The Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School offer a fully accredited residency program in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R). The three-year program begins at the PGY-2 level. The American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation sets the guidelines for appropriate PGY-1 training in preparation for entering a PM&R residency. Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School has offered a residency program in PM&R since 1982. Our three-year residency program has Continued Accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).  We are proud to announce that we were given a Commendation by the ACGME as follows:

The committee particularly commended the program for their extensive and excellent educational curriculum, use of OSCE for competency assessment, the emphasis on scholarly activity among their faculty (especially among their residency staff), and their outcomes regarding ABPMR Board scores.

Our residency training program provides a stimulating educational environment in which the resident can develop the professional knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to practice the highest standards of physiatry. We have established a core curriculum in research for residents and have many research opportunities for medical students. There is an active research program in the physiological, psychological, behavioral, and engineering aspects of rehabilitation within the Department as well as collaborative projects with other Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School departments. Current research programs are underway to improve the functional abilities of persons with disabilities resulting from stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, neuromuscular disease, pulmonary disease, and amputations.

A major Rutgers affiliate, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, recently completed a $35 million expansion providing state of the art facilities to treat patients with brain and spinal cord injuries. The Kessler Foundation Research Center (KFRC) continues to be on the forefront of clinical rehabilitation research.  KFRC shares a building with Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, and includes a variety of laboratories with innovative research projects in many areas ongoing.  Investigators at KFRC have recently been awarded Model Systems Grants in both Traumatic Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury.  For more details, go to www.kfrc.org.

Our residents regularly win national awards and earn appointment to national committees and task forces, strengthening their candidacy when they apply for jobs or fellowships.  Our graduates who choose to pursue fellowship training upon completion of residency consistently obtain highly competitive positions in Sports Medicine, Interventional Spine/Musculoskeletal Medicine, Spinal Cord Injury, Brain Injury, Pediatric Rehabilitation and Cancer Rehabilitation programs. We invite medical students and physicians interested in a career in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation to investigate our excellent residency program.

We participate with the National Resident Matching Program .

Applications for PGY-2 positions starting in 2025 will be accepted only via ERAS. ERAS will begin accepting applications September 4, 2024. For our PGY-2 positions, the deadline for receiving applications is November 15, 2024. The Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School PM&R program does not offer its own preliminary or transitional year in fundamental clinical skills, so applicants must therefore apply for this PGY-1 training separately through other facilities.  The following supporting documentation must be submitted to ERAS along with your application:

• Three letters of recommendation
• Current C.V. clearly explaining any time gaps
• MSPE (Dean's letter)
• Medical school transcript
• USMLE/COMLEX transcript (no specific score criteria)
• Current ECFMG certificate (as applicable)
• J-1 visa (as applicable)