To request more information, please contact our program director:
Steven Purcell
Email: steven.purcell@mercy.net
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 Pro Health Performance, 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 Lindenwood University, University of Missouri – St. Louis, 29 local high schools and two premier soccer clubs. As the medical provider for the St. Louis Cardinals, Mercy offers residents a unique opportunity to work alongside team physicians, gaining valuable insight into the evaluation, treatment and management of elite athletes and the associated patient caseload. These experiences, combined with a diverse range of clinical exposures, are designed to enhance clinical reasoning skills and prepare residents for specialty certification examination success.
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.
The Mercy St. Louis Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program will be participating in the standardized Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program Match for the upcoming application cycle. Our virtual interview dates for the 2027-28 cohort will be held on December 14 and December 17, 2026. We will also hold on-site interviews on January 18, 2027.
This process will fill our one available resident position, which starts on July 6, 2027. Interview offers and all other communication will be sent from specialization@aaspt.org. We look forward to reviewing your application.
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.
2025-2026 – Noah Monaghan
2026-2027 – Samuel Bishop
Sports Residency Faculty and Staff
