Purpose

The purpose of this pilot initiative is to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of a new educational pathway designed to enhance accessibility, efficiency, and long-term career benefits for students pursuing specialization. This pathway aims to reduce the financial burden on students, programs, and sponsoring organizations by streamlining educational requirements, enabling earlier entry into specialized practice, and facilitating the potential for higher earnings earlier in their careers. By accelerating the development of specialists, this model seeks to strengthen the workforce, improve patient outcomes, and contribute to the sustainability and advancement of the profession.

Pilot Program Overview and Key Messages

Broadening specialty areas. The pilot is not limited to orthopaedic and sports specialty areas; all clinical residency programs are eligible.

Fostering collaboration. The model encourages partnerships between academic and nonacademic institutions, enhancing the residency education framework.

Expanding capacity. By integrating DPT and residency education, this model can increase training positions and support workforce development.

Eligibility criteria. Only organizations with currently ABPTRFE-accredited clinical residency programs may apply.

• To ensure the integrity, quality, and successful implementation of the pilot program, participation is limited to institutions with currently accredited programs. Accredited programs have demonstrated their commitment to meeting established educational standards, possess the necessary infrastructure, and have experience with compliance and continuous quality improvement. This approach allows for a more controlled and reliable evaluation of the new model, ensuring that outcomes are based on a strong foundation of best practices before broader expansion.

Application for Program Participation

Programs are expected to maintain their established curriculum framework to ensure continued alignment with their educational mission, accreditation standards, and professional competencies. At the same time, they are encouraged to implement strategic adaptations that support the integrated model.

These adaptations should aim to enhance efficiency, incorporate innovative learning strategies, and, importantly, preserve the depth and quality of education needed to prepare competent and skilled specialists.

Application

Applications to participate in the pilot will be accepted through December 2026, with all pilot programs expected to launch no later than March 2027.

Additional Resources

ABPTRFE hosted an informational webinar on April 30, 2025, where two residency programs presented their educational framework and answered questions from stakeholders interested in participating in the pilot.

Frequently Asked Questions (coming soon)

Looking to Collaborate and Participate (link to form coming soon)