To request more information, please contact our program director:
Steven Purcell
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 314-325-3106
Mercy Sports in St. Louis offers a 12-month Sports Residency Program for physical therapists aiming to treat athletes. The program, currently seeking ABPTRFE accreditation, prepares residents for the sports physical therapy specialty exam by emphasizing evidence-based practice and clinical decision-making. Starting each July, residents engage in sports coverage, performance coaching with EXOS, injury prevention, service-learning and research. Each resident is exposed to a variety of diverse learning opportunities through collaborations with Mercy’s clinical staff, physicians and athletic training teams, plus partnerships with the St. Louis Cardinals and Lindenwood University. The program aims to enhance clinical reasoning and prepare residents for the specialty exam.
Mission
The mission of the Mercy St. Louis Sports Residency Program is that, through our ministry and compassionate care, we foster the professional development of skilled, evidence-based clinicians who are experts in sports rehabilitation with a commitment to the advancement of injury prevention, safety, and care for the athlete as a whole.
Currently, one sports physical therapy resident position is available each year. The Mercy St. Louis Sports Residency Program uses the Centralized Application Process, RF-PTCAS, outlined on the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education website.
Apply here.
Click here for our Financial Fact Sheet.
Applicants to the Mercy St. Louis Sports Residency Program must:
- Graduate from a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program
- Obtain a Missouri Physical Therapy license
- Meet all eligibility requirements to be employed as a practicing physical therapist within Mercy Sports Medicine
- Possess one of the following:
- Current ATC designation
- Current license as an EMT or certification as an Emergency Medical Responder prior to starting the program
If you're a non-US-educated physical therapist, please contact us to discuss admission requirements.
For the upcoming cohort, applications will open in February 2026. We'll interview applicants until a resident is selected. The program will begin in July 2026.
- July – Medical Emergency Response; Early Assessment Strategies
- August – Concussion Evaluation; Pre-participation Screening; Imaging
- September – Knee
- October – Foot and Ankle
- November – Hip
- December – Strength and Conditioning/Sport Performance; Nutrition; Female Athlete
- January – Shoulder
- February – Elbow, Wrist and Hand
- March – Spine
- April – Medical Conditions; Sports Psychology; Mental Health for Athletes
- May – Special Topics
- June – Review; Research; Test Prep Strategies
The schedule for the sports resident will change weekly based on athletic coverage and other didactic activities. A sample weekly schedule can be viewed here.
The American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTREF) granted candidacy to Mercy St. Louis Sports Residency effective January 31, 2025. The program will come before ABPTRFE during May 2026 for the initial accreditation decision. The Mercy St. Louis Sports Residency Program (The Program) is not yet accredited through the ABPTRFE. Accreditation is a voluntary process used to evaluate, enhance and publicly recognize quality in residency education. The Program, through its faculty, seek independent judgment by its peers regarding the program’s compliance with a set of standards and criteria that have been accepted by the profession, as well as the program’s ability to achieve the stated mission and goals. The American Physical Therapy Association awards the accreditation status.
Achieving candidacy status isn’t an indication that ABPTRFE will grant initial accreditation. Participants who graduate from a program in candidacy status aren’t deemed to have completed an accredited program.
The Mercy St. Louis Sports Residency Program is looking to accept our second cohort in July 2026.
Because our program is currently in the accreditation process and has recently welcomed our inaugural resident, we do not have program outcomes available at this time.
Sports Residency Team and Program Faculty
