MSM offers a one-year, August 1 to July 31, Sports Physical Therapy Residency to physical therapists seeking to advance their training in sports medicine. We accept up to two physical therapists each year. The Residency is accredited by the American Physical Therapy Association as a post-professional Residency program for physical therapists in sports medicine. Read more...

About the Residency

Residents have the chance to work side-by-side sports medicine and orthopaedic physicians, sports physical therapists and athletic trainers who bring advanced training in sports medicine. Coursework includes a mix of direct clinical care, physician and surgery observation, research, athletic training observation, and a variety of educational activities that includes our weekly sports medicine conferences. Residents will have access to state-of-the art facilities that include a motor skills and biomechanics laboratory, surgery suites and imaging. Read more...

Program graduates will:

• develop the knowledge and skills necessary to administrate a community-focused physical therapy practice that serves high school, collegiate, professional and recreational athletes.
• develop the knowledge and skills necessary to provide advanced sports physical therapy care for athletes. This includes study of the pathology and biomechanics of athletic injuries and the physical and psychological manifestations of sports injuries and conditions.
• develop professional and interpersonal patient care skills necessary to an outpatient and on-field sports medicine setting.
• participate as a member of a sports medicine team that includes primary care sports medicine specialists, orthopedic surgeons and certified athletic trainers.
• develop skills to design, implement and complete a community-focused sports medicine research study and publish the result.
• enhance their preparation for certification as a specialist in sports physical therapy.

Curriculum Overview

The majority of the Resident’s education consists of patient care in MSM’s outpatient, integrated orthopedic sports clinic. The first several weeks are spent one-on-one with the Program Director in patient care, initially in an observatory role, then in a participatory role with supervision. This promotes ongoing dialogue and education focused on evaluation and appropriate rehabilitation program design for athletes. The curriculum organization is largely driven by the yearly sports schedule, which ranges from non-contact to contact sports.

Other curriculum components include:

1. Physical therapy content expert mentoring. Residents shadow and/or co-treat with practicing physical therapists at MSM or in IAM clinics.
2. Shadow special programs offered at the Institute for Athletic Medicine that focus on advanced evaluation and treatment of athletes, including runners, throwers, golfers, cyclists and dancers. Program components include biomechanical assessments with videotape analysis of athletes.
3. Residents teach one or more “Next Step” training program sessions. Next Step is a post-rehabilitation training program designed to help patients “bridge the gap” from patient to athlete. This structured setting challenges the athlete to improve neuromuscular control, strengthening, proprioception and agility through training that includes plyometrics and return-to-sports exercises.
4. Weekly feedback sessions are scheduled and include case studies and discussion about patient evaluation, treatment and care plans initiated by the Resident.
5. Residents assist in teaching sports medicine classes focusing on specific topics to DPT students at a local college as well as to incoming family practice sports medicine physician residents.

Weekly Hours (may vary)
Clinical Practice                           25
One-on-One Supervision           6-10
Classroom Instruction                2-4
Laboratory Instruction                 1-2
On-Field                                         2-4
Training Room                              2-4
Physician Shadowing                  2-4
Sports Coverage                           Up to 24/week (intermittent)
Research                                       4
Other (Journal Club, etc)             1-2

Education Methods
Didactic and interactive teaching includes conferences and labs, presentations, imaging conferences and complicated case reviews. Education methods include:

1. In-clinic patient evaluation and diagnosis. Patient care emphasizes a wide variety of upper and lower extremity cases typical of a sports therapy practice - Shoulder; Knee; Ankle; Hip; Spine; Elbow and Wrist.

2. Operating room observation

3. Weekly basic sciences, rehabilitation, team conferences. Curriculum varies but a sample can be seen below:

Weekly Basic Sciences Fall 2008/Spring 2009
August 1              First Day Orientation
August 7              Sideline Review - A Football Refresher 
August 22            Provider Role & Responsibilities - Legal Issues
August 29            Head and Neck Injuries - On-Field Management
September 5       Ethics in Sports Medicine
September 12    Basic Sciences - Non-Surgical/Surgical Management of ACL injuries 
September 19    Rehabilitation - Rehabilitation of ACL Injuries - Return to Play Issues including rationale/scientific evidence for functional knee bracing
September 26    Special topic - Establishing a Community-Based Sports Medicine Practice
October 3            Chest/Torso Internal Injury Management On the Field
October 10          Helmets to Orthoses - A Review
October 17          Traumatic Shoulder Injuries in Athletes - Dislocations, Fractures, Neurologic Injuries, Labral Cysts
Oct.ober 31         Current Concepts in Athletic Strength Training
November 7        Video Analysis and Treatment of Overhead Throwing Athletes
November 14     Lower Extremity Tendon Ruptures
November 28     Use and Abuse of Nutritional Supplements/Ergogenic Aids, OTC Medications
December 12    Use of Therapeutic Modalities in Athletic Rehabilitation
December 19    Rehabilitation - Therapeutic Spine Care - Spondylolysis/Spondylolisthesis
January 9            Athletes VO2 and the Physiological Responses to Training
January 23         Hip and Pelvis Injuries/Pain in Athletes
January 30         Lumbar Spine/Pelvis, Anatomy, Injuries Associated with Sport
February 6         Prevention of Sports Injuries and Considerations in Adolescent and Pediatric Medicine
February 13       Rotator Cuff Injury/Disease - Treatment and Management
February 27       Athletic Foot and Ankle Injuries/Disorders in Children
March 12            Rehabilitation of PF, Multiple Ligamentous Knee Injuries and Kinetic Chain Considerations
March 19            Overview of Statistics, Finding Conclusions in Research Articles
April 2                 Nutrition and Eating Disorders
April 16               Non-Orthopedic Concerns in Athletes
April 23               Acute and Chronic Elbow Injuries
April 30               Heat and Cold Related Issues in Sport
May 7                   Injuries to the Wrist and Hand
May 14                Overuse Injuries of Lower Extremity


Weekly MSM Sports Medicine Grand Rounds
Features clinical cases. Residents present at this conference annually. Curriculum varies but see sample below:

December 2007
December 19    "It's just a rash, don't worry about it!"" The recognition, treatment and prevention of skin infections in wrestlers, B.J. Anderson, M.D.
December 12    Ligamentous Injuries of the Knee, Mehul Taylor, M.D.

November 2007
November 28    The Wrestler's Shoulder, Greg Lervick, M.D.
November 14    Legal Issues iin Sports Medicine, Michelle Gorman McNerney, M.D.
November 7      Sudden Death in Athletes, Pierce Vatterott, M.D.

October 2007
October 31        Scary Things in Sports Medicine, Chris Larson, M.D.
October 24        Ankle Instability, Christie Heikes, M.D.
October 17        Superior Labral Lesions of the Shoulder - Who Do We Fix?, L. Pearch McCarty, M.D.
October 3          Evaluation and Treatment of Acromioclavicular Joint Injuries, Mehul Taylor, M.D.

September 2007
September 26  Highlights of the World University Games -Bangkok, Thailand, August 2007, Sheldon Burns, M.D.
September 19  The U of M Department of Intercollegiate Athletics Mental Health Triage and Sports Psychology Program, Nancy Andries Cullen, Psy.D.
September 12  Treatment of Acute Displaced Clavicle Fractures - Operative vs. Non-Operative Techniques, Edward Kelly, M.D.
September 5    Physical Therapy Overview of LE Kinetic Chain, Paul Miemuth, P.T., D.Sc., O.C.S., S.C.S., A.T.C.


4. Weekly On-Field/Team and Training Room Observation

5. Journal Clubs - MSM sponsored, quarterly. Resident will present a journal article each Club meeting.

6. Annual two-day Twin Cities Marathon Conference

7. Annual two-day Spring Sports Medicine Conference

8. Ongoing Research Project. Residents choose a research project and initiate IRB and subject recruitment.

9. Ongoing Community-Based Sports Medicine Project. Residents choose and complete a community-based sports medicine project.

10. Community Event Coverage through the Minnesota State High School League. Residents are required to provide event coverage at two to three events annually.

Evaluation
Residents are evaluated throughout the year in a number of ways, in accordance with recommendations made by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). These evaluations are used to improve the Residents’ performance and strengthen the curriculum:

1. Quarterly 360 Degree Evaluation by faculty and other staff who interact with them (athletic trainers, administrative) via E*value, an online evaluation tool. A similar evaluation tool, completed by the Residents, provides feedback about faculty, the curriculum and Resident structure.

2. Completion of conference and procedure logs; Completion of activity presentations on E*value.

3. Clinical/Case Presentations at weekly Sports Medicine Conference - two annually.

4. Evidence-Based Journal Club Presentations; one to three annually.

5. Quarterly Case/Record Review by faculty - a review of patient records and comparison of findings against accepted patient care standards. 

6.  Simulations/Models assessing knowledge of procedural skills.

7. Completion of at least one Research Project; presented at year-end at Annual Fellowship and Resident Dinner.

8. Completion of a Community-based Sports Medicine Project.

9. Individualized Learning Plan - Residents identify three learning objectives for the year and strategies to achieve them. This plan will be revised at six-months and at conclusion of the Residency.

Residency Salary and Benefits

Salary for the Residency is $35,000 per year. Health, dental, disability and malpractice insurance are included as are two weeks of vacation.

Applying to Our Program

Application deadline for the 2009-2010 Residency is March 31, 2009. 

In addition to PT licensure, qualified candidates are required to be one of the following - a certified athletic trainer; have successfully completed an Emergency Responder course; or be currently certified as an Emergency Medical Technician or Paramedic. Candidates should submit a one to three page summary statement of goals and objectives for the residency, a current curricula vitae, three letters of reference (one of which is to be from a former employer) and any personal information you wish to share (hobbies, etc.).

Applications may be mailed or faxed to:

Minnesota Sports Medicine
PT Residency
ATTN: Peter Ames, P.T.
775 Prairie Center Drive, Suite 250
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
FAX: 952-944-0092

About the Residency Faculty

Residency Director and physical therapist Peter Ames brings more than ten years experience to Minnesota Sports Medicine (MSM). Prior to joining MSM, he served as director of Physiotherapy Associates in Queen Creek, Arizona, where he was responsible for operations, business development and staff therapists. His wide-ranging background includes serving as a traveling physical therapist, working abroad in the United Kingdom as a senior therapist in neurology and respiratory care, and work in ICU and Med/Surg settings in the U.S. and abroad. His advanced training includes completing McKenzie Lumbar Spine coursework, the Vern Gambetta Lower Extremity Prevention and Performance Program and training in evaluating and treating upper and lower extremity core.

Ames earned his bachelors in psychology at State University of New York, Stony Brook, in 1991, and his Masters of Physical Therapy in Touro College, Dix Hills, New York, in 1995. He is completing a Doctorate of Science in Orthopaedics and Sports at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, Utah.

He sees patients at Minnesota Sports Medicine in Eden Prairie in addition to his Residency responsibilities.

More than ten residency faculty bring advanced training and clinical skills in a full spectrum of sports-related injuries. Residents work with faculty throughout the year at rehabilitation clinics located in the Twin Cities metro area.

Questions about the Residency may be directed to Peter Ames, Residency Director, at 952-944-5314 or by email at pames1@fairview.org