Sports Physical Therapy Residency
Sports Physical Therapy Residency
The Nationwide Children's Hospital Sports Physical Therapy Residency is an ABPTRFE-accredited residency program.
Our Sports Physical Therapy Residency is a 13-month clinical residency that begins each year in July. This ABPTRFE -accredited residency program allows residents to complete clinical work at state-of-the-art sports and orthopedic physical therapy facilities in the greater Columbus area.
Through our Sports and Orthopedic Physical Therapy department, Nationwide Children's Hospital offers a rehabilitation program specifically for pediatric and adolescent athletes who have suffered musculoskeletal injury. The Sports and Orthopedic Physical Therapy team works closely with Nationwide Children's Sports Medicine and the department of Orthopedics to help rehabilitate and return athletes to their previous level of function.
Learn more about Sports and Orthopedic Physical TherapyWhat You Need to Know
Experience
Nationwide Children’s Hospital is proud to offer a unique Sports Physical Therapy Residency with a pediatric and adolescent athlete focus, one of only a few in the country! The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Sports Physical Therapy Residency thoroughly prepares its residents to become specialists in treating athletes. While the patient population at Nationwide Children's Hospital is primarily pediatric and adolescent athletes, we also incorporate opportunities to work with collegiate and adult populations as well. The resident will not only improve their treatment and critical thinking skills but will also enhance public speaking and leadership skills through teaching- opportunities, professional presentations, and advocacy experiences. Additionally, the Sports Resident will work with our dedicated Sports and Orthopedic Therapies Research Scientist to complete a research project of their choosing.
The resident will complete direct patient care in a state-of-the-art sports physical therapy clinic with a primarily athletic population, participate in weekly one-on one mentored patient care with our residency program faculty and perform on-field hours with our highly trained sports physical therapist and athletic training staff. During the on-field hours, they will have opportunities to work with a multitude of sports including but not limited to football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, wrestling, track and field and more!
Didactic content is delivered by the residency faculty through weekly, in person lectures. These lectures will not only cover all required sports residency content to prepare the resident for the Sports Certification Specialization exam, but also will expand upon emergency injury management and unique pediatric sports medicine and orthopedic pathologies. The resident will also have many other educational opportunities, including shadowing orthopedic and sports medicine physicians and shadowing physical therapists in our specialty clinics including concussion and healthy weight and nutrition. Residents participate in additional outreach event coverage such as the Nationwide Children’s Hospital marathon and volunteer opportunities within the community.
All residency faculty are Board-Certified Specialists in either Sports or Orthopedic Physical Therapy. Many of our faculty have additional certifications or specialties such as blood flow restriction, Pilates, vestibular/concussion, USA weightlifting, pelvic health, and more. The resident also works alongside athletic trainers in the training room setting and in clinic with dual credentialed physical therapists/ATCs.
Recurring Educational Activities
- Weekly in person lectures
- Weekly one on one mentoring
- Weekly on-field event coverage
- Weekly athletic training room coverage
- Bi-monthly journal clubs and inter-residency journal clubs
- Quarterly exams, skills assessments, and assessment of a real time patient evaluation
Unique Educational Opportunities
- Presenting at the annual Nationwide Children’s Bodies in Motion conference
- Presenting at local universities to undergraduate and DPT students
- Presenting to Nationwide Children’s Hospital physicians at the fellowship didactic lecture
- Observing orthopedic surgery
- Shadowing sports medicine and orthopedic physicians
- Multiple community outreach opportunities provided throughout the year including Nationwide Children’s marathon
- Leadership coursework
- Attending APTA Combined Sections Meeting
Mentorship Opportunities
- Rehab of orthopedic & sports related injuries
- Concussion and Vestibular Rehabilitation
- Performing Arts Medicine
- Runner’s Program
- Throwing Evaluations
- Swimming Evaluations
- Golf Swing Analysis
- Volleyball Swing Analysis
- Pelvic Health Program
- Schroth Scoliosis Management
- Pilates
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
Lecture (2 hours) |
Research Meeting (1 hour) |
Patient Care (4 hours) |
Lecture (2 hours) |
Patient Care (5 hours) |
Patient Care (7 hours) |
Patient Care + Mentoring (6 hours) |
Training Room (3 hours) |
Patient Care (7 hours) |
On Field Event Coverage (4 hours) |
Independent Work (Article appraisal, PT logs, studying for exams) |
Independent Work (Article appraisal, PT logs, studying for exams) |
Program Graduation Rate
Currently, Nationwide Children's Sports PT residents have a 100% graduation rate from the residency program.
Certification Exam Pass Rate
Currently, Nationwide Children’s Sports PT residents have a 100% pass rate on the certification exam.
Application & Selection
Applications will be accepted October through December, with interviews beginning in January and February.
Apply to the Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program ›
The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program will be participating in the standardized Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program Match for the upcoming application cycle. This process will fill our one available resident position for our upcoming start date: July 7, 2025. All communication regarding this match process will come through the Match Program, EXXAT, if you receive an interview offer. Good luck, and we look forward to reviewing your application!
Any questions in regards to the residency can be sent to Residency Coordinator Taylor Therriault, PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS at Taylor.Therriault@NationwideChildrens.org.
Nationwide Children’s also offers an Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency.
Learn More About the Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency ›
Meet Our Faculty
- Chrissy Mansfield, PT, DPT, OCS, ATC
Program Director - Taylor Therriault, PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS
Program Coordinator - Kathryn Iammarino, PT, DPT, SCS, MTC, CSCS
- Bill Rice, PT, MPT, SCS
- Daniel Karam, PT, DPT, SCS
- Katie Lullo, PT, DPT, SCS
- Alexandra Greathouse, PT, DPT, SCS
Meet Our Current Resident
Resident Alumni
Alumni Name | Residency Year | Current Occupation |
Benjamin Lee, PT, DPT | 2024-2025 | Nationwide Children’s Hospital Sports and Orthopedic Physical Therapy |
Madison Mize, PT, DPT, SCS |
2022-2023 |
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Sports and Orthopedic Physical Therapy |
Bryan Rankin, PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS |
2021-2022 |
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center |
Jena Heck, PT, DPT, SCS | 2020-2021 | Wisconsin Children’s Hospital |
Katie Ilardi, PT, DPT, SCS |
2019-2020 |
Omaha Children’s Hospital – Omaha, NE |
Robert Dane Wilson, PT, DPT, SCS | 2018-2019 | Ohio State University Sports Medicine |
Taylor Therriault, PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS |
2017-2018 |
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Sports and Orthopedic Physical Therapy Sports Residency Coordinator and Clinical Leader |
Testimonials
“Nationwide Children's sports physical therapy residency was the perfect place for me to jumpstart my career as a new graduate clinician. During PT school, I had cultivated a strong interest in youth athletics and sports medicine. Residency at Nationwide Children's furthered that interest by providing the mentorship and experience needed to establish myself in the field of pediatric sports PT. Weekly mentorship deepened my appreciation of the complexities of rehab and aided me in establishing and refining my clinical processes and philosophy of treatment. The team of mentors at Nationwide Children's have a wide variety of interests and expertise that I was able to leverage with my evolving caseload of patients. In addition to mentorship, on-field experiences allowed me to learn from seasoned athletic trainers, as well as assist in the rehab and on-field care of high school athletes - some of which I would see in the PT clinic. Sports residency also increased my exposure and involvement with transdisciplinary care. I would frequently communicate with sports medicine physicians, orthopedic surgeons, strength coaches, athletic trainers, sports dietitians, and sports psychologists about the care of various youth athletes. Residency allowed me to see some of this transdisciplinary care in action at some of Nationwide Children's specialty clinics. Finally, residency exposed me to various educational opportunities, where I discovered my passion for teaching and lecturing future sports medicine professionals. All in all, I am grateful for all the individuals at Nationwide Children's that poured into my growth and development as a resident and look forward to building on this experience throughout the rest of my career!”
Benjamin Lee, PT, DPT (2024 Resident Graduate)
“The sports PT residency training at Nationwide Children’s Hospital provided me with the confidence to treat a diverse range of pediatric musculoskeletal diagnoses that are typical of adolescent athletes with increased efficiency and comfort. As a new clinician, the expert mentorship was vital to establishing my evaluation and treatment flow. I was able to discover and cultivate newfound clinical interests in niche areas through the specialty clinics that only Nationwide Children's offered and streamline the process to becoming involved as a full-time clinician. Finally, the on-field coverage component of the residency allowed a unique opportunity for me to see my patients at time of injury, throughout clinic rehabilitation, and to a successful return to sport. There’s nothing more fulfilling as a sports physical therapist.”
Madison Mize, PT, DPT, SCS (2023 Resident Graduate)
“Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s sports PT residency program has given me unlimited opportunities to grow personally and professionally. The program goes above and beyond in many aspects, however, specifically excels within their community relationships that are made available to the residents. Sports residents at Nationwide Children’s Hospital play an integral role for student athletes in the community as they are often the facilitator of connections made between physicians, ATCs, coaches, strength staff and therapists, going beyond minimally required training room responsibilities. This, along with teaching/ volunteer opportunities, and faculty that genuinely cares about the residents’ success, create a customizable experience to meet each resident’s specific interests and goals.”
Bryan Rankin, PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS (2022 Resident Graduate)
“I loved my sports residency at Nationwide Children’s Hospital because I was able to experience a wide variety of diagnoses and situations. The hands-on training in several pediatric specialty clinics, such as running, dance medicine and throwing analysis, was excellent. The on-field sport coverage complements the didactic component, providing a well-rounded pediatric sport education. The faculty is extremely knowledgeable and dedicated to providing the best learning environment, catered to each resident and their interests. They will challenge you to grow into a strong clinician and position you to be able to pursue your professional goals.”
Jena Heck, PT, DPT, SCS, ATC/L, CSCS (2021 Resident Graduate)
“Nationwide Children’s Hospital provided me with a unique experience throughout their sports residency program by providing excellent learning experiences, quality on-field coverage and an athletic patient population. The learning experiences were organized by many mentors with a wealth of knowledge in all areas of sport specialization. I also participated in on-field coverage with a friendly and welcoming athletic training staff and was exposed to a variety of sports. And the patient population was pediatric athletes from middle school to high school with a wide range of musculoskeletal injuries. Overall, this residency prepared me to pass the board certification exam and continue my physical therapy career working toward specialization in treatment of the performing artist.”
Katie Ilardi, PT, DPT, SCS (2020 Resident Graduate)
Additional Resources
Contact
Kathryn Iammarino, PT, DPT, SCS, MTC, CSCS
Program Manager, Sports and Orthopedic Therapies
Chrissy Mansfield, PT, DPT, OCS, ATC
Program Director
For more information regarding the residency program, please contact:
Taylor Therriault, PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS
Program Coordinator
(614) 685-2181
Taylor.Therriault@NationwideChildrens.org