Physical Therapy Neurologic Residency

VA Long Beach Health Care System (VALBHS) is pleased to announce their new Physical Therapy Neurologic Residency program has achieved accreditation by the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE). This program is open for recruitment and will offer a single full-time position for a one-year residency through VA Long Beach with a start date in July.

Mission Statement: Provide evidence-based education to Neurologic Physical Therapy Residents that accelerates their professional growth, knowledge, and problem-solving skills in an interdisciplinary environment. Produce the next generation of patient-centered clinical specialists who can treat the whole individual throughout the continuum of care, who value lifelong learning, and who provide highly skilled patient care for Veterans with neurologic conditions and the community. Demonstrate continual improvement efforts by implementing key initiatives to meet the unique needs of the Veteran population throughout residency.

Vision Statement: The Veterans Health Administration is uniquely positioned as the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States to provide comprehensive services to our Veterans throughout the continuum of care. VA Long Beach Healthcare System Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency will serve our Veteran community by increasing access to the highest level of specialized care and expertise at critical junctures in longitudinal episodes of care. Attracting, training, and retaining exceptional clinical specialists is crucial to remaining the provider of choice for our Veteran population. By training the highest quality clinicians, we seek to solidify our position as functional mobility experts throughout the continuum of care.

Mychael Bueno PT, DPT

PT Site Coordinator of Clinical Education, Neurologic PT Residency Director

VA Long Beach health care

Email: Mychael.Bueno@va.gov

Joayn Truong PT, DPT, NCS

Neurologic PT Residency Program Coordinator, Inpatient/SCI Clinic Mentor

VA Long Beach health care

Email: Joayn.Truong@va.gov

Te’Nisha Washington PT, DPT

Outpatient Neurologic Clinic Residency Mentor

VA Long Beach health care

Email: Tenisha.Washington@va.gov

Maureen Jennings PT, DPT, NCS, ATP

SCI Therapy Manager, SCI Residency Mentor

VA Long Beach health care

Email: maureen.jennings@va.gov

Neuro Outpatient Clinic featuring two staff members

Program Goals

Develop clinical specialists who strive to serve our Veterans through evidenced based, innovative evaluation and clinical treatments.
Strengthen our Long Beach VA Physical Therapy team by retaining highly qualified specialists with advanced neurological practice.
Advance the Long Beach VA mission and vision to honor America’s Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their overall health and well-being.

Admissions Standards

Interested applicants must submit an application through Residency and Fellowship Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (RF-PTCAS). Current DPT students are eligible to apply, provided they are licensed prior to the program’s tentative start date. In addition, they must meet the following criteria:

Minimum Standards

Be a U.S. citizen
English language proficiency
Current, full, active, and unrestricted license to practice PT in the United States OR a current doctoral student from a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program who will graduate and obtain licensure prior to the start of the residency
Ability to comply with LBVAMC application and employment requirements including:
- Participate in COVID-19 vaccination program
- Agree to random drug testing
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- Background/security investigation
- Participate in seasonal influenza vaccination program
- Selected applicants will be required to complete onboarding process
- Additional eligibility information is available at https://www.va.gov/oaa/hpt-eligibility.asp

Preferred Qualifications

History of academic achievement and recognition
Display superior written and spoken communication skills
Clinical experience relevant to Neurologic Physical Therapy
Interest in acquiring advanced clinical reasoning and skills in Neurologic Physical Therapy
Demonstrate interest in exploring federal employment opportunities upon graduation
Demonstrate a desire to serve Veterans and/or are Veterans themselves
Willingness to dedicate additional hours outside work to self-study and professional advancement
Resident also agrees to file their ABPTS Board exam application in June prior to graduation and sit during the window of examination in February/March the following year unless otherwise specified

Application Procedures

Resident applicants must submit a complete application package to the Residency and Fellowship Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (RF-PTCAS) prior to the April 2023 deadline
A completed application package is required in order to be selected for interview by the Residency Committee
At this time, interviews will be planned as in-person or virtual interviews
The interview process is conducted, and a candidate is selected
Upon selection, the candidate must meet all criteria for federal employment

Non-Discrimination/Reasonable Accommodations Notice

The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factor.

Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Agreement Duration

This neurologic residency will be completed within 12 months, with a maximum of 2,080 hours of instruction and patient care. The Resident is boarded as a temporary employee of the VA, during this training period. The anticipated started date for each academic year is July 1 and will end June 30 the following year.

Resident Benefits

The standard benefits for a VA Resident include:

Stipend is paid hourly (current rate is $28.81) approximately $59,915 annually, paid every two weeks.
No tuition
11 paid federal holidays
4 hours of Sick Leave (SL) per pay period, bi-weekly (up to 104 hours over 26 pay periods)
4 hours of Annual Leave (AL) per pay period, bi-weekly (up to 104 hours over 26 pay periods)
Trainees with 1-year appointments are eligible for Federal Employee Healthcare Benefits. However, they are not eligible for benefits such as Vision, Dental, FMLA (e.g. paid parental leave).
Registration for Neuroconsortium webinars and onsite learning will be paid for by the Program as appropriate to supplement independent Resident learning activities. Travel and lodging costs are the responsibility of the resident.
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
Others: Professional membership dues (APTA and Neurologic Section Membership) are the Resident’s responsibility.

How to Apply

VA Long Beach’s application will be live from October 1st 2023 to February 18th 2024 on RF-PTCAS (application deadline February 18th)
Online Application: RF-PTCAS | Applicant Login Page Section (liaisoncas.com)
- https://rfptcas.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login
Interviews with qualified applicants: Late February 2024 to early March 2024.
Notification of Decision: March 25th 2024
- While the most qualified applicant will be offered the position, a wait list will also be available.
- The top candidate has 3 days to accept the position. Otherwise, the program will advance the wait list to the next most qualified candidate until a signed resident attestation has been received. Even so, the wait list will be updated until the candidate has been onboarded and sworn-in to duty
Program Start: July