content covered:
- Education: instructional design, teaching skills, and learner assessment
- Advocacy: professional advocacy and communication with stakeholders
- Leadership: team-based leadership, service, and organizational involvement
- Quality improvement: identifying gaps in care and planning improvement efforts
- Community health: engagement in community-based health initiatives
- Interprofessional practice: effective communication and collaboration across disciplines
- Ethics: applying ethical values to clinical and professional situations
- Professional growth: professional development planning and involvement in specialty organizations
Patient Management Framework-2 (PMF-2)
Builds on PMF-1 by refining evidence-informed communication and a systematic person-centered interview process to strengthen therapeutic alliance and empower the person seeking care. Progresses into planning and performing an evidence-informed physical examination, synthesizing findings from interview and exam into a precise person-centered hypothesis and evidence-based intervention strategy, supported by case review and peer feedback.
Content covered:
- Focused interviewing structure, efficiency, and therapeutic alliance behaviors
- Case presentation and peer critical review to refine hypotheses and exam planning
- Evidence-informed communication strategies for patient presentations and influencing factors
- Physical examination planning that aligns with hypotheses and safety screening
- Psychomotor refinement for spine and extremity examination skills
- Data synthesis from interview + exam to drive diagnosis, prognosis, and plan of care
- Linking examination findings to evidence-informed interventions and progression decisions
Weekend-Intensive Labs
See curricular map above to timing. These are in-person labs.
Content covered:
- Cervicothoracic lab (16 hours) – see skills covered HERE.
- Lumbopelvic lab (16 hours) – see skills covered HERE.
- Upper Extremity lab (16 hours) – see skills covered HERE.
- Lower Extremity lab (16 hours) – see skills covered HERE.
Elective
One elective course chosen to support the resident’s/organization’s practice focus. Options may include an evidence-based pain science course, a lifestyle medicine and behavior change course, or content supporting integration within primary care physical therapy practice.
Mentored Clinical Practice (Mentorship - 150 hours)
Mentored clinical practice hours, including live 1:1 mentorship and structured non-1:1 hours aligned with APTA requirements. Emphasis is placed on advanced decision making, outcomes evaluation, and increasing autonomy in patient management.
Content covered:
- Direct 1:1 mentoring during patient care to refine decision making in real time
- Structured case review and reflective practice tied to outcomes and goals
- Deliberate practice of examination and intervention skills with feedback
- Progression toward autonomous management of complex musculoskeletal presentations
APTA Orthopaedic Post-Op Monograph Review
Residents will be responsible for purchasing and reviewing post-op monographs for the spine, shoulder, foot and ankle to supplement the content in the management courses and prepare the resident for the OCS board exam.
Practicals and Skills Exams
Capstone examination process including regional technique examinations and live patient examinations with axial and appendicular focus.