FAQs

No, Brooks does not offer a distance learning program. All residents and fellows become employees of Brooks Rehabilitation and complete most of the curriculum in-person.

The physical therapy residency programs are one year in length (July – July)

The occupational therapy neurologic fellowship program is one year in length (July – July)

The OMPT fellowship is two years in length (July Year 1– July Year 2)

For therapists already employed with Brooks Rehabilitation, the requirement is that individuals must hold, at minimum, a part-time position. Therapists who are not employed at Brooks when applying to a program must be able to work full-time upon acceptance into the program.

Yes, we accept therapists with prior clinical experience into our program.  Our resident/fellowship programs are comprised of new graduates from accredited physical and occupational therapy programs as well as clinicians with prior experience.

The process to attain a Florida Physical Therapy License is lengthy and typically takes 6-8 weeks or more. We require that incoming residents have verification of their Florida Physical Therapy license by the second Friday in June.

Applications for all of our residency and fellowship programs open in RF-PTCAS early October and close mid-January.

Applications for one of the Physical Therapy residency or fellowship program may be found online at  RF-PTCAS

Instructions for applying to the Brooks Occupational Neurologic Therapy Fellowship are available here.

Applicants that complete an application for the Physical Therapy or Occupational Therapy Residency or Fellowship programs are provided directions for, and asked to submit a short video after we process the application.  Your full application is then reviewed, and if you are selected to move on to the next level in the process, you will receive an invitation to a live interview day. Live interviews are conducted in person on the Brooks Rehabilitation campus however; in some circumstances, a virtual interview may be arranged. The interview process consists of a 30-60-minute group interview, an opportunity for applicants to have conversations with faculty and past graduates, as well as a tour of our facilities and clinics.

After completion of the live interviews, Program Coordinators initiate a personal phone call to inform you of your acceptance status. Shortly after the personal phone call, those accepted will receive an acceptance letter from the Brooks Institute of Higher Learning.

No, Brooks does not assist with obtaining housing. Past participants have sought rooming opportunities with other participants or secured long-term Airbnb.

Yes. However, we do ask that the recommendation letter and recommendation form be mailed together.

Brooks is partnered with the University of North Florida; however, you will not need to complete any additional paperwork for UNF during the application process. Once accepted to the Orthopaedic Residency or OMPT Fellowship, you will be asked to complete the UNF application.  Tuition is paid by Brooks however; fees are the responsibility of the applicant.

Regarding CEU Courses the format we suggest is to list the course title (such as Conference Title), how many contact hours you received, who was the sponsoring organization (APTA, AOTA etc.), and then the Instructor (for a conference session it would be  “Multiple Speakers” or the instructor for the specific course you attended). Don’t worry about the certification component for the course at this time. We do not require the certificates of completion for CEU courses. If you are a current student that has not taken any CE courses, simply write the word “student” in one of the fields. 

<!--Click Here to Download the CEU Verification Form.-->

In this section, students should simply state that they are a student. We also ask that you provide the date you plan to take the Florida licensure exam.

Yes, residents and fellows are full-time salaried employees of Brooks Rehabilitation and receive compensation based on a number of factors (i.e., years of experience, certifications, etc.).  Residents and fellows are eligible for our full benefits package including but not limited to medical, dental and vision insurance.

Within the Brooks’ system of care, there are over 40 outpatient clinics, an inpatient rehabilitation hospital, a home health division, and two skilled nursing facilities.  Your placement will depend on the program you apply to. The majority of placements occur in the greater Jacksonville area.

Applicants accepted into a Brooks’ residency or fellowship program must commit to 1-year of employment with Brooks Rehabilitation after graduation from the program, or pay $15,000 tuition.

Applicants accepted into a Brooks’ residency or fellowship program must commit to 1-year of employment with Brooks Rehabilitation after graduation from the program, or pay $15,000 tuition.

Yes, in accordance with our accrediting guidelines you will receive no less than 150 hours of 1:1 mentoring if enrolled in a physical therapy residency and 130 hours for the OMPT Fellowship program. Therapists enrolled in our OT Fellowship will receive >/ 350 hours of mentored service delivery.

Absolutely. Our residents and fellows-in-training participate in a unified foundational curriculum where cases are discussed from multiple clinical perspectives. Additionally while practicing within our system you will be exposed to numerous opportunities for consultative practice and interprofessional collaboration.

Your schedule is programmed by your Program Coordinator based on your work environment (inpatient hospital, skilled nursing facility, outpatient clinic etc.  Residents and fellows-in-training work full time, maintaining a full patient caseload, in addition to completing the scheduled classes and learning activities. You will be expected to work full-time, carry a full patient caseload, and maintain the required educational tasks/assignments.

Conference attendance and participation is an important component of the learning and networking process.  Brooks encourages residents and fellows to submit an abstract to national, state, and/or local conferences based on research they are participating in.  A stipend is awarded to a resident or fellow based on their participation level (Poster Presentation, Platform, or Education Session).  A stipend is not available for attendance only.

For additional information, please contact us at [email protected]

Those accepted for a Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Fellowship are considered full-time employees for the agreed upon timeframe determined between the clinician and the hiring manager. Based on this, there is a traditional interview process arranged with the hiring manager.

Courses provided by the Brooks IHL can be located on our website (https://www.brooksihl.org/continuing-education/) and Eventbrite.

To register for a Brooks IHL course, visit our website and click on the course you wish to take and the tab “How to Enroll.” From there follow the prompts as you are taken to our enrollment site and choose a ticket type.
If you are a Brooks employee, and your department is paying for you to attend this course, please visit MyBrooks to access the Course Registration Form. You will need to provide the department the cost center number and manager’s signature.

You can pay using a valid credit/debit card through our course enrollment site.
If you are a Brooks employee, and your department is paying for you to attend this course, please visit MyBrooks to access the Course Registration Form. You will need to provide the department the cost center number and manager’s signature.

Please review our CEU Policy Form for more information on course cancellations.

There are 2 main steps to complete if you are interested in observing a Brooks Rehabilitation Therapist or Nurse. First, download and complete the Observation Compliance Packet. Second, apply for observation and upload the completed packet. More information can be found on our Pre-professional Observation page.

Please reapply with a different set of dates. Our goal is to provide you with high-level observation experiences while also ensuring our patients have an excellent rehabilitation experience, as a result we cannot accommodate all requests.

After a prospective student submits their application, the IHL contacts therapists to ensure they are available and can accommodate the number of students applying to shadow at their location.

Sites that provide multi-disciplinary services are great for students who are not positive about their desired track. Please select that that provides observations that closely match your interest.

No, all packets must be uploaded via the application link; otherwise you will not be selected to observe.

As outlined in the compliance packet, please wear business casual attire.

Send an email to [email protected] to notify us so that other prospective students can take advantage of the learning opportunities and experiences.

Students are permitted to sign up for 1 observation day per location. If you are interested in more hours or experiences consider signing up to be a volunteer for our organization.

If you do not show or formally cancel an observation day that you have signed up for, you will not be permitted to reschedule or observe at any other Brooks Rehabilitation location; If you’ve already signed up for another date/location, it will be automatically terminated.

Observations are assigned based on an individual therapist’s availability. If you would like to shadow a particular therapist, select that location during the application process. There are no guarantees of the assignment requested. Setting up an observation outside of the Brooks IHL is not authorized.

Our goal is to provide you with high-level observation experiences while also ensuring our patients have an excellent rehabilitation experience, as a result we cannot accommodate late requests. Prior planning is very important to you and Brooks therefore; ensure you apply in advance and not close to the time the hours are needed.

Unfortunately only the locations listed are available for student shadowing.

Applicants will be contacted via email within two weeks of applying with information relative to their selection.