Ochsner Health is committed to our mission: We Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate, and Innovate.
To provide a high level of physical therapy treatment to the community, Ochsner Health is pleased to host a post-graduate residency program to develop advanced practitioners in the field of orthopedic physical therapy. The program will focus on presenting the most current, evidence-based curriculum possible, while providing mentorship by highly trained, board-certified therapist, and collaborating with some of the most well-respected physicians in our region.
The Ochsner Health Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency is an accredited program through the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE), making it one of the only orthopedic physical therapy residency programs in the Gulf South region.
Admissions & Application
- Compensation and Benefits: Our orthopedic residents are full-time, salaried employees with a benefit package. Our Program does not have any tuition.
- Eligibility: Candidates must be eligible for physical therapy licensure in the state of Louisiana by direct licensure or via compact licensure.
- Application: Next available cohort begins September 2022. Applications are available at RFPTCAS.
Program Details
- Location: Greater New Orleans Area, Louisiana
- Program Length: 13 Months
- Mentorship: All residents will receive at least 150 hours of one-on-one mentorship with board certified, residency-trained, and fellowship trained clinicians.
Residency Program Mission
The Mission of the program is to enhance and elevate orthopedic physical therapy practice by providing comprehensive education to promote clinical excellence, collaboration and innovation and provide evidence-based orthopedic physical therapy services to clients in the Gulf South region.
Residency Program Goals
The Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program Goals support our overall intent of graduating physical therapists that can be autonomous in the orthopedic field. A list of our specific program goals are as follows:
- Goal One: To support the mission, vision, and values of Ochsner Health by elevating the practice of physical therapists serving the residents of the Gulf South Region.
- Goal Two: To provide the members of the communities of the Gulf South Region with residency-trained physical therapists who excel in orthopedic practice, across all ages and levels of activity.
- Goal Three: To obtain and maintain APTA accreditation as an orthopedic physical therapy residency program.
- Goal Four: To be nationally recognized as a leader in residency training in orthopedic physical therapy.
- Goal Five: To graduate residents who contribute to the profession of physical therapy, and the larger healthcare community, through leadership, evidence-based practice, teaching, and service.
- Goal Six: To graduate residents who will pursue board-certification through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) upon graduation.
Didactic learning is offered primarily through weekly residency lectures and labs. This overlaps with our sports residency program to provide a comprehensive curriculum. Guided research activity is threaded throughout the program with the residents choosing a project based on their interests and available resources. Residents will have teaching opportunities as lab assistants in a local DPT program.
A Week in the Life of an Ochsner Orthopedic Resident
Clinical Practice
- One-on-one Mentoring: 3 hours
- Patient Care: 32 hours
Didactic
- Lecture and Labs: 5 hours
- Ochsner Sports Medicine Conference: 1 hour
- Journal club: 30 minutes
Additional Opportunities
- Physician Collaboration: Clinic shadowing and surgery observation
- Teaching: Lab assistant in a DPT program
- Research: All residents will participate in the critical inquiry process with opportunities to develop research project designs that can be submitted for IRB approval.
Orthopedic Curriculum Summary

Graduates of the Ochsner Health Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program will be well prepared to sit for the Orthopedic Specialty Examination (OCS), along with becoming an integral part of the community through the creation of research, and community outreach.
Ochsner Orthopedic Residency Graduation Rate
Cohort Year | Graduation Rate |
2020 | 100% |
Ochsner Sports Residency Board Specialty Exam Data
Orthopedic Specialty Application Year | Application Rate |
2020 | 100% |
National Board Certification Examination Passing Rates for First-Time Test Takers 2020 (Source)
Specialty Area | Non-Residency Graduates | Residency Graduates |
Orthopedics (481) | 67% | 86% |
Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Director
Mark Gutierrez, PT, DPT
Board Certified in Sports
Board Certified in Orthopedics
Fellow, American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Therapy Physical Therapy
mark.gutierrez@ochsner.org
Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Coordinator
Matt Powers PT, DPT
Board Certified in Orthopedics
Fellow, American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Therapy Physical Therapy
matthew.powers@ochsner.org