Wondering what it’s like to go through a Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy Residency? Re

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about my experience as a Cardiovascular and Pulmonary (CP) PT Resident, so I figured I’d write a bit about it here! Hopefully this will help you either a) weigh all your options for pursuing board-certification in cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy or b) understand what exactly I was doing for that year that I forgot everyone’s birthday, consumed enough coffee to fill Lake Michigan, and slept on research articles in a desperate attempt to absorb more information while I was sleeping.

First, let me just say that this is obviously my own personal experience. I’m sure that if you polled everyone who’s gone through a residency program you’d get a variety of opinions, so take this with a grain of salt, and be sure to ask as many questions as possible when trying to make the best decision for yourself. Let me give you a little background about how I came to Residency:

I was first introduced to the area of CP PT practice in grad school. I had a phenomenal professor who presented the topic in an interesting, relevant, and approachable way (looking at you, Mike Shoemaker!), and I was really drawn to the idea of fostering profound change in a person’s function by training muscles of ventilation and the heart itself. As I completed my clinical rotations, I became more and more convinced that CP practice was “it” for me, but was unclear what setting I wanted to work in or what focus would best suit me. So, after graduation I took a job with a healthcare system as a “coverage” therapist. Over the course of any given day I was called to fill in at a variety of locations in a variety of settings: outpatient clinic, community hospital (on general floors and in the ICU), subacute rehab, or inpatient rehab. Having just taken the national PT board exam, I was happy to use all my hard-earned knowledge and gain some experience. In the process I found I was most drawn to the ICU and critical care, but felt I lacked the tools to know that I was truly giving my patients the best care possible.

Enter CP Residency.

As soon I became aware that the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties offered certification in Cardiovascular and Pulmonary PT, I knew that was something I wanted to pursue. Now, on the ABPTS website you can find all the requirements to sit for the specialization exam, and you’ll clearly see that completing a residency program is not the only way to qualify (http://www.abpts.org/Certification/CardiovascularPulmonary/). If you work in a setting that allows you to see a sufficient volume of patients with the appropriate cardiac and pulmonary diagnoses, and have the know-how to carry out quality research, you can certainly sit for, and pass, the exam independently. I know and admire multiple PTs that have gone that route. As a young clinician, I was looking for mentorship in problem solving, patient stratification, treatment techniques, and research, so I went the residency route.

At the time, there were 3 CP PT residency programs: one through Emory University in Alabama, one through Duke University in North Carolina, and one through the VA Hospital partnered with the University of Michigan. Being from Michigan, I applied to the program at the VA in Ann Arbor, and was happy to be accepted.

Okay, now the real talk. What was life like during the program? That seems to be everyone’s biggest question. I will not sugar-coat it for you, it was absolutely the most challenging year of my life. And if I had to do it all over again, I would. BUT, there are some things I wish I would've known before I started my grand adventure.

First, I was not prepared for how all-consuming it would be. The example "schedule" I read when researching programs made everything look so defined and predictable, like 8 hour days of specific academic coursework, followed by a certain amount of patient care, then study time, and research. Now if you’re currently an acute care PT, stop laughing. You already know the realities of working in a hospital- if the patient is available to be seen now, you drop everything and see the patient. You chart on the fly, and fit everything else into whatever miniscule box it fits in. But, little-miss type-A, over-prepared, internal processing, baby PT, Nanners didn’t know that! To be fair, it is funny now, looking back. At the time, not so much.

What really went down were 11 hour days at the hospital followed by 5 hours of research, homework, and studying when I went home. I’m not exaggerating when I say that if I wasn’t at home or the hospital, I was at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, my fave cafe, or stopped at the gas station. Having any kind of personal life was out of the question, and I found it really hard to turn down invitations to family birthday parties, weddings, or even just dinner with friends because my time required complete dedication to residency. On top of all that, stress brought to the surface some underlying autoimmune issues I didn’t know were lurking around, so it wasn’t the greatest year for my health.

Having said all that, the knowledge and experience I gained from residency was unequal to any other training I’ve ever gotten, even in PT school. Being in such an intense, concentrated environment forced me to use my mind in a new way, and I don’t think I could’ve gained that in any other setting. I had the opportunity to learn from, and practice with, people that have literally written books on CP PT. I developed teaching skills, learned how to advocate for myself and my own learning style, and gained confidence in choosing and performing specific CP PT interventions for the patients I love so much.

I would also like to point out that, for me, having a co-resident was pivotal. I cannot emphasize enough how important it was to have a person to share all the ups and downs of the program with, bounce ideas off of, collaborate with, and just debrief at the end of the day.

Upon completion of the program I was eligible to sit for the Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Board-Certification exam, as accredited residency programs are required to fulfill the expectations for clinical practice, teaching, and research experience. I definitely felt prepared to take the exam, and was relieved to pass on my first try. I now work in the Medical and Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Units at Henry Ford Hospital- a Level 1 Trauma Center in Detroit. I also do some guest-lecturing and am a teaching assistant in a few DPT programs around Michigan and Ohio. I have SO much more to learn. I think the most valuable thing I’ve taken from residency is that, now, I’m confident I have the skills to ask the right questions at the right time to give my patients the best care. And really, isn’t that what it’s about?- giving people the best possible care? I’ll just answer that rhetorical question for you- yes, yes it is.

So, give me your feedback! Ask more questions! Challenge something I’ve said! I’d love to chat about my experience, and help answer any lingering questions to the best of my ability.