Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Program

Message from the Program Director

Welcome to the University of Louisville Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency. We are so excited to have you here. As a previous graduate of this program, I am honored to serve as the Program Director and continue to build on our strong foundation of excellence in clinical care, research and education. Residents in this program are exposed to a wide range of pathologies across all settings and graduate with the knowledge and skillset to manage each of these unique patients. We offer robust inpatient and outpatient experiences within the rehabilitation setting as well as working with consultants and other subspecialists.  Our residency graduates go on to careers across multiple specialty interests from fellowship to private practice. The program is designed in a way to ensure all core requirements are met, with plenty of opportunities for elective time to hone each resident’s unique interests. The University of Louisville is undergoing tremendous growth and we would love to have you be a part of our team! I may be an Ohio native but Kentucky has my heart- after graduating fellowship, my only faculty choice was to return home. Go CARDS!

Catherine Schuster, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine
Residency Program Director

Why Our Residency Program?

The PM&R residency program at the University of Louisville is a three-year advanced residency program. We are fully accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The program provides a comprehensive experience in both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation and is located in affordable, family-friendly Louisville, Kentucky!

Rotation & Training Locations

Rotations and training take place at:

Training

The PM&R Residency Program at the University of Louisville provides many outstanding training opportunities, which are highlighted below. Our Level I Trauma Centers at both the University of Louisville Hospital and Norton Children's Hospital provide residents with exceptional clinical experience managing patients with a broad range of injuries. Strong relationships between PM&R and acute care programs, such as trauma, orthopedics, and neurosurgery, allow for continuity of care and early involvement of rehabilitation medicine.

Referral centers at the University of Louisville Hospital, Norton Children's Hospital, and the James Graham Brown Cancer Center offer residents exposure to rare conditions and challenge them to learn how to manage complex medical conditions.

Procedure training for diagnostic purposes, pain management, and spasticity management are performed by dedicated and trained physicians. There is a wealth of opportunity for the resident to gain hands-on experience with both office-based, US-guided, and fluoroscopically-guided procedures. Educational emphasis is placed on achieving competency in performing these procedures and understanding the role of the procedures in comprehensive clinical management.

Balanced exposure to the entire scope of PM&R practice is achieved through a variety of inpatient, outpatient, and consultation rotations. Elective time is provided to allow residents the ability to pursue particular areas of interest. Training is conducted at several institutions, which provide the opportunity to gain experience in a variety of systems and work with a number of attending faculty with diverse interests.

A strong, comprehensive didactic curriculum is designed to fully prepare residents for board certification and promote life-long learning habits.

Research & Didactics

Residents develop research, critical appraisal skills, and quality improvement projects via a thorough Research and Quality Improvement Curriculum. Residents are provided access to a research and QI mentor and will participate in scholarly projects, journal clubs, research modules, QI training, and an individual research project.

Health & Wellness

The demands and expectations of the resident physician can be high but the PM&R Residency program prioritizes resident well-being. The work environment is supportive and collegial, and the program provides an abundance of recreational opportunities such as intramural soccer, kickball, running clubs, family picnics, holiday parties and department retreats.

After reviewing our residency program information, if you have any questions please feel free to contact the residency office.

By the Numbers

We strive to provide our residents ample opportunity to perform procedures during residency. See below for a glimpse into the average number of procedures our residents have performed at the time of graduation:

  • 250 EMGs
  • 168 Peripheral injections
  • 67 Botox injections
  • 73 Axial injections
  • 28 Ultrasound exams and procedures