Career Center

What is a Career in Physiatry Like

The Medical Student's Guide to PM&R

The physiatrist may choose a solo practice or a group setting-partnership or multispecialty group. He/she may affiliate with an academic institution, a private community hospital or clinic, a VA hospital, a skilled nursing facility, or a freestanding rehabilitation facility. The practice may consist of solely outpatient care (e.g., sports medicine clinic), inpatient care (e.g., stroke unit), or a combination of both. In many cases, the patient population will be referral-based and the physiatrist will act initially in a consulting role. Referrals come typically from neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, neurology, oncology, vascular surgery, cardiology, rheumatology, trauma, transplant surgery, cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, family practice, pediatrics, and internal medicine. If the patient is admitted into an inpatient rehabilitation unit, the physiatrist usually assumes both a primary care and specialist role.​