Residency Program Management

Curriculum, Rotations and Learning Objectives

Plan the learning experiences that support the 2025 competencies and required clinical experiences. Define what the resident will demonstrate in each rotation, how progress will be assessed and when objectives will be reviewed. 2025 Standards 3.2 and 3.4 describe program structure and learning-experience requirements.

• Rotation Structure GuidanceExamples of rotation structures and planning considerations.
• Rotation Builder With Goals (Excel)Plan the sequence, duration and objectives of learning experiences.
• SMART Goals for Residency Learning and RotationsWrite observable objectives, define assessment evidence and set review dates.

Director and Mentor Changes

Adding a director or mentor: If the person is not already a mentor or director at that site, submit the Add a Director or Mentor form.

• Add a Director or MentorSubmitted by the program director or a designated associate director. Mentors can't add themselves.
• Remove a Mentor

Changing the residency program director: Email NCOPE residency staff whenever the program director changes. Email notice is required even if the incoming director is already a mentor or associate director at that site. If the incoming director is not already a mentor or associate director at the site, also submit the Add a Director or Mentor form. The incoming director must meet NCOPE’s director qualification requirements.

Application Types

• Affiliate Add-on ApplicationAdd satellite or partner clinic locations. Clinics beyond a 50-mile radius (75 miles rural) must hold their own NCOPE residency accreditation.
• Discipline Add-on ApplicationFor a site approved for the two-site pathway that wants approval for the one-site pathway. Add any new clinic locations on the same application. There's no discipline add-on fee when the change is made at initial or renewal application.
• Residency Site ApplicationThe same application is used for initial accreditation and renewal.

Changing the program's duration requires NCOPE approval. A change of facility accreditor (from ABC to BOC or the reverse) requires a new application and fee.

Withdrawing residency accreditation: contact residency@ncope.org.

Resident Reports and Forms

Directors and mentors may request status and timeline reports for individual residents. The Resident Timeline Report calculates the due date of each required evaluation and form. Program reports are available through NCOPE Tracker.

• Resident Status Report
• Resident Timeline Report
• Resident Status Change FormRequest a hold, report an incomplete residency, reactivate a residency at the same site, change its start or end date, or report a reduction below 37.5 hours a week. To continue at a different site, the resident submits a new Resident Registration Form.

Resident Recruitment

Residency sites must meet NCOPE’s Residency Standards. Standard 1 and Appendix C establish the recruitment and selection requirements, including the use of OPRESCAS for postgraduate programs and the applicable exceptions and NCOPE-approved exemptions.

• Recruitment and OPRESCAS RequirementsAppendix C of the Residency Standards
• OPRESCAS and WebAdMIT Information

Annual Program Review and RPAR

Each year the program reviews its effectiveness, and the Residency Program Annual Report (RPAR) documents that review and the program's operation. The review covers recruitment methods, end-of-year input from residents who complete the program, residents' evaluations of mentors and rotations, and mentors' suggestions for improvement, with documented plans for change. Outcomes include certification exam performance, timely completion, resident satisfaction, and residents' access to required orthoses/prostheses, patient populations and visit types. Program leaders must begin addressing deficits identified in the review within 30 days.

NCOPE emails program directors the RPAR instructions and deadline during the 1st quarter of each calendar year. The report is typically due 90 days after the notification date.

• Residency Program Annual Report (RPAR)