Mission, Goals and Objectives

Mission

The key missions of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is to train and develop physiatrists who will be the essential medical experts in value-based evaluation, diagnosis, and management of neuromusculoskeletal and disabling conditions and serve as indispensable leaders in directing rehabilitation and recovery, and in preventing injury and disease. Optimization of outcomes and physical function early and throughout the continuum of patient care will be emphasized.


Goals and Objectives

The main goals and objectives of the PM&R Residency Program will be to:

1. Provide coordinated, Physiatric, patient-focused care for the disabled population. The objective will be achieved by faculty who will guide residents to learn and implement collaborative, evidenced-based care, meaningful engagement in professional relationships that share values, respect diverse perspectives, and fosters a team approach to action.

2. Be academic, mentoring and patient-care leaders in the field Physiatry. The program goal will be accomplished by faculty who will continue to use bold, adaptive and forward-thinking strategies to train residents to become thoughtful, strong-decision makers. PM&R faculty will partner with residents to advance the field through contribution to the scholarly mission and national and international presence (research, quality improvement projects, publications and presentations).

3. Advocate leadership and service to the community. The program will train residents to become involved in community-based activity, with the main goals of providing care, education and resources to the under-served. This goal will be achieved by leveraging current experience of service-minded faculty to mentor residents in becoming selfless stewards of community health.

4. Emphasize respect for human dignity for patient and their families throughout the continuum of care. Faculty will mentor residents to embrace diversity, and to dedicate themselves to patient-centered care that maximizes function, expands human potential, and enhances quality of life. The PMR Program will serve a growing, unmet need in the rapidly growing UF Health System. UF Health is an internationally recognized academic health center located in Gainesville, Florida. It is a Level-1 tertiary care center that contains 1,162 licensed beds and serves a catchment of over 3 million people. Patients come from all 67 counties in the state, throughout the nation and over 12 international countries. UF Health provides a full spectrum of care through its network of hospitals and clinical programs including a Rehabilitation Hospital, a Children’s Hospital and a Cancer Hospital. The 60-bed UF Health Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital provides physical and rehabilitative medicine, physical–occupational–recreational–speech and language therapy. The hospital has accreditation’s from ARH (Accreditation of Rehabilitation Hospitals) for brain injury, spinal cord injury and stroke. Presently, this major health care system in North Florida has no PMR Residency. The residency program will addresses the critical community need to graduate high-quality Physiatrists to care for the populations who are not receiving the comprehensive long-term care needed to optimize physical function and quality of life. Adults and children with disabilities and physical impairments in the UF Health System at present cannot obtain Physiatric care. The program, through its key missions and goals, will produce leaders in the field of Physiatry who will advance scientific knowledge and improve public health, particularly among adults and children with various disabilities.