Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program

The Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is designed to support an individual motivated to become a leader in the field of sports physical therapy. The 12-month program provides the resident with unique opportunities for professional development in sports physical therapy, with a focus on the resident’s specific interests and goals.

Through clinical mentorship, academic education, on-field training and participation in research, our program is designed to prepare the resident to become a provider of choice in sports physical therapy management.

Clinical mentorship experiences will take place at one of our multiple Sports Medicine and Performance Center locations in the greater Philadelphia region. See our current locations.

Residents will be mentored by board-certified sports and orthopedic physical therapists, as well as physical therapists with an athletic training or pediatric sports background. Residents will also work alongside the medical staff within our Division of Orthopedics, which has consistently ranked among the top four in the nation by U.S. News and World Report’s Honor Roll for Best Children’s Hospitals.

ABPTRFE has granted our Sports PT Residency Program candidacy status. Candidacy status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation. Achieving candidacy status is not an indication that ABPTRFE will grant initial accreditation. Participants who graduate from a program in candidacy status are not deemed to have completed an accredited program.

Program snapshot

Duration: One-year paid clinical residency
Application instructions below
Application window: Oct. 1 to Nov. 30, 2023
Residency Program Director: Julie Dyke, PT, DPT, email at dykeJ@chop.edu

The mission of the Department of Physical Therapy’s Sports Residency Program is to create specialists in the field of pediatric sports medicine. The residency program will develop expert clinicians with advanced skills in:

• Critical and innovative thinking
• Patient-centered care
• Evidence-based and autonomous practice
• Support for athletes of all skill levels

Graduates will develop skills that will make them leaders, educators, and a model of clinical excellence in the field of sports physical therapy.

Residency graduates will:

• Possess advanced skills in clinical decision making
• Deliver exceptional, evidence-based care in the field of sports physical therapy
• Gain experience in on-field management of acute illness and injury in a variety of sports settings
• Critically evaluate current scientific literature and demonstrate the ability to contribute to the current body of research in pediatric sports physical therapy
• Demonstrate professional core values and growth though mentorship, continuing education and lifelong clinical and academic learning
• Be academically and clinically prepared to pass the ABPTS Sports Clinical Specialist Examination

The Sports PT Residency is a 12-month program, running from July to June. The curriculum includes:

• 300 academic hours
  • The resident is expected to demonstrate appropriate knowledge acquisition through the completion of academic lectures, participation in the monthly journal club, research data collection, formal examinations, and a final capstone project
  • Other educational opportunities include shadowing orthopedic and sports medicine physicians and surgeons in both clinic and surgery, as well as observing specialty physical therapy clinics (e.g., concussion, Schroth, running medicine, dance medicine)
• 1,500 clinical hours working directly with patients
  • The resident is expected to successfully demonstrate the skills of a sports-specialist with regards to utilization of examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, intervention and outcomes of patients rehabilitating from injury with the goal of returning to sports or activity participation.
  • The resident is expected to optimize sports performance levels of the individual athlete as well as utilize appropriate injury prevention tools and measures.
  • Included in the 1,500 clinical hours are:
    • 150 hours or more of 1:1 mentoring
    • 200 hours of on-field coverage to demonstrate appropriate acute injury management during practices and competitive events for local high school sports teams
• The resident will be provided with an annual salary and offered benefits as an employee of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Weekly schedules

While each residents’ weekly schedule will vary, below in an example of a typical 40-hour work week:

• 25 hours in clinic (including 3 hours of mentorship time)
• 10 hours of on-field coverage
• 2 hours of research
• 3 hours of academic or didactic training

It is expected that sports PT residents will cover two shifts per week until 8 p.m., 1 shift per week until 7 p.m. and on-field coverage days.

Residents will work 50 weeks between July 1, and June 30 of the following year.

Additional and unique opportunities

CHOP’s Sport PT residency also offers several unique opportunities for additional learning experiences during the Sports PT residency, including:

• Clinical experiences with specialty clinics including Running Medicine and Performance Clinic, Minds Matter Concussion Program, Schroth Method for Scoliosis and Dance Medicine
• Research collection
• Observation of orthopedic and sports medicine physician clinics and surgery
• Monthly Sports PT Journal Club
• Community journal clubs with local orthopedic medical groups, physical therapists and athletic trainers.
• Mentorship
• Community service opportunities

The Department of Physical Therapy is committed to:

• Leading the world in the practice and advancement of physical therapy by combining family-centered patient care, high-quality professional education, and innovative clinical research
• Providing state-of-the-art, evidence-based, culturally sensitive patient care
• Developing expertise through clinical, academic, residency and fellowship training
• Lifelong learning and professional growth through mentorship, continuing education and collaboration with educational institutions
• Generating a body of literature that supports evidence-based practice in physical therapy

More than 70 full- and part-time physical therapists provide care to patients across the CHOP Care Network. This health system includes acute care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation programs, and outpatient services including general outpatient rehabilitation, a sports medicine service line and a day hospital program. Physical Therapy care is provided at the Philadelphia and King of Prussia campuses, Specialty Care Centers, and clinics in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The department includes more than 40 ABPTS-certified clinical specialists in Neurology, Orthopedics, Pediatrics and Sports Medicine, as well as more than 35 American Physical Therapy Association-credentialed clinical instructors. The core faculty has more than 80 years of combined clinical and teaching experience.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, founded in 1855, was the first hospital in the United States dedicated to the care of children. Today, CHOP has two hospital locations (in Philadelphia and King of Prussia); is among the leading pediatric hospitals and research facilities in the world; and is consistently recognized as one of the nation’s best pediatric hospitals by Parents magazine and U.S. News & World Report.

CHOP has the only Level I pediatric trauma center in Southeastern Pennsylvania and serves as a regional, national and international referral source for patients requiring cutting-edge medical, surgical and rehabilitative care.

Learn more about CHOP’s expansive history; its awards, accreditations and recognitions; as well as what life is like in the Philadelphia region.

Interested applicants for the Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia should be aware of several important dates in the application process:

• Oct. 1: Residency application period opens
• Nov. 30: Residency application period closes
• Jan. 1 – Feb. 20: Interview invitations are extended to applicants, and conducted with applicants
• By March 1: Resident offer is extended
• July 1: Start date for new resident

How to apply

All applications will be submitted through RF-PTCAS. Download the following materials and submit as instructed.

• Residency Cover Letter
• Admission Information
• Sports Residency Financial Fact Sheet Documentation

Inquiries should be addressed to:

Julie Dyke, PT, DPT
Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program
CHOP Specialty Care, King of Prussia
550 S Goddard Blvd., King of Prussia, PA 19406
267-425-8793
dykeJ@chop.edu

Other requirements

To carry out its mission, it is of critical importance for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to keep our patients, families and workforce safe and healthy and to support the health of our global community. In keeping with this, CHOP has mandated all workforce members (including trainees) on site at any CHOP location for any portion of their time be vaccinated for COVID-19 as a condition of employment.

This mandate also applies to workforce members or trainees performing work for CHOP at non-CHOP locations. Additionally, all workforce members based in or regularly scheduled to work at any New Jersey location are mandated to be both vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19, with booster timing consistent with applicable guidelines. The CHOP COVID-19 vaccine mandate is in alignment with applicable local, state and federal mandates. CHOP also requires all workforce members and trainees who work in patient care buildings or who provide patient care to receive an annual influenza vaccine. Employees may request exemption consideration for CHOP vaccine requirements for valid religious and medical reasons. Please note start dates may be delayed until candidates are fully immunized or valid exemption requests are reviewed. In addition, candidates other than those in positions with regularly scheduled hours in New Jersey, must attest to not using tobacco products.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other protected category. CHOP is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor seeking priority referrals for protected veterans.

For more information about the Sports Physical Therapy Residency, please contact Julie Dyke, PT, DPT, program director, at dykeJ@chop.edu.