Curriculum

Residents participate in an 18-month didactic cycle consisting of at least three hours per week of core didactic material and two to three hours per week of interactive hands-on teaching sessions. Didactic seminars and clinical conferences are protected learning time for residents. Didactic time is protected for residents.

All resident didactic time is protected. The 18-month didactic cycle includes the following course topics:

Course Topics:

  • Brain Injury
  • Cancer Rehabilitation
  • Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation
  • Career Planning
  • Disability
  • Durable Medical Equipment, Assistive Technology, Wheelchair
  • EMG NCS, Neuromuscular
  • Evidence Based Medicine, Research
  • Financial Planning
  • Gait Biomechanics
  • Medical Rehabilitation
  • Musculoskeletal / Sports
  • Pain and Spine
  • Pediatrics
  • Prosthetics and Orthotics, Amputee
  • Quality Improvement
  • Rehabilitation Billing and Coding
  • Rehabilitation Therapeutics
  • SAE, EMG SAE, Mock Oral Board Exam
  • Spasticity
  • Spinal Cord Injury
  • Stroke
  • Ultrasound

Workshops:

  • EMG NCS
  • Ultrasound 
  • Physical exam skills 

Grand Rounds:

  • MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute grand rounds are held monthly
  • Interdisciplinary Spine/Pain meeting (participants include PM&R, neurosurgery and ortho spine)
  • Quarterly City-Wide Grand Rounds with Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth, University Hospitals, and VA

Interactive Resident lead sessions:

  • Anatomy
  • EMG NCS Case Review
  • Journal Club
  • Mock Oral boards
  • Morbidity and Mortality conference
  • Musculoskeletal Case Review
  • Psychology Professor Rounds
  • SAE board review
Rotation PGY2 PGY3 PGY4
MetroHealth Inpatient 6 2 2
MetroHealth Outpatient 3 3 4
MetroHealth Specialty (EMG)   1 1
MetroHealth Consult / Research 1 1  
VA Inpatient 2 1  
VA Outpatient / EMG     2
CCF   1 1
CCF Pediatric   1 1
Elective   2 1

PM&R Categorical PGY-1 Intern Year

Rotations (in weeks) Number of Weeks
General Medical Floor 10-12
Cardiac Telemetry 4-6
Medical Stepdown Unit 4-6
Night Float 4-6
Inpatient PM&R Stroke Rehabilitation 4
Elective 12-14
Vacation 4

Outpatient blocks include:

  • Pain: pain medicine clinic, pain procedures, joint injections, and fluoroscopic guided procedures.
  • Musculoskeletal: sports clinic, musculoskeletal clinic, and ultrasound guided procedures.
  • Neurological: brain injury, concussion, stroke, neurotoxin procedures, spinal cord injury, spasticity, neuromuscular, wheelchair, urodynamics, and tetra-hand clinics.
  • General: lymphedema, cancer, limb loss, prosthetic and orthotics, assistive technology.
  • Specialty: ultrasound guided injections, Neurotoxin procedures, Intrathecal Baclofen Pump procedures, and EMG NCS.
Detailed PM&R Schedule:

PGY-2

  • 2 months – MH Spinal Cord Injury Inpatient
  • 2 months – MH Stroke Inpatient
  • 2 months – MH Brain Injury Inpatient
  • 3 months – MH Outpatient Clinic (1 Pain, 1 MSK, 1 Neuro)
  • 1 month – VA Spinal Cord Injury Inpatient
  • 1 month – VA General Rehab Inpatient
  • 1 month – MH Consult/Research

PGY-3

  • 1 month – CCF MSK Outpatient
  • 1 month – CCF Peds Rehab
  • 1 month – VA General Rehab Inpatient
  • 1 month – MH Brain Injury Inpatient
  • 1 month – MH Spinal Cord Injury Inpatient
  • 3 months – MH Outpatient Clinic (1 Pain, 1 General Rehab, 1 MSK)
  • 1 month – MH Specialty (EMG/procedures)
  • 2 months – Elective
  • 1 month – MH Consult/Research

PGY-4

  • 4 months – MH Outpatient Clinic (1 Neuro, 1 General, 2 MSK)
  • 2 months – VA EMG/Outpatient MSK
  • 1 month – CCF Peds Rehab
  • 1 month – Elective
  • 1 month – MH Stroke Inpatient
  • 1 month – MH Brain Injury Inpatient
  • 1 month – MH Specialty (EMG/procedures)
  • 1 month – CCF Consult

PGY 3 and PGY 4 participate in continuity clinics weekly. Residents spend 1 year in neurological rehabilitation continuity clinic and 1 year in musculoskeletal rehabilitation continuity clinic.

  • Neuro rehab continuity clinic: inpatient rehab follow up, concussion, stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, general neuro rehab.
  • MSK based clinic: acute musculoskeletal conditions, sport injuries, peripheral joint injuries.