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Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Sports Physical Therapy has partnered with the Department of Physical Therapy, Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences at Northeastern University to offer a 13-month full-time clinical residency program for physical therapists interested in pursuing a career in sports physical therapy.
This program advances the knowledge and clinical competency of sports physical therapists as well as fostering a culture of continued learning and scientific inquiry while demonstrating a commitment to patients, students, and athletes at all levels.
Through academic, research, and clinical collaboration, we promote robust learning experiences and offer a unique opportunity to be an integral part of an interprofessional healthcare system working with recreational, high school, collegiate, and professional athletes.
Our mission is mission is to impact the health and wellbeing of the global community by developing leaders in physical therapy, movement, and rehabilitation sciences through interprofessional experiential education, translational research, and excellence in clinical practice.
The program consists of didactic courses, reinforced through clinical mentoring and practice/experiences.
Degree type:
– Residency (non degree). Prepare to sit for the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) Sports Specialty Certification Exam
– Accredited by ABPTRFE (American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education)
Study options:
– On ground (Boston Campus)
– Full-time only
– 13 months
Application deadline: Dec 1
GRE: Not required
F1 Eligible: No
The MGH/NU Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program:
Residents will demonstrate advanced knowledge and skills in sports physical therapy.
We will provide residents with a high-quality, interprofessional sports physical therapy experience.
Within five years post completion of the residency program, graduates will demonstrate qualities of an advanced clinician including serving as an educator, providing service to the profession and being active with scholarly activity.
The MGH/NU Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program is sustainable.
Provide excellent, evidence-based patient care by obtaining the knowledge, skills and abilities of an advanced practice physical therapist in sports and musculoskeletal care.
Demonstrate specialist level clinical decision making and psychomotor skill in sports/musculoskeletal examination and intervention.
Add value to the Northeastern University Department of Physical Therapy, Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences and Mass General Sports Physical Therapy Service. Demonstrate professionalism in communication, instruction and collaboration.
Communicate with others such as patients/clients/athletes, referral sources, payers, administrators, physicians, athletic trainers, and other members of the health care team to effectively advocate for the patient/client/athlete and the profession.
Be prepared to sit for the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) Sports Specialty Certification Exam.
The twelve monograph series “Current Concepts in Orthopedic Physical Therapy” will be utilized in a self-study fashion with discussion following each monograph.
Residents will also complete the Sports Certified Specialist Examination Prep course monographs. These monographs will also be utilized in a self-study fashion with discussion after completion of each monograph.
Your learning will be further supplemented by weekly journal review sessions. These sessions will be of current literature that coincides with content that follows monograph review as well as content within the academic teaching curriculum. Review sessions will include the resident, Residency Director as well as other clinical staff at the MGH Sports Physical Therapy clinic in order to have a robust discussion and facilitate critical thinking.
Residents will also have consistent access to other educational opportunities to enhance the learning experience. The additional opportunities may include:
You will have the opportunity to instruct in the DPT program at Northeastern University. As a lab teaching assistant, you will help in the Musculoskeletal Management courses with the Residency Director, who will provide ongoing mentoring to promote professional development as an educator.
As a resident you will be expected to review and prepare for the material being covered in each lab session which will coordinate much of the didactic curriculum embedded in the residency. You’ll be involved with student presentations, assisting with providing feedback to students on technique, promoting high-level clinical decision making during case discussions, as well as providing feedback specific to performance on written and practical examinations.
Year Accredited: 2015, 2020
Number of graduates: 19
Graduation Rate: 100%
SCS Exam Pass Rate: 95%
American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education — ABPTRFE
Kiera Olson, a sports physical therapy resident, grew up in the small town of Harmony, Minnesota and developed a love for sports at an early age. She quickly found her niche in distance running and figure skating and continues to enjoy both to this day; she now runs for a semi-professional team, Running Niche. In her free time, she loves to be outdoors, especially hiking and skiing and has a vested interest in helping patients return to their passions.
Kiera ran both cross country and track and field during her undergraduate studies at Case Western Reserve University, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. Through her time as a teacher’s assistant, she first found her love for teaching, and through her research studying pressure sensors, she first became interested in physical therapy, as she realized the rehabilitation potential these sensors posed.
While pursuing her Doctorate in Physical Therapy at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU), Kiera continued to run varsity cross country and track field, making three national appearances, and claiming All-American honors twice. She continued to sharpen her ability to educate as both a lab assistant and tutor, and she studied motor unit potential at the neuromuscular junction through a research assistantship. Kiera also enjoyed coaching neurodiverse children through Bear Cubs, further cementing her desire to help individuals optimize athletic performance. She also gained invaluable experience in the WashU running clinic and Vanderbilt athletic training room, honing her ability to conduct gait analyses and treat athletes of all sports, respectively.
Kiera’s clinical interests currently include mitigating the risk of overuse injuries in athletes of all ages, and she is committed to coordinating with other health care providers to deliver a multidisciplinary approach. She is dedicated to utilizing current literature to deliver an evidence-based care and working with each patient to positively impact their quality of life and sport.
MGH Sports Physical Therapy clinic responsibilities begin in July and continue throughout the entire sports clinical residency program (13 months). Athletic venue coverage typically begins in August.
Residents will participate in 30 hours of patient care at MGH Sports Physical Therapy clinic each week and 10 hours each week in the athletic training room. Residents caseload will consist of a wide variety of orthopedic and sports related conditions throughout all body regions.
In addition to the clinic schedule, there will be ongoing athletic venue coverage and athletic training room opportunities. These opportunities occur throughout the thirteen-month residency and are specific to athletic season rather than direct correlation with curricular content. The athletic venue exposure will include but not be limited to the following:
Mentoring will occur throughout the entire thirteen month experience. Two 120 minutes unopposed mentoring sessions are scheduled with the Residency Faculty weekly. During these sessions the Residency Faculty observes the resident’s active patient care and provides feedback and mentoring to them.
There will be thirty minutes pre and post patient encounters along with the thirty to sixty minutes for the patient encounter itself. In addition to the time that is scheduled each week with the Residency Faculty, there will be ongoing opportunities for mentoring and discussion during athletic venue experiences with other program faculty.
Residents utilize a variety of experiential learning opportunities to further develop clinical reasoning skills within sports physical therapy including simulation learning and learning assessment activities.
Through simulation learning students are able to actively engage in patient management of acute sports related injuries and examine and refine their expertise.
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For the RF-PTCAS application, you will need the following documentation:
Resumé/Curriculum Vitae
Three letters of recommendation
One letter should be from a former supervisor or clinical instructor you worked with, one should be from a faculty member at the institution you received your DPT degree from, and then a third of your choice.
Copy of official transcript from the College/University you received your PT degree from.
Copy of all professional licenses (MA state licensure is required before beginning the residency program)
Copy of APTA membership and APTA of Massachusetts Membership (required)
Copy of completion of one of the following: EMT licensure, ATC licensure, or completion/registration for Emergency Response Course (one of these needs to be completed before beginning residency program).
Essay – please answer each part individually in no more than 300 words each.
In addition to the RF-PTCAS, please complete the below PDF application form and submit with $50 non-refundable fee. (Pleas make checks out to “Northeastern University”).
Application form, fee, and any additional documentation should be post marked by December 1 and mailed to the following address:
David Nolan, PT, DPT, MS, OCS, SCS, CSCS
Director, Sports Physical Therapy Clinical Residency Program,
Northeastern University Department of Physical Therapy, Movement, and Rehab Sciences
301 Robinson Hall
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
Please reach out to:
David Nolan, PT, DPT, MS, OCS, SCS, CSCS
Director, Sports Physical Therapy Clinical Residency Program
617-373-5268 (Office)
[email protected]
The Mass General Hospital/ Northeastern University Sports PT Residency Program will be participating in the standardized Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program Match for the upcoming application cycle.
This will process will fill our two available Resident positions for our upcoming start date: July 1, 2025.
All communication regarding
this match process will come through the Match Program, EXXAT. If you receive an interview offer, good luck.
We look forward to reviewing
your application!
