Sports Residency
UCF Physical Therapy
Overview
The University of Central Florida (UCF) and Orlando Health (OH) Sport Physical Therapy Residency Program enables physical therapists to advance their knowledge and develop clinical skills in outpatient-based sports and orthopedic rehabilitation. The residency is designed to prepare residents in the advanced practice of sports physical therapy as clinical specialists committed to optimizing patient care and improving the quality of life of athletes in the community.
Residents are mentored by highly specialized and recognized, clinical and didactic faculty within the realm of sports rehabilitation.
The mission of the UCF and OH Sports Physical Therapy Residency is to develop highly skilled clinicians who possess the ability to produce consistently superior outcomes, leading to the optimization of health, quality of life, and performance for athletes in our community. Residents are innovative leaders who demonstrate respect, positive attitude and superior communication skills and possess a passion for delivering exceptional patient care.
Program Goals
- Strengthen the healthcare community by creating a positive experience and providing highly effective care for patients with sports-based injuries and diagnoses, specifically in the area of sports as defined by the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice (2001).
- Train highly qualified clinicians ready to achieve board certification in sports physical therapy by implementing a curriculum that meets the requirements for sports certified specialist certification by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties.
- Advance sports physical therapy practice by developing residents who integrate evidence-based practice and demonstrate strong foundational knowledge and clinical decision-making skills.
- Promote inclusiveness and foster involvement in the community by providing residents with the skills needed to become a resource for patients.
- Demonstrate commitment to lifelong learning by preparing residents to become competent educators and mentors for patients, colleagues and physical therapy students.
Program Objectives
- The program will deliver education and training using the recommended outcome measures and evidence-based interventions in patient-client management of adults with sports-based injuries and diagnoses. The program will result in proficiency in dealing with sports patients commonly seen in outpatient rehabilitation. The academic faculty will provide instruction and guidance in scholarly activities such as research and teaching in the UCF Division of Physical Therapy (DPT), while the clinical faculty will provide clinical supervision of residents within the designated clinical sites in the Orlando Health System.
- The program will focus on improving the quality of care of individuals with sports-based injuries and diagnoses by utilizing outcome measures represented in the domains of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), and using evidence-based interventions addressing an individual’s impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions.
- The program’s curriculum, which includes didactic and clinical components, will acknowledge all aspects of the APTA Sports Physical Therapy’s Description of Specialty Practice. The program’s academic faculty will provide instruction in the areas of therapeutic exercise, orthopedic skills, and management of patients with orthopedic and sports conditions and guidance in clinical research. The program’s clinical faculty will provide mentorship in the areas of clinical skills and evidence-based practice.
Highlights
This 12-month residency program is delivered through an R1 doctoral university, along with a robust internal orthopedic and sports physician practice at the Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute, and a variety of local sports partnerships with professional soccer, performing arts, and Division 1 collegiate student-athletes
- Earn salary with full benefits, as variable full-time employees of Orlando Health
- Enrollment as students within the UCF Doctor of Physical Therapy program
Residency Outcomes
100% graduation/completion rate
Past Resident Accolades
Past graduates now serve in current roles with organizations that include the LPGA and PGA, NY Red Bulls, St. Louis FC, and High Point University.
Current Residents
Lauren Garcia
Garcia is a recent graduate of the University of Southern California’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy program. Her time in physical therapy school included rotations in multiple sports-based outpatient clinics. In addition, she interned with the FC Cincinnati men’s Major League Soccer team. During her undergraduate career at the University of Oregon, she worked as a sports nutrition intern for the university’s football team.
Beyond her professional pursuits, she is passionate about sports and outdoor activities and can be found on the golf course, on nature hikes, or challenging herself at the rock climbing gym.
Marissa Goldhoff
Goldhoff possesses nearly a year of experience working in outpatient orthopedic settings. She gained experience in strength and conditioning through her work at a gym that caters to baseball and football athletes of all levels, from high school to professional.
A former college tennis player, Goldhoff, is particularly interested in return-to-sport programs for upper extremity athletes, and in bridging the gap between injury prevention and strength gains for youth and adult athletes.
In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis and pickleball recreationally and loves being close to the beach.
Alli Shaw
Shaw was born in Colorado and raised in Arkansas, which formed her love for the outdoors and her active lifestyle. She participated in various sports, including soccer, gymnastics, swimming, and cross country. She eventually specialized in soccer and, despite experiencing various season-ending injuries, earned multiple state championship titles with her club team. Her passion for athletics and interest in psychology inspired her to earn a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Baylor University in 2020.
Shaw earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Duke University in 2024. She has a special interest in soccer-related injuries and rehabilitation.
In her free time, she enjoys running, weightlifting, rock climbing, and taking her dog on long walks.
Clinical Experience
- Clinic hours are conducted at the Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute Downtown Complex, located at 60 Columbia St, Orlando, FL 32806
- Residents have a patient caseload combined of sports and orthopedic patients from pediatric to geriatric, in addition to non-operative and postoperative diagnosis
- Residents work hand-in-hand with a sports therapy team consisting of multiple clinical mentors
- Residents have weekly one-on-one formal mentoring, with an assigned mentor, for four hours of blocked patient care time with a one-on-one treatment setup
Sports Venue Experience
- Residents move through assigned rotations with MLS Orlando City Soccer Club Academy and B-Team, NWSL Orlando Pride, the Orlando Ballet, and on-site with allocated physical therapists at UCF who are treating student athletes.
- Work alongside sports medicine teams for each respective rotation, consisting of athletic trainers, physicians, strength and performance coaches, etc.
- Participate in regular events in collaboration with Orlando Health’s Performance Health team, including but not limited to: ECNL soccer tournaments, the Special Olympics, Hula Bowl, and others.
Didactic Experience
The didactic portion of the residency includes three semesters (12 months) of coursework at UCF, in addition to regularly scheduled in-person lectures along with monthly sports-based modules on special topics presented by subject matter experts. As one of the top research institutions in the country, UCF has earned the following designation:
- Carnegie Foundation Classification of Institutions of Higher Education: Very High Research Activity and Community Engagement.
- Department of Education: Hispanic Serving Institution
The resident will be enrolled for a total of two credit hours per semester. The curriculum is based upon the following:
- Description of Residency Practice (DRP) published by the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education
- Description of Specialty Practice (DSP) in Sports Physical Therapy published by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties
Patient and Client Management
There will be three semesters of coursework related to patient and client management. The patient management content will be taught by UCF DPT residency program faculty members who are nationally recognized experts in sports physical therapy. The didactic curriculum will follow the clinical experience at Orlando Health in which the didactic topics reflect the diagnoses of patients seen during the clinical rotation.
Research
The resident is expected to be an active participant, and complete a relevant, and appropriate, research capstone project at the end of the residency program. The resident will work with a research advisor and a subject matter expert throughout the residency. The resident will have the opportunity to participate in other ongoing DPT program research activities, including data collection at current Orlando Health research projects.
Teaching
The resident will have a special opportunity to participate in teaching basic and advanced therapeutic exercise, orthopedic skills, and sports physical therapy courses in the UCF DPT program. The resident will be mentored by the respective course instructors in preparing an instructional plan to teach several modules related to their current clinical work experience at Orlando Health.
Professional Service and Community Engagement
Residents are encouraged to present in state level presentations, be active in professional organizations and perform community service.
Application
Eligibility
In order to qualify for application, you must be a graduate of an APTA-accredited program in physical therapy and hold a license of physical therapy in the state of Florida by the start of the program. You must also have one of the following designations for emergency response prior to, or during, the residency:
- certified athletic trainer
- certified emergency responder (through the APTA sports section)
- licensed emergency medical technician
We are looking for highly motivated clinicians who seek to develop advanced critical thinking skills, demonstrate attributes of a potential leader, and possess a strong desire to advance clinical knowledge, skills and abilities.
Resident Selection
A Residency Admissions Committee (RAC) will select residents based on the recognized criteria. An interview with the RAC is required for all candidates.
Faculty
Our sports residency faculty includes expert physical therapists with various advanced certifications within sports and orthopedics, in addition to certified athletic trainers, and certified strength and conditioning coaches. Many of the academic and clinical faculty regularly present at local, state, and national level conferences regarding sports and orthopedic physical therapy.
