Westside ‘s Casting Apprenticeship Program (CAP) is a 2-year development program for physical therapists that want to train in serial casting. They will commit a part of their week to training with the goal that they will work part-time out of the Serial Casting Institute (SCI)* when they are done.
The Casting Apprenticeship Program offers passionate physical therapists a chance to pursue and develop in-depth skills in serial casting, and be a pioneer in launching the Serial Casting Institute (SCI) early on and supporting it long-term.
The program puts physical therapists in a position to support the growing need for serial casting services in the Chicagoland area.
The program will also have tiers of apprenticeship that help those in the program access casting experiences that are appropriate for their skill level.
The Casting Apprenticeship Program will span (2) years and will vary in what is focused on and the time committed.
The prerequisite for the Casting Apprenticeship Program is that candidates are current physical therapists and have a passion and vested interest in serial casting.
The Casting Apprenticeship Program is for individuals who can become the backbone of a successful serial casting institute that rivals our region’s top hospitals. Those accepted will be counted on to become an integral part of a founding team that strives to build something special.
Yes, the ongoing commitment to the Casting Apprenticeship Program is to split your time roughly 50/50. Half of your week would be serial casting; half would be treating a variety of physical therapy cases. There is certainly a lean towards casting, but by no means would it pidgeonhole you into doing only casting.
The CAP will include a limited number of people and will function in a small-group setting. Given that intimate nature, most feedback on casting skills is going to happen real-time from your casting trainers. Consistent with out biannual review cycles, there will be formal opportunities to sit down twice per year and discuss the overall trajectory of skill casting development.
This is a situation we are trying to avoid. We have limited training capacity and are trying to target an audacious goal of establishing a premiere casting institute. Thus, it is critical that the few we train this year will still be in the program next year in order for us to have a strong foundation to build on. If you have any hesitancy in applying, it may be best to not apply to the CAP this year so as to avoid this potential issue.