Overview
Utilizing the resources of UT Health San Antonio, the University Health System and the Veterans Administration Hospital, plus community resources, we feel that we are uniquely capable of exposing our resident to training in all aspects of the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R). Our patient population is large and varied, encompasses all age groups, and includes private, indigent and V.A. patients. We have a very favorable ratio of faculty physicians to residents (18 faculty physiatrists/32 residents), which assures the resident of adequate guidance and supervision and of an optimal teaching program. Our educational capabilities are, of course, greatly enhanced by the availability of multiple other teaching activities in the School of Medicine and the other units of the UT Health San Antonio, all of these are available to our residents, including the UT Health San Antonio medical library, Learning Resources Center and demand access television.
The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine offers an ACGME-accredited four-year categorical residency training program, providing 36 months of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation training and 12 months of fundamental clinical skills as required by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
During the 36 months of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation rotations, the resident is exposed to a variety of practice settings in physiatry, including:
- Inpatient Adult and Pediatric Rehabilitation composed of rotations at the University Hospital Reeves Rehabilitation Center, VA Polytrauma Rehab Center, Warm Springs Rehabilitation Hospital, VA Spinal Cord Injury Center, and Christus Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital.
- Outpatient Adult Rehabilitation with exposure to General Outpatient Rehabilitation, Pain Management, Musculoskeletal Medicine with Ultrasound, Amputee Medicine with Orthotics/Prosthetics, Neurologic Rehabilitation, and Outpatient Spinal Cord Injury Medicine.
- Outpatient Pediatric Rehabilitation, during which the resident is introduced to the management of various conditions, including cerebral palsy, spina bifida, burns, and traumatic brain injury.
- Rehab Medicine Inpatient Consultation Service
- Electrodiagnostic Medicine
- Interventional Pain Medicine
- Sports Medicine
- Night Float: PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents provide acute medical coverage at the three onsite inpatient rehab units when the acute rehab team is off duty during weeknights. This rotation is for one month from Monday – Thursday and does not exceed 18 total days per resident per year.
- Electives: PGY-3 and PGY-4 residents are allowed to pursue up to six weeks of elective time on rotations such as radiology, wound care and hyperbaric medicine just to name a few.
The 12 months of fundamental clinical skills are specifically tailored to the practice of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation during PGY-1, Internship.
- 4 months of Internal Medicine (1 month Medical Intensive Care Unit)
- 3 months of Orthopedic Surgery
- 2 months of Geriatrics and Pallative Care
- 1 month of Neurology
- 1 month of Rheumatology
- 1 month Inpatient Rehabilitation Medicine
Applying
Applications will be accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).
If you are interested in being considered for a position in our residency training program, please contact:
ERAS Registration
Association of American Medical Colleges
2450 N. Street NW.
Washington, D.C. 20037
202-828-1125
We begin reviewing files in September. Early completion of the application form and receipt of accompanying material are encouraged. We require the following:
- Three references – one of which specializes in PM&R
- Dean’s Letter
- Medical School Transcripts
- Official USMLE or COMLEX scores (must be released from the agency)
- Curriculum Vitae
- Personal Statement
- Completion of an elective in PM&R
We would like to encourage applicants to send us the application form and accompanying informational material as soon as possible. Those applicants in whom we are most interested will be invited for an interview. At this time, we plan to conduct interviews on Wednesday and Fridays throughout October, November and December.
If you would like to schedule a senior elective in our Department, please contact our Academic Coordinator for students Casey Sharon at 210-567-5367 or if you have further questions or desire further information concerning our program, please call our Academic Coordinator, Kim Garza, at 210-567-5359.
Applicants for our Residency Training Program must clear a screening process to ensure that they are not listed by a federal agency as excluded, suspended, or otherwise ineligible for participation in federal programs. UT Heath San Antonio will perform the screening for you at no cost.
Derrick Allred, M.D.
Residency Program Director
Didactics
The goal of formal didactics is to provide in-depth resident education in clinically and board-relevant material. Our module system was designed to encompass the topics that are tested on the national board certification examinations per the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (ABPM&R) once every 18 months. The topics are separated into core topics, high-yield fundamental topics, and specialty topics that are still beneficial. Core topics are allocated more lecture time as they appear more frequently on the written boards.
Duty hours
The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Residency Training Program recognizes that a sound academic and clinical education must be carefully planned and balanced with concerns for patient safety and resident well-being. Learning objectives of the program must not be compromised by excessive reliance on residents to fulfill service obligations.
Rotations
Residents have the opportunity to do elective rotations during their PGY-2 through PGY-4 years. Residents complete a month of Sports Medicine with private practice family medicine and orthopaedic physicians who are the team physicians for the San Antonio Spurs NBA basketball team.
Life in San Antonio
A modern, vibrant city, rich in heritage with colorful personality forged across three centuries. Its unique mixture of native Mexican, German and Spanish influence is noticeable in the city’s distinctive architecture, music, arts, and cuisine.
Salary & Benefits
Our residents earn a competitive salary, healthcare, and additional benefits.
Facilities
Residents receive training and interaction with all major groups in San Antonio at our partner facilities.
Research
All residents are required to complete one research project during their residency training. The project may be in the form of a review article, small case series, case report, or original research.
Current Residents
Meet our PGY-4, PGY-3, PGY-2 and PGY-1 residents. Learn about our current interns, including some of their diverse prior academic experiences, life outside of medicine and accolades.
Procedures and Performances
It is the intent of the Review Committee to utilize data over time to establish minimum expectations for selected residents’ performance of selected procedures.