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. 2023;16(3):449-455.
doi: 10.3233/PRM-230044.

A call for action: Increasing the pediatric rehabilitation medicine workforce

Margaret A Turk  1 , Bruce M Gans  2 , Heakyung Kim  3 , Katharine E Alter  4
Affiliations

A call for action: Increasing the pediatric rehabilitation medicine workforce

Margaret A Turk et al. J Pediatr Rehabil Med. 2023.

Abstract

Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) is a unique blend of traditional medical rehabilitation knowledge and skills primarily focused on temporary and/or permanent disability conditions of childhood onset throughout the age continuum, with an emphasis on promoting function and participation. Although there are two established pathways to enhance knowledge and skills in PRM, one a combined residency with Pediatrics and the other a PRM fellowship, there has been a relative decline in participants in this training, as has been seen across other subspecialties in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and other medical specialties. Based on pediatric rehabilitation physician surveys and the increasing prevalence of children with disabilities, there has been a call to consider opening PRM fellowships to physicians not trained in PM&R. This commentary proposes establishing a commission to lead a transparent and inclusive process to assure that all options to address issues related to optimizing PRM care are considered and provide a course of action to address the needs of children and adults with childhood onset disabilities.

Keywords: Pediatric rehabilitation medicine; childhood-onset disability; subspecialization; training.

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Conflict of interest statement

Dr. Turk is funded through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (Disability Research and Dissemination Center); she is also Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Disability and Health Journal, published by Elsevier.

No other author declares a conflict of interest.

However, for transparency, the authors state their relationship to PRM, PRM training, and the PRM-related workforce.

Dr. Turk: practices PRM since 1978; participated in development of original PRM proposal, successfully shepherding the process through ABMS in 1999; served as a Director of ABPMR 1996-2008, serving as Chair 2005-2007; eligible for PRM certification through years of practice; previous PRM fellowship Program Director; active PRM-related researcher.

Dr. Gans: practiced PRM since 1976; served as a Director of the ABPM&R from 1988-2000; responsible for PM&R residency training at four different medical schools.

Dr. Kim: practices PRM since 1998; trained through combined PM&R/Pediatrics program; served as founding PRM fellowship program director 2015-2022; now serving as chairman of PM&R department since 2022.

Dr. Alter: practices PRM since 1989; trained through separate Pediatrics and PM&R programs; served as medical director for PRM 1998-2014 at a children’s specialty hospital and tasked with training, recruitment, services organization, quality assurance; active PRM clinician and researcher.

References

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    1. Pediatrics-Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation [Internet]. Chapel Hill: The American Board of Pediatrics; 2023 [updated 2023 May 16; cited 2023 July 12]. Available from: https://www.aborg/content/pediatrics-physical-medicine-and-rehabilitation
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