Residency Program Contact
For more information regarding residency programs, please contact:
Melissa M. Tovin, P.T., M.A., Ph.D., PCS
Director of Post-Professional Clinical Advancement
Associate Professor
mtovin@nova.edu
Nova Southeastern University (NSU) and Pinecrest Rehabilitation Hospital (PRH) at Delray Medical Center are proud partners in the NSU-PRH Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency Program. A clinical residency program in physical therapy is a post-professional learning experience in a focused area of clinical practice. The NSU-PRH Neurologic PT Residency Program is designed to advance the physical therapist's knowledge, skills, and attributes in neurologic clinical practice. The program combines opportunities for one-on-one clinical mentoring and didactic coursework based on the American Physical Therapy Association’s Description of Specialty Practice in Neurology. Learning experiences include collaborative patient care experiences, didactic courses focused on contemporary management of people affected by neurological disorders, scientific inquiry, evidence-based projects, and integration of principles of teaching/learning in physical therapy. It is a 12 month program where residents are physical therapy employees of PRH and are actively involved in teaching/lab assisting in the professional DPT curriculum at NSU.
The 12 month residency program will begin in August/September. The resident must successfully complete all residency requirements to be eligible to apply for the ABPTS Neurologic Specialist exam. The resident will apply for the specialty exam during the last moth of the residency program and will sit for the exam in following March.
Academic Coursework: Coursework is provided in a self-directed, continuing education format with courses delivered predominately online using Blackboard. The resident will complete a total of 7 courses focusing on content based on the Description of Specialty Practice (DSP) in neurology. Courses are between 12 and 21 weeks long and the resident will take 2-3 courses per trimester. Residents can expect to spend an average of at least 5 hours per week on didactic coursework for a total of at least 260 hours during the 12 month residency. See below for an outline of the didactic curriculum. Additional didactic experiences will be assigned on an individual basis as needed.
Clinical Practice: Residents will be employed 32 hours per week at Pinecrest Rehabilitation Hospital and are expected to carry a full patient caseload consisting of neurologically impaired patients. Clinical mentorship is provided by residency program faculty, at least 3 hours per week. Clinical mentoring may include collaborative patient care and discussion of patient cases between mentor and resident.
Teaching/Scholarship: Residents are expected to participate in teaching/instruction of basic neurologic skills for entry-level physical therapy students at NSU as part of their academic coursework. Residents are also responsible for providing physical therapy related education to peers and staff at the hospital. Residents will complete a scholarly project such as a pilot research study, clinical case report or faculty driven research project in the area of neurologic physical therapy which may be presented and/or published in a peer reviewed format.
Evaluation of Learning
Resident learning will be evaluated using a variety of methods including:
Requirements for Successful Completion of the Program
Requirements for successful completion of the neurological residency program include:
Minimum requirements for eligibility:
1Prospective residents who will be new graduates at the start of the residency program may apply for acceptance to the neurologic residency program pending sitting for the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE), however, admission to and participation in the residency program will be contingent on obtaining FL licensure.
2New graduates (defined as a physical therapists practicing in the clinic for less than 1 year) applying to the neurological residency program will need to provide transcripts to demonstrate a high level of academic achievement. A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 or above in entry-level PT coursework is preferred.
Preferred attributes include:
2017-2018 Current Resident Paul Colbert, PT, DPT |
2016-2017 Neurologic Residency Graduate
Pictured L-R: Melissa Tovin, , Residency Dir NSU; Breanna Holliday, Graduate; Jennifer Canbek, Neuro Residency Coord. |
2015-2016 Neurologic Residency Graduate Pictured L-R: Kara Schnake, Graduate; Graduate; Jennifer Canbek, Residency Dir NSU |
2014-2015 Neurologic Residency Graduates Pictured L-R: Cheri Archer-Silveria, Administrative Dir. PRH; Teressa Dykeman-Diaz, Rehab Dir. PRH; Donna Tadena, Graduate; Jennifer Lombardi, Graduate; Jennifer Canbek, Residency Dir NSU |
Visit the Residency and Fellowship Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (RFPTCAS) to apply: