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Hello!

We’re proud to be part of this department and fortunate to participate in its great tradition. The department just celebrated its 50th anniversary, and continues to grow and develop as one of the premier physical medicine and rehabilitation academic departments in the country. As residents, we benefit from the excellent patient care our attendings demonstrate, as well as learning from a superb research faculty in a wide array of rehabilitation sciences. The University of Washington Rehabilitation Medicine department also participates in model systems for spinal cord injury, burns and multiple sclerosis. PM&R at the UW also enjoys strong ties with the other subspecialties, including Neurology, Orthopedics and Neurosurgery. We have many opportunities to work closely with these services, learn from them, and provide comprehensive care for our patients.

Residents rotate through 4 major hospitals in the Seattle area -- the University of Washington, Harborview County Hospital, Children's Hospital, and the Puget Sound V.A. Hospital. Each hospital provides unique patient populations and exposure to varied aspects of Rehabilitation Medicine. UW is a typical tertiary care center where we care for patients with transplants, cancer, strokes, post-polio and joint replacements or other orthopedic problems. At Harborview, we care for trauma patients and become very comfortable managing patients with acute spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, orthopedic traumas and burns. The V.A. hospital has a large spinal cord injury unit, which admits patients with both acute injuries and chronic medical complications of spinal cord injuries. Additionally, the V.A. provides exposure to patients with amputations and strokes. By the end of four years, our residents are well prepared to care for a wide variety of patients.

When you come to visit U.W., you'll meet Dr. Peter Esselman, our department chairman, as well as our program director, Dr. Terry Massagli. We feel extremely fortunate to have both Dr. Esselman and Dr. Massagli as leaders. From a resident standpoint, we could not have a better chairman or residency director –they are both excellent physicians and administrators, and are committed to providing us with the best educational experience possible.

Resident didactics include anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and gait, prosthetics and orthotics, neuropsychology, speech and swallowing, EMG, musculoskeletal medicine, and practice management. The classes, our clinical experiences, and the Board Review course during the R4 year prepare us well. We have a high rate of passing board exams over the history of the program.

Now, on to the fun stuff. We are an active bunch of residents – partly because that's who we are, but mostly because it's really hard to live in Seattle and not be active. There is just too much to do around here! Since we have a home call system (6 weeks of call R2 year, 4 weeks R3 year and 2 weeks R4 year), we have plenty of time to play. We have residents who kayak, hike, sail, cycle, rock climb, ski, snowboard, run, play hockey, soccer, ultimate frisbee and volleyball- you name it and one of our residents could probably loan you the gear. Some of the residents have done marathons, triathlons and other competitive sporting events during residency. No place could be more beautiful than Seattle on a clear day, a great setting for whatever endeavors you choose. The views of Mt. Rainier , the Cascade Mountains and Puget Sound will inspire you.

For those of us who like good food and entertainment, Seattle also has superb restaurants, good sports (well, some years are better than others, but it's always fun to watch the Mariners, Sonics, Seahawks, Storm and of course the Huskies), good music and dance clubs. Theatre, dance and classical music abound in the Emerald City, and Seattleites pride themselves justly on the recently re-opened Seattle Art Museum and Outdoor Sculpture Garden.

As a resident community, we also enjoy a number of regular social events - a yearly picnic, Halloween parties, a Whistler ski trip over the MLK weekend, holiday parties and lots of impromptu gatherings. We have a big program (8-10 residents per class) with a diverse group of residents (some married, some single, some older, some younger), but remain a close-knit group. From our perspective, having smart, interesting, enthusiastic and personable residents is probably the single best thing about the U.W. PM&R program. We believe in supporting one another during the tough days and celebrating each other’s achievements with enthusiasm.

We’d love to see you here – please come and visit if you're interested in joining the program. We'd be more than happy to show you around. Also, feel free to email us any time with questions!

Sincerely,

D.J. Kennedy
Tom McNalley
Chief Residents
djkenned@u.washington.edu
mcnalley@u.washington.edu

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