Didactic Curriculum

Our didactic curriculum is protected time from clinical duties for our residents. We have separate core lectures for our PGY-2 residents and advanced lectures for our PGY-3 and PGY-4 residents to tailor the education to the level of training. The structured didactic component includes functional anatomy, physiology, kinesiology and biomechanics, neurosciences, pharmacology, electromyography, physical medicine modalities, sports medicine, psychology of disability, research design and the business of medicine. The didactic curriculum combines the following:

• Faculty lectures from Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and Northwestern physicians
• Journal clubs, moderated by an attending physician or an AbilityLab scientist
• Case conferences presented by subspecialty faculty physicians
• Weekly Grand Rounds with regional and national experts
• A separate Musculoskeletal Foundations lecture series (42 weeks) that includes:
  • Didactic teaching
  • Anatomy (cadaver lab)
  • Ultrasound didactics and multiple hands on workshops
  • Physical examination sessions guided by attending physicians
• Electrodiagnostics bootcamp and lecture series
• Weekly Musculoskeletal Medicine Journal Club
• Weekly Chairman’s Rounds
• Simulation-Based Training
  • Emergent Management of Rehabilitation-Specific Complications
  • Mock-Codes - Adult and Pediatrics
  • Baclofen Pump Management
  • Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Cadaver Course
  • Difficult Conversations
  • Women’s Musculoskeletal Health evaluation
  • Sports Medicine Event Coverage Emergencies
  • Interventional Spine Procedure Course
• Research Educational Series
• Bioethics Rounds
• Business of Medicine Course
• Prosthetics & Orthotics Course
• Wellness Workshops, including Emotional Intelligence training

PGY-2 residents participate in a core didactic curriculum that repeats annually. The content of this didactic curriculum is composed of the major areas of PM&R that reflect the core information needed for physiatric practice. Core lectures are led by faculty at noon with didactic lectures on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Grand Rounds is held for the entire hospital on Wednesday, and Journal Club is on Thursday for all the residents. In addition to the core lecture series, PGY-3 and PGY-4 residents have protected time for a weekly advanced lecture series on Tuesday mornings and a weekly Musculoskeletal Foundations lecture series on Thursday afternoons. Finally, all residents participate in a weekly Chair’s Rounds with our chair that informally addresses educational topics varying from career development, high-yield rehabilitation topics, administrative aspects of rehabilitation and patient perspectives.

Main Topics of Didactic Curriculum

• Brain Injury
• Cancer Rehabilitation
• Electrodiagnostics
• Ethics of Rehabilitation
• Interdisciplinary Teamwork
• Medically Complex Rehabilitation
• Musculoskeletal Medicine
• Musculoskeletal Ultrasound
• Neuromuscular Disorders
• Neurophysiology
• Pain Management
• Pediatric Rehabilitation
• Physiatric Therapeutics
• Physical Examination
• Prosthetics and Orthotics
• Psychology of Disability
• Quality Improvement
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Spine Interventions
• Sports Medicine
• Stroke Rehabilitation
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Therapeutic Recreation
• Women’s Health