Brooks Rehabilitation and Mayo Clinic in Florida have announced a collaboration on a new comprehensive residency program designed for medical students interested in pursuing careers in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

The Mayo Clinic PM&R Residency Program in Collaboration with Brooks Rehabilitation is a four-year categorical program offering an opportunity to train in a world-class medical institution while gaining hands-on experience in one of the top rehabilitation hospitals in the region. Brooks Rehabilitation is a leader in inpatient rehabilitation, ranked No. 1 in Florida on Newsweek’s “America’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers 2022” list and named to U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals for Rehabilitation” list. Newsweek also ranks Mayo Clinic as the No. 1 hospital in Florida.

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The residency program has received initial accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and will welcome its first class of students on July 1, 2024.

“This collaboration represents a major step forward in providing comprehensive rehabilitation care to patients in our region, while also training the next generation of PM&R physicians,” says Trevor Paris, MD, chief medical officer, Brooks Rehabilitation System. “We look forward to working together to continue to deliver the most innovative care of the highest standard while advancing the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation.”

Residents will complete their first year of training in the Internal Medicine Preliminary Year Program at Mayo Clinic. They will then undergo 12 months of rotations for inpatient rehabilitation at Brooks Rehabilitation’s inpatient hospital including pediatrics. In the final 24 months of the program, residents will receive outpatient musculoskeletal and neurologic clinics, electromyography and acute hospital consults at Mayo Clinic. Training at Mayo Clinic and Brooks Rehabilitation allows residents to learn from some of the field’s most respected clinicians and researchers.

“We are excited to collaborate with Brooks Rehabilitation to launch this new PM&R Residency Program in Florida,” says James Atchison, DO, chair of PM&R at Mayo Clinic and PM&R residency program director. “This accreditation demonstrates our shared commitment to providing exceptional care and training to our patients and residents. Our goal is to provide our residents with an outstanding educational experience that prepares them to become leaders in physical medicine and rehabilitation and enhance the overall quality of care for patients.”

Students in their final year of medical school who are interested in continued specialization with a residency program in physical medicine and rehabilitation can apply through the Electronic Residency Application Service. Successful candidates will be accepted through the National Resident Matching Program.