Program Overview

Program Goals

• Support excellence in acute care physical therapy through education, research, and advocacy for the role and value of acute care physical therapy.
• Develop clinicians with advanced clinical skills and critical thinking who provide comprehensive, individualized, evidence-based care for acutely ill patients across a broad range of diagnoses and presentations.
• The program maintains ABPTRFE accreditation.
• The program is sustainable.
• Provide a high-quality education experience through qualified faculty, structured mentorship, evidence-based curriculum and valuable learning experiences.
• Demonstrate ongoing program improvement based on outcomes assessment, stakeholder feedback, reflection, and strategic planning.

Participant Objectives

• Residents will serve as clinical instructor/co-clinical instructor for student physical therapist.
• Residents will participate in graduate education of physical therapist students though lab or lecture opportunities at nearby university.
• Residents demonstrate participation in research activities.
• Residents will provide education to patients/caregivers, medical students, residents, and/or nursing.
• Residents will complete ≥150 hours of scheduled mentoring with an emphasis on development of clinical skills and reasoning.
• Residents successfully complete all rotations as outlined with satisfactory assessments by all mentors.
• Residents successfully complete all written and practical evaluations.

Patient Population

Henry Ford Hospital Henry Ford Hospital (HFH) is a state-of-the-art, 877-licensed bed tertiary quaternary care hospital, education and research center located in Detroit. The hospital is recognized for clinical excellence in the fields of cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics and sports medicine, transplant, and cancer. It is the flagship hospital of Henry Ford Health, one of the nation’s leading comprehensive integrated health systems. The hospital is staffed by the Henry Ford Medical Group.

Course Sequencing

Participants will receive a comprehensive orientation along with education, clinical rotations, and mentoring in:

• Orthopedics, including: joint replacement, trauma, spine surgery
• Neurology, general and intensive care units, including: stroke, spine surgery, SCI, TBI, ALS, brain tumor, craniotomy
• Medicine/Surgery, general and medical and surgical intensive care units, including: oncology, trauma surgery, specialty surgery, kidney and liver transplant, renal/diabetes, urology, vascular, pre-lung transplant
• Cardio-Pulmonary, general and intensive care units, including: lung and heart transplant, LVAD, valve replacements, TAVR, COPD, CHF

Residents will also experience research, journal clubs, teaching in both clinical education and academic settings, rounds, specialty clinics and observations.

Program Data (through 2026)

• Year of accreditation: 2021
• Number of graduates:4
• Program graduates employed in acute care: 100%
• Program completion rate: 67%

Financial Fact Sheet 2026