Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy (OMPT) Fellowship
Overview:
As a world-class organization on the cutting edge of evidence-based practice and professional development, the Brooks Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) offers an ABPTRFE and ACOMPTE accredited Fellowship in Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy (OMPT). The program provides an eclectic; evidence based educational experience for individuals interested in attaining highly specialized skills in the practice area of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy. The focus of this program is on developing expert practitioners who are fluent with clinical reasoning algorithms and highly skilled with performing advanced psychomotor techniques. Founded on the Brooks IHL Five Pillars, the program focuses on developing skills beyond excellent patient management to enhance the practitioner’s leadership within education, scholarly activities, advocacy, practice management, and professional service.
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What is a Physical Therapy Fellowship?
According to the APTA, a clinical fellowship is a planned program of post-professional clinical and classroom education for physical therapists. It is the highest level of clinical training for physical therapists. Fellows are frequently post-residency prepared or board-certified specialists. A fellowship program must possess a curriculum that: is focused, with advanced clinical and didactic instruction within a subspecialty area of practice; is intensive and includes extensive mentored clinical experience; and provides a sufficient and appropriate patient population to create an environment for advanced clinical skill building.
Program Highlights:
– 150 hours of 1:1 on site clinical mentoring (350 hours for OT)
– Full salary and benefits with Brooks Rehabilitation, with flexibility to choose a 32-40 hour work week
– Shared experience between our 10 Residency and Fellowship Programs
– Enjoy opportunities to collaborate with 150+ graduates practicing in the Brooks System
– Experiential learning opportunities in multiple settings throughout the Brooks Rehabilitation System of Care
– Multi-person cohorts per program
– Scholarly advisors include faculty from University of Florida, University of North Florida, University of Central Florida, University of St. Augustine and Jacksonville University
– Our mentors are program graduates, board certified, Fellows of AAOMPT, and clinicians within the Brooks System of Care
– Our mentors are program graduates, board certified, Fellows of AAOMPT, and clinicians within the Brooks System of Care
Graduation Rate (5 year average) – 100%
Program Coordinator:
Trent Harrison
PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
Trent.Harrison@brooksrehab.org
Program Director:
Sara Cristello, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
Sara.Cristello@BrooksRehab.org
Program Faculty:
- Sara Cristello, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT (Program Director)
- Ryan Vickers, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT (Orthopaedic Program Coordinator Jacksonville)
- Raine Osborne, PT, DPT, EdD, FAAOMPT
- Jason Beneciuk, PT, DPT, PhD, MPH
- Trent Harrison, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
- Timothy Shreve, BSPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
Program Details
Summary of Training
- The OMPT Fellowship program is two years in length and is a full time “immersion” into professional OMPT practice
- Fellows-in-training (FiTs) practice within Brooks Rehabilitation, working alongside current enrollees and graduates of Brooks IHL Residency and Fellowship programs
- The curriculum is founded on the Brooks IHL Five Pillars with an emphasis on experiential learning to foster advancement in the areas of communication, leadership, scholarship, quality improvement, and education, to name a few.
- FiTs advance their own clinical reasoning algorithms and clinical management skills by providing mentorship and education to each other and residents in other specialty programs.
- Colloborations with the University of Florida and University of North Florida provide a unique and robust faculty team, augmenting the mentorship beyond clinical care.
- With a strong emphasis on reflection, adaptive learning, system-level thinking, and innovation, graduates are equipped to meet the demands of modern rehabilitation and lead its future.
Who is eligible to apply for a Fellowship Program?
Since a fellowship is an advanced level of training, the expectation is that an individual would have completed a residency that coincides with the sub-specialty focus of the fellowship program. However; an individual who demonstrates a strong commitment to professional development and has also acquired board certification in an area coinciding with the program may also apply.
Additionally Applicants:
- Must have graduated from a CAPTE accredited PT program
- If you are a Non-US educated physical therapist, please contact us to determine if you meet the admission requirements
- Must obtain a Florida license by the 2nd Friday in June of the application year
- Must meet eligibility requirements to be employed as a practicing physical therapist within Brooks Rehabilitation
- Must demonstrate membership within APTA and AAOMPT.
Individuals interested in pursuing the fellowship should contact Trent Harrison at Trent.Harrison@brooksrehab.org to learn more about the specifics of the program and application process through RF-PTCAS.
Applications open from October 1, 2025 – January 11, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Qualified and competitive applicants will be invited to on-site interviews in Jacksonville, FL on Friday, February 20, 2026. Program begins early July 2026.