Program
The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Program is committed to enhancing the quality of care provided to persons of all ages with physical and/or cognitive impairment and disability through the education and training of competent rehabilitation physicians in the medical specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation. We are committed to achieving excellence in dedication, medical knowledge, judgment, professionalism, clinical and communication skills, and continuous learning.
We are guided by UPMC Mercy’s mission and philosophy and the hospital’s core values of reverence for each person, community, justice, commitment to those who are poor, stewardship, courage, and integrity.
Program objectives are to:
- Provide each resident with knowledge about the diagnosis, pathogenesis, treatment, prevention, and rehabilitation of the neuromusculoskeletal, neurobehavioral, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and other system disorders common to the medical specialty of physiatry in patients of both sexes and all ages.
- Provide each resident with comprehensive, educational and scholarly opportunities, and clinical experiences of such high quality and excellence that each graduate is afforded the opportunity to meet all competencies, expectations, and responsibilities required at each level of training and during each major rotation or other program assignment, and ultimately, in the practice of physiatry.
- Provide each resident the opportunity to develop the necessary written and oral communication skills essential to the effective and efficient practice of physiatry.
Our program demands much of its residents, but nevertheless embraces the importance of family and personal life. We are large enough to provide quality training and yet small enough to allow the residents the opportunity to interact with each other, faculty, and staff on a personal level. Many opportunities exist to socialize with fellow residents, each other’s family, and the entire UPMC Mercy family.
Patient care is a responsibility that requires 24-hour physician availability. There is always a dedicated faculty member on call 24 hours per day and seven days per week. The resident will have scheduled night and weekend assignments, which provides a balanced educational and patient service program. The present on-call assignment for PGY-2, PGY-3, and PGY-4 residents requires a resident to take calls from home in one-week blocks of five or six weeks per year.
The program utilizes a formal program evaluation process to continually assess and make changes to improve the program as needed.
We strictly abide by the ACGME resident duty hours.
Facilities
Rehabilitation services at UPMC Mercy consist of a 33-bed acute care unit service and a 10-bed Acquired Brain Injury unit. The adjacent UPMC Mercy Rehabilitation Center offers a balance of high technology, compassion, and caring and houses a range of services including:
- physical therapy
- occupational therapy
- speech language pathology
- psychology
- audiology
The center is accredited by CARF, The Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission, and The Joint Commission.
Specialty Areas
Acquired Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program
UPMC Mercy’s Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program is designed to address the medical rehabilitation needs of patients with acquired brain damage, ranging from minor brain injury to the most complex, challenging, and severe traumatic brain injuries, as well as those acquired through nontraumatic causes, such as a lack of blood supply to the brain following a cardiac arrest, or bleeding around or in the brain due to rupture of a blood vessel.
This program includes specialized inpatient services to deal with the physical, cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and adjustment concerns associated with acquired brain injury. Using a multidisciplinary approach, UPMC Mercy's treatment team is composed of experienced clinicians, each of whom brings discipline-specific expertise to bear on the shared central task of maximizing patient recovery. The team works closely with the patient and their caregivers to achieve an optimal functional outcome through individualized, patient-centered care. The inpatient program is integrated seamlessly into a full-service tertiary medical center that includes 24-hour access to all of the medical facilities and resources associated with our Level I Trauma Center, as well as all of our comprehensive specialty consultation and diagnostic services.
Inpatient treatment is linked directly to outpatient services that address more advanced recovery goals involving community reintegration and the resumption of work, recreation, and family participation.
Wound Care Center
The UPMC Mercy Wound Care Center offers a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to the treatment and management of chronic wounds. Our team of experienced physicians, nurses, and therapists take an innovative, proactive approach to wound healing by initiating and influencing wound care. The center operates under three primary components: prevention/education, maintenance, and therapy. A multidisciplinary team of experienced endocrinologists, vascular surgeons, general and plastic surgeons, certified wound care specialists, physical therapists, registered nurses, rehabilitation specialists, podiatrists, and other medical and surgical health care professionals are involved actively as needed in the care and management of each patient.
Residents are encouraged to attend wound care rounds with the rehabilitation attending physician and participate in the clinic’s activities.
Amputee Clinic
UPMC Mercy sponsors an amputee clinic that is certified through the Pennsylvania State Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. The treatment team at UPMC Mercy consists of physiatrists, orthotists and prosthetists, physical therapists, and registered nurses who provide:
- screening for proper fitting prosthetics
- adjustments to existing hardware
- counseling for vocational rehabilitation
The Amputee Support Group helps individuals who are interested in talking about their concerns and accomplishments with others who share a common bond. Residents actively participate in the clinic. Formal tours to prosthetics and orthotics companies in the area are part of the curriculum.
EMG Clinic
Residents have extensive exposure to electromyography and electrodiagnosis throughout their training. Most members of the faculty are board-certified by the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine. Formal EMG rotations under the direct supervision of faculty electromyographers provide a strong exposure to electromyography and nerve conduction studies. In addition, the program sponsors a resident-run EMG clinic at UPMC Mercy, which permits senior residents the opportunity for progressive independence to serve as a consultant — evaluating their patients, performing the studies, and generating their own report, with the assistance of dedicated faculty.
A well-rounded didactic program in anatomy, including availability of an anatomy lab, as well as current clinical electromyography and historical review of EMG literature, is part of the basic educational curriculum. EMG guidance also is used for Botox (botulinum toxin-A) and other procedures taught for management of spasticity.
Professional and Personal Development
A comprehensive departmental library acquires textbooks, videotapes, CD-ROMs, and study guides on a wide range of PM&R-related subjects. Each resident receives an AAPM&R membership, which includes a subscription to “Archives of PM&R.” Each resident also receives a yearly stipend, which can be used to attend a conference or purchase books.
Each resident is expected to participate in the self-assessment exams held twice each year. The AAPM&R sponsors an in-service self-assessment exam on physical medicine and rehabilitation material each January, and the AAEM sponsors an in-service self-assessment exam on EMG material each June. These exams present the resident with the opportunity for self-evaluation and assists in board preparation.
Residents are evaluated monthly on each rotation. The resident meets formally with the program director every quarter for formal review and feedback as to clinical competence, knowledge, skills, and professional growth.
Residents’ rights are protected by due process procedures of the institution.