Balance Physical Therapy's Orthopedic Residency is Fully Accredited with ABPTRFE!

Mission Statement

Balance Physical Therapy and Human Performance Center’s orthopedic physical therapy residency program will provide an excellent up to date evidence-based education that guides the orthopedic residents to understand, distill, synthesize, and apply didactic education and peer-reviewed literature so that their clinical practice efficiently delivers the best functional outcomes possible to the patients they serve. The program will complete continuous improvement through curriculum review and update in addition to maintaining the highest level of clinical opportunities for the residents.

1900 Hours of Clinical Practice
300 Hours of Didactic Instruction
125 Hours of Didactic Instruction
150 Hours of Self-Directed Education
25 Hours of Supplemental Didactic Education
Previous slide
Next slide

Program Information

  • September 3, 2024 – July 3, 2025 (10 months) 
  • 1900 Hours of Clinical Practice 
    • Full Caseload
      • 32 hours weekly Independent 
      • 4 hours weekly – 1:1 Clinical Mentorship (150 hours total)
      • 4 hours weekly blocked in clinic administrative time for additional mentorship and professional development projects
    • 300 Hours of Didactic Education
      • 125 hours of Didactic Instruction 
        • 5 x 3 day weekend courses Lecture & Lab Education
      • 150 hours of Self-Directed Education (~3 hours weekly)
        • Independent Study Courses
        • Clinical Practice Guidelines
      • 25 Hours Supplemental Didactic Education
        • Specialty Observation Experiences
        • Surgery or Physician Grand Rounds
        • Professional Development Projects
        • OCS Prep
        • Journal Club
  • OCS Exam Pass Rate
    • 2023-2024 Class: 100%

Faculty

Dr. Joey Melo, PT, DPT (Residency Director)

Dr. Arash Maslehati, PT, DPT, OCS

Dr. Kristine Jespersen, PT, DPT, OCS

Dr. Stephanie Kolander, PT, DPT OCS

Dr. John Farahmand, PT, DPT, OCS

Dr. Miguel Vargas, PT, DPT

Location

Located on the picturesque Central Coast of California, Balance Physical Therapy has six locations in South Salinas, Salinas (Creekbridge), Monterey (North Fremont St.), Monterey (Ryan Ranch), Prunedale and Watsonville.

The Central Coast has so much to offer during your year long residency including outstanding weather, endless outdoor activities (hiking, cycling, surfing, kayaking), wineries, and world renowned golf courses. After one year, you’ll have a hard time leaving and we hope you won’t! 

Curriculum

The Balance Physical Therapy Orthopedic Residency Curriculum is an integrative model developed to support the development of excellence in orthopedic clinical practice.  

Ensuring residents have depth in examination, evaluation, and interventions is at the forefront of the program, in addition to supporting the optimal professional development of each and everyone of our residents. 

An integrative model of didactic and self-directed study will be utilized to develop specialist level orthopedic providers ready to excel on the orthopedic specialty exam.  

Self directed coursework will include Independent Study Courses from the Academy of Orthopedic Physical Therapy and Clinical Practice Guideline publications to ensure depth in clinical reasoning and up-to-date evidence based practice.  

Supplemental didactic experiences will occur throughout the residency program to provide a vast experience and promote learning through different methods. 

The following is the orthopedic core curriculum schedule: 

    • September 27-29, 2024 : Lumbar Spine and Pelvis
    • October 11-13, 2024: Hip, Knee, Foot/Ankle  
    • November 22-24, 2024: Cervical Spine  
    • December 6-8, 2024: Shoulder and Thoracic Spine  
    • January 17-19, 2024 : Elbow, Wrist, and Hand 
  •  

Mentorship

Residents will have a primary clinical mentor and a rotation of other clinical faculty members weekly to ensure a well rounded mentorship experience.  

Clinical Mentors will be in the same facility as residents to support all aspects of patient client management and assist integration of didactic/mentorship material into resident’s independent caseload. 

Monthly program mentorship meetings will occur with Residency Director to ensure resident is on pace for all requirements to be successfully completed prior to end of residency. 

Admission Requirements

To qualify for the Balance Physical Therapy Orthopedic Residency, you must be a graduate of an APTA-accredited program in physical therapy and eligible for licensure as a physical therapist in California.

In residency candidates, we are looking for someone that has high emotional intelligence, passion for challenges, and strong communicative skills. We require:

  • Completed Application via RFPTCAS
  • Formal in-person or video conference interview

Application and Selection Process

The 2024-2025 application period is now open

Our residency application and selection process is rolling admissions. Following application submission by candidates through RFPTCAS, candidates application will be reviewed for interview consideration. Candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted by our Residency Director

Direct ABPTRFE Link

Direct RFPTCAS Link

Financial Information

Residents receive a full benefits package (medical, dental, vision, 401K, PTO) and are paid a competitive annual salary with regional residency programs.

No tuition or residency program fees.

Residents receive residency coursework (4 independent study courses from AOPT) and APTA/orthopedic section membership.

Contact

For more information please send an email to admin@balancept.com with subject “Orthopedic Residency”

Disclaimer: Balance Physical Therapy provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

6 SIMPLE WAYS TO STOP KNEE PAIN

Get Your Ebook Today