Pelvic and Women’s Health Residency Program

Overview

Post-residency, residents will be encouraged to advocate for improving women’s health care for the underrepresented or disadvantaged. They will emerge within this learning health system care model as leaders, pace setters and achievers of the American Board of Physical Therapy Women’s Health Clinical Specialist Certification. Residents will impact the world through patient-centered care, evidence-based interventions, eco-friendly practices and collaborate to address local and global rehab needs.

Credentialing

Our program is in candidacy by the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education as a post-professional residency program for physical therapists in women’s health.

Length of Program

The duration of the program is 12 months, beginning the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Onboarding

Hospital and department-specific onboarding will occur. Residents will be onboarded before the residency start date in early September.

Clinical Time

Thirty-six hours a week will be dedicated to patient care, and the remaining four to specialty observations and/or didactic preparation.

Tuition

There’s no tuition fee for admittance or enrollment in the AdventHealth Pelvic and Women’s Health Residency Program.

The program will:

1. Prepare residency graduates to pursue ABPTS certification as women's health physical therapy clinical specialists.
2. Promote professionalism in women's health physical therapy and AdventHealth Sports Med and Rehab by incorporating the APTA’s core values into the curriculum and clinical experiences.
3. Employ residents for one year through AdventHealth Sports Med and Rehab: Central Florida Division to promote financial stability.
4. Provide a thorough training program integrating evidence-based practice, patient-centered care, advanced clinical skills and consistent high-level care.
5. Advance learning into practice through structured mentorship, integrated learning experiences, education, research and self-reflection.
6. Support the mission and core values of AdventHealth Sports Med & Rehab by fostering excellence.

Residents will receive didactic training on topics published in the current Women’s Health Physical Therapy Description of Specialty Practice. The didactic curriculum blends clinical content, live classes taught by clinical faculty and learning opportunities with our medical partners.

Residents participate in community education, utilize clinical breakouts to learn and apply skills and round with physicians or other health care specialists to gain exposure to all aspects of the women’s health specialty practice.

Each resident receives:

• 300+ hours of educational requirements
• 180 hours of direct patient care mentoring
• Minimum of 1600 hours of clinical practice

Laura Patrick, PT, DPT

Program Director

Laura.Patrick@adventhealth.com

Laura Patrick is a board-certified clinical specialist in neurologic and geriatric physical therapy at AdventHealth Sports Med & Rehab. Laura Patrick serves as the Senior Manager of Specialty Programs, overseeing clinical quality and program growth for Neuro, Lymphedema, Oncology, Pelvic Health and Pediatrics and as the Director of the Neurological and Pelvic and Women’s Health Residency Program. Laura has presented at the state and national levels on neurological physical therapy practice and the implementation of the core set of outcomes and high-intensity gait training within the outpatient setting. Laura recently served as a knowledge translation mentor for the Academy of Neurological Physical Therapy's knowledge translation summit. Her professional roles include clinical practice, mentoring, quality improvement, pathway development, multidisciplinary clinical care and leadership.

Heather Shanahan, MSPT, WCS, CAPP-Pelvic

Program Coordinator

Heather.Shanahan@adventhealth.com

Heather serves as the Pelvic and Women’s Health Residency Program Coordinator at AdventHealth Sports Med & Rehab. A board-certified Women's Health Clinical Specialist with over two decades of experience, Heather has been instrumental in developing and expanding pelvic health services across multiple regions. She leads a team of over 30 pelvic health clinicians and has helped establish 12 service locations throughout Florida. Heather is passionate about advancing clinical excellence through mentorship, onboarding and evidence-based practice. As co-developer of the Pelvic and Women’s Health Residency Program, she's deeply committed to training the next generation of pelvic health specialists through structured clinical education and leadership development.

Program Faculty:

• Kimberly Van Liempd, PT, DPT, WCS
• Kymi Able Brown, PT, DPT
• Leany Holguin Mellizo, PT, CAPP-Pelvic
• Karyn Jarett, PT, DPT, CLT
• Ashlyn Garcia, DPT, CLT-LANA
• Erica Francisco Gould, PT, CLT-LANA, PRPC, WCC

Orthopedic Residency Modules Faculty Instructors:

• Katie Hoffman, PT, DPT, OCS, CNDS
• Madison Robbins, PT, DPT, OCS
• Irma Henry, PT, DPT, OCS

Applications must be submitted through the RF-PTCAS system. To learn more and for complete instructions, please visit the admissions portal that opens on October 1.

Applications submitted by the deadline are evaluated by the faculty based on the following criteria:

• Graduate of a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program before the start date
• A current license to practice physical therapy in the state of Florida without any complaints, violations or disciplinary actions
• Meet all eligibility requirements to be employed as a practicing physical therapist within AdventHealth Sports Med & Rehab
• Submit a current resume or CV and an up-to-date academic transcript
• Current member of APTA or willing to join a professional organization
• Two references requested: one from an academic setting and one from a clinical setting
• Interest in the advancement of the women’s health physical therapy profession
• Research experience or interest
• Complete the application form

The AdventHealth Residency Admissions Committee will review applicants with an initial screening and interview selected candidates. Following the interview process, the admissions committee contacts Human Resources with the names of the top candidates. Following a background check, the Human Resources Representative offers a residency position.

The program's policy is to recruit, admit and retain participants on a nondiscriminatory basis. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, gender, age, national or ethnic origin, marital status, sexual orientation, disability or health status. Applicants requesting disability accommodation must file a written request (detailing necessary accommodations) with the program director.

The typical time frame for the application/admission process is as follows (may vary slightly due to scheduling of all parties involved):

• Application deadline: January 31
• Interviews with faculty: February
• Candidates’ selection: March

To apply, please submit all requested documents (as specified in Admissions Criteria) through the RF-PTCAS | Applicant Login Page Section.

Applications must be submitted by January 31 to be considered for a residency opportunity that commences in the fall of the application year.

Residents are eligible for benefits through AdventHealth, which includes employer-supported health and dental insurance, disability, life insurance and paid time off. While this is not an all-inclusive list, applicants may receive a full description of benefits upon request.

Entrance Date

Residents will begin working in the clinic during September, and the residency officially starts on December 1. This allows residents to acclimate to the use of EMR and the flow of patient care for a seamless transition into the residency program.

Salary

Resident position is an exempt full-time position. Rate is determined with our Human Resources team each year and outlined in our Financial Fact Sheet.

Tuition

While enrolled, there is no tuition fee for admittance to the AdventHealth Pelvic and Women’s Health Residency Program. Please click here to find our financial fact sheet.