Updates

Fellowships and Residencies Sports Physical Therapy Residency

Our 13-month sports physical therapy residency focuses on developing advanced clinical skills, education, clinical research and leadership.

The Texas Children’s Hospital sports physical therapy residency is designed to graduate leaders and innovators in the field of sports medicine. The 13-month program is focused on developing advanced clinical skills, research experience, and leadership. 

Residents train one on one with board certified sports and orthopedic physical therapists, physicians, and surgeons. Baylor College of Medicine’s Department of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, and our community affiliations with youth, high school, and collegiate sports programs provide an unparalleled learning opportunity with access to leaders in the field of sports medicine.

At Texas Children's Hospital, we train sports physical therapy residents to become tomorrow’s leaders in Sports Medicine.

Residency Mission

The Texas Children’s Hospital Sports Residency exists to develop physical therapy clinicians who will positively impact the profession and healthcare through advanced clinical practice, education, research, and leadership in sports physical therapy.

The following are requirements for admission to Texas Children’s Hospital Sports Residency: 

  • Graduation from an accredited physical therapy program 
  • Proof of current physical therapy license in the state of Texas 
  • Meet eligibility requirements for employment at Texas Children’s Hospital
  • Possess one of the following prior to starting the residency program: current ATC designation, current EMT license, or certification as an Emergency Responder 
  • Complete application through RF-PTCAS (Residency and Fellowship Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service) 
  • Maintain APTA Membership throughout residency 

Length of program: 13 months

Application deadline: Please review deadline on RF-PTCAS website

To apply for the residency, the following must be completed and entered into RF-PTCAS prior to the on-site interview:

  • Complete RF-PTCAS application 
  • Official transcripts from every PT U.S. college and university attended 
  • Correct RF-PTCAS application fee 
  • Receipt of 3 Letters of Recommendation from professional references (at least one academic faculty member and one clinician familiar with your skills) 

The Texas Children's Hospital Sports PT Residency will be participating in the standardized Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program Match for the upcoming application cycle. This process will fill our available Resident positions for the upcoming cycle. All communication regarding this match process will come through the Match Program, EXXAT, if you receive an interview offer.

  1. Support the mission, vision, and guiding principles of TCH by providing expert care to the sports population
  2. Prepare curriculum that aligns with APTA’s Sports Description of Specialty practice
  3. Develop graduates who are well prepared to take the Sports Certified Specialist exam
  4. Provide opportunities to synthesize didactic education into clinical practice
  5. Provide opportunities to contribute to evidence-based practice in sports therapy through collaborative research
  6. Develop graduates who are leaders in the field of sports physical therapy
  7. Our program will be responsive to leadership positions that arise for residents and encourage participation throughout the residency program.

Texas Children's Hospital Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program began in 2016 and has continued to grow over the past 10 years.

Program accomplishments that are helping to advance pediatric sports medicine in our region and beyond:

  1. Graduated and influenced the careers of over 18 residents in the past 10 years
  2. Achieved a 100% pass rate on the SCS since the existence of the program
  3. Grew from one resident to three total residents and expanded to the Woodlands campus
  4. Graduated 100% of residents who have started the residency program
  5. Expanded the number of qualified faculty 14 full faculty members
  6. Developed more than 11 research projects all lead by residency faculty or current residents
  7. Produced 15 national poster presentations, 7 national platform presentations, and participated in twelve unique research studies
  8. Expanded our sports community outreach from 2 club sports to over 25 local club sports and high school affiliations 
  9. Enhanced interdisciplinary involvement with our Baylor collaborations and our Texas Children's Hospital athletic training team as well as outside entities including Texas Woman’s University and other local residency programs
  10. Participated in the annual Texas Residency Symposium, collaborating with sports and orthopedic residency programs across Texas to share ideas, research, and network

Education Opportunities

  • More than 300 hours of didactic education provided by:  
  • Faculty presentations  
  • Clinical lab sessions  
  • Journal clubs      
  • More than 150 hours of one-on-one mentoring provided by a board certified Sports and Orthopedic Physical Therapists  

Venue Coverage Opportunities

Residents participate in venue coverage at various athletic sporting events throughout the greater Houston area under the supervision of an athletic trainer or sports physical therapist.

Each resident has dedicated time in the high school athletic training room each week.

Below is a list of some of our current community partnerships:  

  • Acro Dance with Hayli 
  • Alief ISD 
  • Biron’s Gymnastics 
  • Brockers Football Camp 
  • Cristo Rey Jesuit 
  • Cypress Elite Dance 
  • DSBS - The Workshop 
  • Divine Savior Academy 
  • Dynamos 
  • Girls on the Run 
  • Grace Christian Academy 
  • HTX Connect 
  • Houston Jackets 
  • Inspire Rock Climbing 
  • Katy Barbarians 
  • Katy Cavaliers Lacrosse 
  • Logos Prep Academy 
  • Middle School Match Up 
  • Pearland Elite 
  • Showcase Gymnastics 
  • Stafford MSD
  • St. Francis Episcopal 
  • St. Mark’s Episcopal 
  • Sugar Land Cowboys 
  • The Dance Barre HTX 
  • Westbury Christian

Clinical Responsibilities

Residents will provide 30 hours per week of direct patient care in our outpatient sports clinics at our Medical Center Campus and West Campus facilities. The patient caseload will be structured to provide opportunities for the resident to treat a variety of diagnoses and align with the current learning module to apply didactic curriculum.

Teaching Responsibilities

Provide clinical instruction during the summer to a PT student 

Provide guest lectures at TWU and/or local residencies.

Lead two journal clubs per year.

Provide a variety of lectures to clinic staff throughout the year.

Research Responsibilities

Each resident is responsible for a capstone project throughout the year.  The goal is for each project allows our residents to propose a question, submit IRB approval (if required), perform a literature review, and present a capstone presentation with other local sports, orthopedics, and neurologic residency programs.

  • Salary 
  • No tuition fees 
  • Professional liability insurance 
  • Group term life insurance 
  • Paid time off (PTO) accrual 
  • Medical and dental insurance 
  • Life insurance 
  • Disability insurance 
  • Prescription drug program 
  • Health Care reimbursement account 
  • Retirement program

For More Information

For questions or more information, email Nicole Melfi at nemelfi@texaschildrens.org or call (832) 227-2625.

Per ABPTRFE Guidelines, please see the following financial fact sheet regarding our program.