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Orthopaedic Residency

ABPTRFE Accredited ProgramKaiser Permanente Northern California Orthopaedic Residency has proudly been accredited by the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE) since 2017. Our program is strategically designed to help newer practitioners become efficient, effective, confident skilled clinicians eligible to sit for the APTA Specialist Certification exam in Orthopaedics. Most of program graduates have gone on to obtain their Board Certification in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy.

Click here for Program Outcomes.

ABPTRFE Financial Fact Sheet 2023-2024

Learn more about our program

Our program goals are simple, to raise professional standards in practice, service, and scholarship. We start the program in October and partner with you for one full year. The year is divided into 3 equal terms with 4 to 6 hours of learning each week, a full 40 hour work week of patient care and monthly weekend lab sessions. A minimum of 150 hours of mentoring occurs during the 40-hour work week and in evening seminars.

The hallmark of your experience is the opportunity to partner in your learning with dedicated clinical mentors who work side-by-side with you throughout the program. These skilled clinician educators apply evidence-based teaching strategies to facilitate your professional growth over the length of the program. As a team, you learn from practice for practice.

Kaiser Permanente Northern California OPTR

Our mission

We believe the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Orthopaedic Residency exists to promote meaningful learning through partnerships with our patients and colleagues, and that through a dedication to raising our professional standards in practice, service, and scholarship, we improve the health of the communities we serve.

Details you should know

  • Residents participate in a minimum of 300 hours of webinars, classroom and lab instruction, independent self-study, scholarly activity project, community engagement project, and attend one lab intensive weekend per month.
  • Residents receive a minimum of 150 hours of 1:1 clinical mentoring with a minimum of 100 hours in direct supervision with patients.
  • Residents participate in curriculum based on Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy (AOPT) educational materials.
  • Residents are Kaiser Permanente employees with benefits that include health, dental and vision coverage, and paid holidays.

Program costs

  • Dues: Resident is expected to incur all dues associated with APTA, CPTA, and AOPT membership. Membership is a requirement of the Program and substantially discounted as a post-professional participant in a residency program.
  • Fees: Resident is responsible for purchasing all required course materials. These can be purchased in sequence with the class schedule. The Program anticipates fees to be no more than $2000.
  • Tuition: $1000 – Paid in 2 installments in January and May of the residency year.
  • Kaiser Permanente employees can receive up to $3000.00 per calendar year for expenses such as tuition and textbooks. Resident is eligible if they are scheduled for 20+ hours a week and after 90 days of active service.

Graduation requirements

  • Complete required hours for mentoring, didactic course work, and clinical practice.
  • Pass a final live patient exam, written exam, and skill checks.
  • Complete and pass a scholarly case report project and a community engagement project.
  • Meet required benchmarks on the Core Competencies of a Physical Therapist Resident for the program.
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