Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation -- Didactic Curriculum            

The structured didactic component of the residency program in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Northwestern University includes functional anatomy, physiology, kinesiology and biomechanics, neurosciences, pharmacology, electromyography, physical medicine modalities, sports medicine, psychology of disability, research design, computer literacy, and administrative techniques.

The didactic curriculum combines:

• Daily lectures by department faculty members
• Journal club, moderated by an attending physician
• Case conferences, presented by an attending physician
• 12-week anatomy, kinesiology and biomechanics lecture series
• 6-week EMG lecture series
• Weekly Sports and Spine Journal Club
• Bi-weekly EMG/musculoskeletal medicine conference
• Weekly Grand rounds, often featuring visiting professors
• Computer literacy educational series
• Administrative/management educational series

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Didactic Curriculum

Residents participate in a daily organized didactic curriculum that repeats annually.  The content of this didactic curriculum is composed of twenty-three major areas that reflects core information needed in the practice of physiatry.

Core lectures are held daily at noon with didactic lectures on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, Grand Rounds on Wednesday and Journal Club on Thursday.

In addition to the core series resident participate in a supplemental lecture series which includes anatomy and kinesiology, physical examination workshops, manual medicine and the administrative lecture series.  These offerings occur in the afternoon throughout the year.

Main Topics of Didactic Curriculum

• Stroke
• Brain Injury
• Spinal cord Injury
• Pain
• Connective Tissue Disease
• General Rehabilitation
• Pediatrics
• Cardio-pulmonary
• Physiatric Therapeutics
• Psychology/Psychiatry
• Sexuality
• Ethics
• Social Systems
• Peripheral Vascular Disease
• Prosthetics and Orthotics
• Vocational
• Neurophysiology
• Electrodiagnosis/Neuromuscular Disorders
• Research Series
• Disability/Workers Compensation
• CQI
• Geriatrics
• Miscellaneous