Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program

To fulfill President Lincoln's promise “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s Veterans.

Physical Therapy Residency Mission

To provide high-quality training to entry-level Physical Therapists using evidence-based, experiential and didactic learning, to become masterful orthopaedic clinicians who possess strong problem-solving abilities in managing patients with musculoskeletal conditions, committed to elevating the practice of physical therapy.

• Support the mission of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Services department at the Greater Los Angeles VA, by elevating the quality of orthopedic Physical Therapy, consistent with specialist practice.
• Provide the veteran population with residency-trained Physical Therapists who excel in advanced orthopedic practice, guided by a strong foundation in evidence-based practice.
• Maintain American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship education (ABPTRFE) accreditation as an orthopedic residency.
• Develop a pathway for Orthopedic Physical Therapy research that is inclusive of the Resident and current staff.
• To train Residents who demonstrate advanced skills in clinical reasoning, guided by evidence-based practice, to provide high quality care for the complex veteran population.
• To train Residents who possess specialist-level clinical judgement and psychomotor skills in human movement system evaluation and treatment, as well as manual therapy interventions.
• To prepare Residents to pass the Orthopedic Specialist Examination.
• To be a local orthopedic residency of choice with a reputation for high quality training.
• To graduate Residents who have the ability to obtain and maintain American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists (ABPTS) board certification through diverse exposure of clinical practice, research, and professional education.
• To graduate Residents who contribute to the advancement of Physical Therapist practice and engage in educating the community or emerging professionals.

• Faculty in residency programs
• Presenter at World Physiotherapy Congress
• Platform presenters at the American Physical Therapy Association’s Combined Sections Meeting
• Lectured for UCLA/VA Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency Program
• Graduates served on task forces with the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy
• Graduates function as Peer Mentors and Subject Matter Experts (SME) at their respective organizations
• Graduates and residents serve as Clinical Instructors
• Graduates volunteered in community outreach for healthcare and volunteered at local Physical Therapy programs to support their students
• Graduates and residents are active members of multiple professional organizations
• Graduates offered invited speakerships
• 100% graduation rate and pass rate on the orthopedic specialist examination

Residents will get 200+ hours of 1:1 mentoring where the resident leads a patient encounter with a mentor present.  Mentors will provide the resident with feedback, make suggestions for improvement—whether they are clinical reasoning, improvement of psychomotor delivery of patient management, or complex case management.  Residents will be in an outpatient facility working with a complex Veteran population and will receive 300+ hours of didactic education. Training includes:

• Rigorous practice of applied anatomy and applied kinesiology
• Movement analysis (with and without video capture)
• Vestibular Training, as is required by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists (ABPTS) for those who possess the clinical specialty in orthopedic physical therapy as indicated in the orthopedic Description of Specialty Practice (DSP)
• Advanced manual therapy procedures, including manipulations
• Movement System Impairment diagnosis and treatment
• MedBridge Education subscription for select courses
• Pain neuroscience education
• Telehealth for the contemporary clinician
• Guided scholarly work and presentation opportunities
• Introduction to musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging (MSKUS)

• Outpatient Physical Therapy
• Primary Care, Same-Day, Direct-Access Physical Therapy
• Amputee Clinic
• Occupational Therapy for elbow, wrist, and hand
• Specialized lectures and labs for the movement system
• Advanced manual therapy labs, tailored to fit the residents’ physical needs
• Assistive Device Clinic
• Observational opportunities for Nerve Conduction Study & Electromyography Clinic & Orthopedic Surgery
• Assistant Clinical Instructor with credentialed staff
• Mentoring for professional presentations
• Comprehensive didactic series
• Practice with ultrasound imaging in lab
• Rehabilitative Ultrasound Imaging (RUSI) for biofeedback
• Journal Club

• US Citizen
• Registered with Selective Service (male applicants only)
• Graduate from a CAPTE-Accredited Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
  • If the applicant has not graduated at the time of application, proof of graduation is required, or the offer will be rescinded
• Licensed at program start, but not during application process

  • The applicant should hold a full, current, and unrestricted Physical Therapy license in the United States, its territories, or the District of Columbia at the start of the program. For some applicants, this may mean taking the NPTE early, if an applicant wants to start within months of their DPT graduation.

    If the program starts before the applicant passes the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE), the applicant must provide the Program with proof of a temporary license or be designated as having a Physical Therapist License Applicant (PTLA) status as is customary in the state of California but may have a different designation in the applicant’s home state. Failure to produce proof of a temporary license or PTLA status will result in delay of the start of the program or, the offer will be rescinded. 

    The applicant must pass the NPTE and Jurisprudence Examination, and be fully licensed within three (3) months of obtaining a temporary license in the applicant’s home state or upon being granted PTLA status. Usually, the 3-month timeframe coincides with the earliest NPTE offering from the time of graduation. Failure to obtain a license within 3 months of temporary licensure/PTLA status—coinciding with the first available NPTE-offering—will result from dismissal and/or early termination from the Program. 

    If the applicant was offered a residency position and takes the NPTE prior to the start of the Program but fails, the residency offer will be rescinded. Unlicensed residents must pass the National Physical Therapy Exam on the first attempt.  Otherwise, the offer will be rescinded and/or the Resident will be dismissed. 

    Residents may begin residency with a temporary license—meaning the resident has passed the NPTE on the first attempt and is just waiting for the license to be confirmed by the home state. Proof of both graduation and initiation of licensure procedures will be required. 

• Completed RF-PTCAS application. If you find us after the application window has closed, please contact the Residency Director. New positions may be available even after the application window closes.
  • Basic RF-PTCAS application
  • Three (3) letters of recommendation where one (1) must be from a professor and one (1) from a clinical instructor
  • Current Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Complete three (3) short answer questions (prompts are in the application)

1. Complete 1800 total program hours
2. Pass all Written Examinations
3. Pass all Live-Patient Examinations
4. Participation and successful presentation of scholarly work
5. Active moderator for GLAVAORP’s Journal Club
6. Complete all clinical reasoning assignments, critical appraisal of literature, and self-reflection activities
7. Complete comprehensive Manual Therapy Assessment and Interventions Tool
8. Compile a Professional Development Portfolio

• No tuition
• No weekend didactics or patient care; didactic lectures are done in-house during working hours
• Accrued paid Annual Leave: 4 hours per pay period, or 13 days
• Accrued paid Sick Leave: 4 hours per pay period, or 13 days
• 11 paid Federal Holidays
• Health Benefits
• Eligible site for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
  • After 120 student loan payments while working for an eligible site, the remaining balance on student loan debt is forgiven
  • Please contact your loan servicer and go to Federal Student Aid for details

Amanda Songstad, PT, DPT, OCS (2020)

“I graduated from GLAVAORP in 2020 and am now a Physical Therapist II at UCLA in their outpatient rehabilitation department. GLAVAORP has shaped me as a physical therapist in so many ways. This residency program blends Movement System Impairments with standard orthopedic practice, all while instilling the importance of evidence-based practice. The resident is granted unique one-on-one time with mentors, including patient mentoring hours, lab time, and detailed lectures to enhance learning.

These qualities have set a foundation of strong clinical reasoning abilities and have greatly influenced sound practice as a young clinician. GLAVAORP provided me with so many opportunities, aside from strongly preparing me to sit for the OCS exam. This program sees the value in application of knowledge through teaching.

As a resident, I was granted the opportunity of being an assistant CI, a teaching assistant for CSUN’s Movement System Impairments class, and presenting my research project at CSM. Each of these experiences allow for that next level of knowledge application, which is a huge strength of the program.

As a clinician who is now almost 2 years post-graduation from residency, I can confidently say that this program more than prepared me for the diverse population of patients I see on a daily basis. GLAVAORP is a very well-rounded program and fulfills the goal of producing true clinical specialists.” 

Roberta Brehm, PT, DPT (2021)

“Expectations are high in this program.  Learning how to meet them was difficult, but very rewarding. 

This program is outstanding in its ability to provide personalized teaching.  I received extensive one-on one attention from my mentor which allowed me to advance my practice to a level I had never before experienced in my career. 

This residency’s training allowed me to get a wonderful job within the VA.  I have found that my expertise in diagnosis and treatment has been widely recognized in my current position.  Often, I am the go-to person for other therapists who have questions regarding complex patients.  My boss has also commented favorably several times on my ability to take on the most challenging patients and handle them well.”