Meet The Residents Of The Sanford Health And USD Sports Physical Therapy Residency
Just finishing its fourth year, the Sanford Health and University of South Dakota Sports Physical Therapy Residency develops competent sports physical therapists and prepares graduates for a variety of job opportunities.
Accredited by the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education, the Sanford Health and USD Sports Physical Therapy Residency is a planned learning experience encompassing an essential knowledge, skills and responsibilities curriculum for the advanced therapist with an interest in a defined area of practice.
Sanford Health and USD’s residency combines 32 hours of clinic time at the Sanford Fieldhouse every week with planned mentoring, didactics, and sports venue and training room coverage at USD. Additionally, residents conduct research and assist with musculoskeletal labs at USD.
A single resident is chosen to complete this highly competitive residency each year.
Current resident Connor Skourmal, DPT, said he has made many memories thus fair in the program.
“My favorite memory would probably be traveling with the football team and getting closer with them and the rest of the sports medicine staff,” Skourmal said. “I really enjoyed being a part of a team again and doing my best from the sidelines and the training room to help prepare the team to play at the best of their abilities.”
Cassie Endsley, DPT, graduate of the USD residency program and assistant professor at the College of St. Scholastica Physical Therapy Program, said she advises residents to “Hold on tight because your residency year will be over before you know it. Enjoy the ride of exponential growth during this time. Be a sponge, ask questions and say yes to opportunities.”
In July, Nicole Assef, DPT, will begin her tenure as the fifth resident within the Sanford Health and USD Sports Physical Therapy Residency. Assef brings with her a wealth of experiences, including working as a sports medicine intern for four years in the training room at the University of Louisville as an undergraduate student and completing her Doctor of Physical Therapy at the University of Kentucky in 2021.
Assef has accumulated many advanced certifications and continuing education units already early in her career as a physical therapist and will continue to succeed with the residency program's structure.