Department of
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Curriculum and Rotations

Our Mission, Vision, and Aims

The structure and philosophy of our residency program are guided by a clear and ambitious set of principles. These formal statements define our core values and demonstrate our alignment with the highest standards of graduate medical education, ensuring our residents are prepared to excel in any clinical or academic environment. This framework is modeled on the transparent and purpose-driven aims of the nation's leading training programs.

Vision Statement

To be a national leader in physical medicine and rehabilitation by training compassionate and innovative physiatrists who will transform brain and musculoskeletal health through pioneering research and patient-centered care, particularly for the people of West Virginia and beyond.

Mission Statement

The WVU Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency program is dedicated to developing future leaders in PM&R by offering a comprehensive, broad-based curriculum integrated within the world-class Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. We are committed to providing outstanding clinical care, fostering groundbreaking research, and promoting medical education that addresses the unique healthcare needs of our community and respects the dignity of every patient and their family.

Program Aims

Our program is designed to achieve the following specific aims:

To train clinically superb physiatrists with expertise across the full spectrum of inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation. Residents will gain mastery in managing a diverse array of conditions, including complex neurological disorders such as stroke, brain injury, and spinal cord injury, as well as a wide range of musculoskeletal and orthopedic injuries.

To immerse residents in a culture of innovation and discovery at the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. The program provides unique, hands-on exposure to translational research and advanced technologies that are shaping the future of our field, ensuring our graduates are prepared to be lifelong critical thinkers and evidence-based physicians.

To prepare future leaders and advocates for the field by providing opportunities to focus training in areas of individual interest. Through flexible elective time and a dedicated research pathway, residents can tailor their education to meet their specific career goals in academic medicine, private practice, or subspecialty fellowship training.

To address the critical need for physiatric care in West Virginia. Our program is fundamentally committed to serving the health needs of the state, fostering in our residents a deep understanding of and commitment to caring for diverse and rural patient populations.

To challenge our residents in a supportive, collegial environment that prioritizes physician wellness and professional growth. We are dedicated to fostering a balanced and respectful community where residents can thrive both personally and professionally.

The RNI Advantage: Training at the Forefront of Neuroscience

A residency at West Virginia University offers an educational experience that is fundamentally unique in the landscape of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Our program's distinction lies in its deep integration with the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI), a place where rehabilitation truly meets revolution. While many programs offer research opportunities, the RNI provides residents with direct exposure to a futuristic and highly innovative portfolio of "first-in-human" trials and paradigm-shifting technologies that are years away from mainstream practice. This positions our trainees at the absolute cutting edge of neurorehabilitation and restorative medicine.

The RNI is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary institute with over 1,600 dedicated team members across five departments, patient care units, and research laboratories. It operates on a philosophy of "rapid cycle innovation," fostering direct collaboration between clinicians, world-renowned scientists, and engineers to accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries into tangible patient care. Our residents are not simply observers of this process; they are integral members of the RNI ecosystem. Through dedicated research rotations, direct mentorship from RNI faculty, and participation in high-level scientific conferences, residents are immersed in an environment of discovery. They learn to critically appraise emerging technologies and understand how to translate these breakthroughs into the clinical practice of tomorrow at home, tracking viral symptoms, stress levels, chronic pain changes like migraines, and the risk of substance use relapse. This positions the program at the forefront of digital health, telemedicine, and remote patient monitoring—critical skills for the modern physician.

The Training Pathway: A Curriculum for Clinical Mastery and Individual Growth

A successful residency program is built upon a transparent, structured, and comprehensive educational foundation. While our program is new, its curriculum has been meticulously designed to meet and exceed all ACGME requirements, drawing upon the best practices of the nation's most respected and established PM&R residencies. We believe in providing prospective applicants with a clear and detailed roadmap of their training, which builds confidence and demonstrates our unwavering commitment to educational excellence. A vague curriculum can suggest disorganization and risk, particularly for a new program. In contrast, our detailed, year-by-year plan projects competence, foresight, and a clear vision for developing outstanding physiatrists.

A Comprehensive Four-Year Journey

The WVU PM&R Residency is a four-year categorical program, fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). This structure ensures that our residents begin with a strong, broad-based clinical foundation during their intern (PGY-1) year. This initial year, spent primarily within WVU's large and well-established Department of Internal Medicine and other core specialties, provides invaluable experience in managing the acute medical issues that are common in complex rehabilitation patients, preparing residents for the advanced training to come.

The subsequent three years (PGY-2 through PGY-4) are dedicated to immersive training in the principles and practice of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The curriculum is designed to provide progressively increasing responsibility, from foundational clinical skills in the PGY-2 year to a senior supervisory and leadership role as a PGY-4. The schedule is thoughtfully balanced between inpatient and outpatient experiences and includes protected time for didactics, research, and elective rotations, allowing residents the flexibility to pursue their individual career interests.

The following provides a sample block schedule for the four-year training pathway.

Block 1

  • PGY-1 (Intern Year) - Neurosurgery
  • PGY-2 (Foundational PM&R) - Inpatient Rehab
  • PGY-3 (Advanced Skills) - Inpatient Consults
  • PGY-4 (Senior Leadership) - Inpatient Rehab (Supervising)

Block 2

  • PGY-1 (Intern Year) - Orthopedic Spine
  • PGY-2 (Foundational PM&R) - Inpatient Rehab
  • PGY-3 (Advanced Skills) - Inpatient Consults
  • PGY-4 (Senior Leadership) - Spine/MSK

Block 3

  • PGY-1 (Intern Year) - Trauma Surgery
  • PGY-2 (Foundational PM&R) - Ambulatory Neurorehab
  • PGY-3 (Advanced Skills) - Spine/MSK
  • PGY-4 (Senior Leadership) -

Block 4

  • PGY-1 (Intern Year) - Ortho Trauma
  • PGY-2 (Foundational PM&R) - Spine/MSK
  • PGY-3 (Advanced Skills) - Ambulatory Neurorehab
  • PGY-4 (Senior Leadership) - EMG/Neurophysiology

Block 5

  • PGY-1 (Intern Year) - Emergency Medicine
  • PGY-2 (Foundational PM&R) - Inpatient Rehab
  • PGY-3 (Advanced Skills) - Inpatient Rehab
  • PGY-4 (Senior Leadership) - EMG/Neurophysiology

Block 6

  • PGY-1 (Intern Year) - Internal Medicine
  • PGY-2 (Foundational PM&R) - Inpatient Rehab
  • PGY-3 (Advanced Skills) - Inpatient Rehab
  • PGY-4 (Senior Leadership) - Ambulatory Neurorehab

Block 7

  • PGY-1 (Intern Year) - Family Medicine
  • PGY-2 (Foundational PM&R) - Pediatrics
  • PGY-3 (Advanced Skills) - EMG/Neurophysiology
  • PGY-4 (Senior Leadership) - Inpatient Consults

Block 8

  • PGY-1 (Intern Year) - Pediatrics
  • PGY-2 (Foundational PM&R) - Pain Management
  • PGY-3 (Advanced Skills) - EMG/Neurophysiology
  • PGY-4 (Senior Leadership) - Inpatient Rehab

Block 9

  • PGY-1 (Intern Year) - Internal Medicine
  • PGY-2 (Foundational PM&R) - Inpatient Rehab
  • PGY-3 (Advanced Skills) - Inpatient Rehab
  • PGY-4 (Senior Leadership) - Pediatrics

Block 10

  • PGY-1 (Intern Year) - Neurology
  • PGY-2 (Foundational PM&R) - Inpatient Rehab
  • PGY-3 (Advanced Skills) - Inpatient Rehab
  • PGY-4 (Senior Leadership) - Elective

Block 11

  • PGY-1 (Intern Year) - Rheumatology
  • PGY-2 (Foundational PM&R) - Pediatrics
  • PGY-3 (Advanced Skills) - Pain Management
  • PGY-4 (Senior Leadership) - Elective

Block 12

  • PGY-1 (Intern Year) - PM&R
  • PGY-2 (Foundational PM&R) - EMG/Neurophysiology
  • PGY-3 (Advanced Skills) - Pediatrics
  • PGY-4 (Senior Leadership) - Administration/QI

Core Clinical Rotations

Our clinical rotations provide residents with a diverse and comprehensive experience across the full breadth of physiatry, taking place in state-of-the-art facilities and serving a wide-ranging patient population.

Inpatient Rehabilitation: This core experience takes place at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, the flagship academic medical center for WVU Medicine. Residents manage the care of patients with a variety of diagnoses, including stroke, complex orthopedic injuries, debility after major surgery or medical illness, and amputations. They lead a multidisciplinary team that includes physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, rehabilitation nurses, and case managers, learning to coordinate all aspects of a patient's recovery journey.

Neurorehabilitation (Spinal Cord Injury & Brain Injury): A signature component of our program, these critical rotations are housed within the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. This immersive setting provides residents with unparalleled experience in managing the acute and chronic complications of traumatic and non-traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Residents work alongside neurologists, neurosurgeons, and neuroscience researchers, gaining exposure to the advanced technologies and clinical trials being conducted at the RNI.

Outpatient Clinics: Residents gain extensive ambulatory experience at the newly opened, state-of-the-art WVU Medicine Outpatient Rehabilitation Center. Rotations are focused on musculoskeletal medicine, sports injuries, spine care, cancer rehabilitation, and general physiatry. A key feature of the outpatient curriculum is the resident continuity clinic, where each resident develops and follows their own panel of patients over the course of their training, fostering long-term patient-physician relationships and an understanding of chronic disease management.

Consult Service: The PM&R consult resident is an essential member of the hospital team, providing expert recommendations for patients on acute care services throughout J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital. Residents evaluate patients in the trauma, neurosurgery, orthopedics, medicine, and critical care units, making recommendations for rehabilitation needs, managing spasticity and pain, and facilitating transitions to the next level of care.

Pediatric Rehabilitation: This rotation provides comprehensive training in the diagnosis and management of children with a wide range of congenital and acquired disabilities, including cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, and pediatric brain injury. The rotation is supervised by faculty who are fellowship-trained and board-certified in Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, ensuring a high-quality educational experience.

Electrodiagnostics (EMG): Modeled after the robust training at leading institutions, our program features a dedicated, longitudinal curriculum in electrodiagnostic medicine. Residents receive multiple blocks of training in electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies, starting in the PGY-2 year and advancing in the PGY-3 year, to ensure they develop the proficiency required for board certification and independent practice.

Advanced Didactic and Hands-On Learning

We believe that a strong clinical education must be supported by a robust and protected academic curriculum. Our program is committed to providing residents with dedicated time for learning, free from clinical duties, to ensure they develop a deep and lasting understanding of the scientific principles underlying our specialty. Residents have protected didactic time every Thursday morning.

Core Didactic Series: The academic curriculum is built on an 12-month repeating cycle of lectures and discussions, ensuring that all core topics in the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (ABEM) model are covered at least twice during residency. This series is delivered by our core faculty, faculty from other departments, and invited guest speakers.

Conferences and Case Discussions:

Grand Rounds: Weekly presentations on cutting-edge topics in clinical care and research, delivered by faculty and nationally recognized experts.

Journal Club: Monthly sessions focused on developing the skills of evidence-based medicine. Residents learn to critically appraise the medical literature and apply findings to clinical practice.

Morbidity & Mortality (M&M) Conference: A monthly, non-punitive conference where complex cases are reviewed to identify opportunities for quality improvement and systems-based changes in patient care.

Hands-On Workshops and Simulation: A key differentiator of our program is the emphasis on hands-on learning, leveraging the extensive resources of the WVU Health Sciences Center. These workshops provide practical skills that go beyond traditional lectures.

Comprehensive Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Curriculum: Residents participate in a longitudinal ultrasound curriculum that begins in the PGY-2 year. This includes didactic lectures and extensive hands-on scanning workshops to develop proficiency in diagnostic and interventional ultrasound, a critical skill for the modern physiatrist.

Anatomy and Injection Labs: The program utilizes the WVU School of Medicine's cadaver lab facilities to provide residents with invaluable, hands-on experience. These labs focus on reinforcing complex musculoskeletal and spinal anatomy and allow residents to practice fluoroscopically-guided and ultrasound-guided injection techniques in a controlled setting.

State-of-the-Art Simulation Training: Residents train at the WVU STEPS Center (Simulation Training and Education for Patient Safety), one of the most advanced simulation facilities in the region. Scenarios are designed specifically for physiatry, including the management of spasticity (e.g., baclofen pump refills), handling acute medical events on the rehabilitation unit, and practicing difficult conversations with patients and families.