Cancer Rehabilitation Fellowship

Current as of: 5/28/2026 

Position Identification: non-ACGME fellow (acting instructor faculty position) 

Position Summary: The cancer rehabilitation fellow provides clinical rehabilitation medicine care for adult patients with cancer in the inpatient and outpatient setting. The fellow will also provide clinical care in the rehabilitation medicine consult service and inpatient rehabilitation unit at the University of Washington Medical Center. In the outpatient setting, the fellow will be an active participant in rehabilitation medicine clinics and their own continuity clinic, as well as supportive care oncology clinics (palliative care, integrative medicine, psychiatry, pain medicine, etc.). The fellow will participate in the diagnosis and management of complex rehabilitation needs of patients throughout the cancer care continuum. In addition to clinical responsibilities, the fellow will participate in scholarly activities and didactic sessions/curriculum.  

For the purpose of this document, the term “Resident” includes medical and dental residents and fellows, including those in ACGME, CODA and non-ACGME accredited programs. 

General Overview of the Resident Role 

A resident’s responsibilities include patient care responsibilities within the scope of their clinical privileges commensurate with level of training and other responsibilities required of all members of the medical staff. Under the supervision of attendings, general responsibilities of the resident may include: 

• Initial and ongoing assessment of patients’ medical, physical and psychosocial status 
• Performing history and physical examination 
• Developing assessment and treatment plan 
• Performing rounds 
• Recording documentation, including progress notes, admission notes, procedure notes and discharge summaries 
• Ordering tests, examinations, medications and therapies 
• Arranging for discharge, referral and after care. 
• Providing patient education and counseling about health status, test results, disease processes and transition of care planning 
• Performing procedures 
• Assisting in surgery 
• Teaching and evaluating junior learners, such as medical students 

UW GME Expectations for Professional Behavior 

• All residents must comply with the UW Medicine Policy on Professional Conduct and the UW Medicine Compliance Code of Conduct 
• ACGME Competencies in Professionalism, including fitness for duty (See ACGME Common Program Requirements) 
• All residents must comply with GME Policieshttps://sites.uw.edu/uwgme/policies/%5bLINK, including the  Resident and Fellow Position Appointment Agreement (RFPA) 

Essential Functions 

Essential functions are the fundamental job duties of the position that cannot be eliminated or substantially modified without changing the nature of the position. 

A job function may be considered essential for the following reasons: 

• The reason the position exists is to perform that function 
• Resident educational requirements and patient care responsibilities 
• A limited number of available residents can perform that function 
• Varies by program, rotation, year, risk pools, etc. 
• The function may be highly specialized so that the trainee in the position is hired for their expertise or ability to perform the particular function 
• Cannot easily hire more trainees, especially of a specific R level 
• The percentage of time spent on a function does not determine whether or not it is essential. 

Essential functions for GME residents must include consideration of: 

• ACGME program requirements 
• Specialty board requirements 
• UW program requirements 
• Unique to each UW training program and must consider: 
• Complexity of rotations/service requirements 
• Size of program 
• Structure and depth of risk pools 
• Please refer to the program’s Clinical Coverage Policy 
• Inclusive of the hospital system requirements: 
• Rotations dependent on residents’ service for patient care 
• Coverage options available 

A resident must perform the position’s essential job functions with or without an approved reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodation means modifying or adjusting practices, procedures, policies, job duties, or the work or application environment so that a qualified individual with a disability can still perform a position’s essential functions. Approved reasonable accommodations are determined via an interactive process involving the resident, DSO/HR/GME and the program. 

Essential functions ensure the safe and smooth delivery of education and patient care and are identified in alignment with program aims to facilitate trainee readiness for independent practice across an appropriate range of clinical settings for that specialty. Transparent documentation of a program’s essential functions is also an important resource for applicants evaluating the training program during recruitment. 

Essential Program Administrative Functions 

Onboarding  

The Resident must: 

• comply with all program and institutional tasks required for credentialing and onboarding by the requested deadlines 

Program Tasks and Documentation 

The Resident must: 

• participate in all requests for schedule preferences, requests for absence or schedule changes of requests for clinical coverage on the requested timelines or deadlines. 
• complete in a timely manner all evaluations requested for medical students, peer residents, faculty or other members of the team 
• complete MedHub clinical and educational hour logs 
• complete case or procedure logs 
• complete the annual ACGME Resident Survey 
• complete the program’s annual confidential internal survey 
• complete required examination preparation and/or testing requirements, to include USMLE or COMLEX Step 3, in-training examinations and program-specific guidelines for national board certification. 

Other functions/details specific to the program: 

• must have completed an ACGME accredited residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation or scheduled to complete residency training the year of application. 
• Successful completion of USMLE or COMLEX prior to application 
• Must be board-eligible or board certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation the year of application. 
• Must be eligible for limited medical licensure in the state of Washington. 
• attendance at all required program meetings, including semiannual meetings, mentorship meetings, program retreats, etc. 

Essential Program Core Educational Functions 

Didactics 

The Resident must: 

• Comply with all standards for attendance at didactics or other core educational activities 
• Adhere to the preferred mode of attendance (in-person, virtual, hybrid) 

Scholarship 

The Resident must: 

• Comply with all program or specialty requirements for research or scholarship, quality improvement, national or regional conference presentation, publication or scholarly writing or teaching and presentations internal to the program (e.g. journal club, didactics, case conference, M&M, etc.) 

Essential Patient Care Functions 

Presence and preparedness 

The Resident must: 

• present to work as physically, mentally and emotionally fit for duty 
• arrive at the patient care setting on schedule 
• arrive at work in attire appropriate for the professional and safe delivery of patient care 
• meet expectations for chart review or pre-rounding 
• satisfy expectations that precede sign-out and/or departure from the clinical setting, including an appropriate handoff and follow up on all patient assessments/data/studies that will alter care in the near term. 
• Other functions/details specific to the program:  
• Respond to and take care of any EPIC messages or pages from staff regarding patient care needs and documentation (e.g. orders, documenting missed minutes, documenting appropriate diagnoses and codes) 
• Complete clinical notes/documentation within 24 hours of the patient encounter. 

Administrative 

The Resident must: 

• complete patient health record documentation on the schedule prescribed by the program or medical center. (Examples include but are not limited to progress notes/visit summaries, discharge summaries, operative or procedure notes, perioperative records)  
• comply with expectations for EHR inbox management, including timely responses to messages from patients, medical staff and tracking and patient follow up of expected results 
• Other functions/details specific to the program, including specifics on timeliness:  
• Complete the didactics, faculty, and rotation evaluations within 1 week of completing a rotation 
• Meet with program director twice a year 

Patient Care Communication 

The Resident must: 

• respond in a timely manner to pages, phone calls and Epic Secure Chat 
• remain within the program-prescribed geographic range while on call or eligible for coverage 
• Other functions/details specific to the program, including specifics on timeliness:  
• Must have functioning pager 
• Respond to patient EPIC messages in a timely manner 
• Signout EPIC inbox to a covering provider when out of office (vacation, conference, etc) 

Patient Care Volumes 

The Resident must: 

• work toward (with supervision) or meet benchmarks for patient care volumes in all clinical settings 
• appropriately request and utilize supervision 
• work toward or ultimately meet procedure certification standards 

Consultation 

The Resident must: 

• appropriately respond to, triage, and staff consultations in a timely manner 
• document findings and recommendations in a timely manner 
• communicate with the requesting service directly (e.g. in-person, phone) in advance of and following the assessment 
• ensure that consultations are staffed and finalized with a faculty member in a timely manner 
• Other functions/details specific to the program, including specifics on timeliness: 
• Discuss with attending expectations for: communicating with other teams, referrals/orders, and billing. This may vary based on site and rotation. 

Essential Shift and Schedule Functions 

Settings 

• complete assigned shifts in settings deemed essential by the program, such as inpatient units, NICU, PICU, emergency department, and outpatient specialty and primary care clinics 
• complete assigned away rotations deemed essential by the program 
• Other functions/details specific to the program: 
• Maintain access to EMR for all sites at all times including FHCC and UW medicine 

Shift length and timing 

The Resident must: 

• complete shifts of all lengths deemed essential by the program, which may include daytime, swing,  
• nights, weekends, and holidays. Details specific to the program: 
• Shifts must not exceed ACGME limits of up to 28 hours per shift, and up to 80 hours per week averaged over a 4-week period 
• where appropriate, comply with designated break lengths (to meet personal needs and not impact patient care) 

Call Responsibilities 

The Resident must: 

• complete assigned shifts of overnight call, as deemed essential by the program  
• complete assigned shifts of home call, as deemed essential by the program 
• remain within the prescribed geographic range while on call or eligible for coverage  

Essential Cognitive Functions 

• Develop and demonstrate sound clinical judgment in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of illness. 
• Identify, prioritize, and manage patient care and professional responsibilities to support safe, timely, and effective outcomes. 
• Apply clinical reasoning effectively in situations involving uncertainty and changing conditions. 
• Seek guidance and incorporate input from others as appropriate to support patient care and professional development. 
• Reflect on performance and integrate feedback to support continuous improvement. 
• Adapt to evolving clinical environments and changing patient care needs. 
• Demonstrate reliability through consistent participation in responsibilities and timely completion of assigned tasks. 
• Operate effectively in dynamic clinical environments with frequent interruptions and competing priorities. 
• Provide guidance, support, and teaching to junior learners, including medical students. 
• Functions/details specific to the program:   

With or without adaptive or augmentative devices/adaptations/accommodations the fellow must be able to focus, process and integrate complex information, apply knowledge, and direct goal-oriented thinking to make safe and effective clinical decisions. 

• Attention (Focused and Sustained) 
• Ability to maintain focus on relevant clinical information while filtering distractions 
• Capacity to sustain attention over prolonged periods in complex environments 
• Working Memory 
• Ability to hold and manipulate multiple pieces of information simultaneously 
• Capacity to track evolving clinical data and manage multiple active problems 
• Long-Term Memory (Knowledge Retrieval) 
• Ability to store and recall medical knowledge, clinical patterns, and prior experiences 
• Capacity to apply learned information to new clinical situations 
• Information Processing Speed 
• Ability to rapidly process and respond to clinical information 
• Capacity to function efficiently in time-sensitive and high-demand settings 
• Executive Function 
• Ability to plan, organize, and structure clinical tasks and decision-making 
• Capacity to prioritize competing demands and manage complex workflows 
• Ability to exercise judgment, including inhibition of irrelevant or incorrect responses 
• Clinical Reasoning 
• Ability to analyze, synthesize, and integrate information from multiple sources 
• Capacity to generate differential diagnoses and identify patterns of disease 
• Cognitive Flexibility 
• Ability to adapt thinking in response to new or changing information 
• Capacity to shift between different tasks, perspectives, or levels of analysis 
• Problem-Solving and Decision-Making 
• Ability to evaluate options, weigh risks and benefits, and select appropriate actions 
• Capacity to make decisions in situations of uncertainty or incomplete information 
• Information Integration 
• Ability to combine data from clinical, functional, and psychosocial domains into a unified understanding 
• Capacity for “big picture” thinking across complex systems 
• Judgment and Insight 
• Ability to recognize limitations, assess situations accurately, and make sound clinical decisions 
• Capacity for self-monitoring and awareness of evolving clinical scenarios 

Essential Communication Functions  

(including verbal and written) 

• Communicate clinical information clearly and in a patient-centered manner to support  
• understanding and shared decision-making.  
• Gather, interpret, and exchange information effectively with patients, families, and  
• members of the healthcare team. 
• Facilitate safe and effective transitions of care, including handoffs, discharges, and  
• referrals.  
• Collaborate effectively with members of the healthcare team across roles and settings to  
• support coordinated, high-quality care.  
• Recognize and respond appropriately to the perspectives, needs, and emotions of others. 
• Engage respectfully with individuals from diverse social, cultural, and lived experiences.  

The fellow must be able to perform the following communication functions with or without adaptive or augmentative devices, accommodations, or supports: 

• Clear and Effective Information Exchange 
• Ability to communicate accurately, concisely, and in a timely manner 
• Ability to convey both routine and complex clinical information 
• Tailored Communication 
• Ability to modify communication for individuals with:  
• Cognitive impairments 
• Language barriers 
• Cultural differences 
• Ability to use interpreters, assistive technologies, or alternative communication strategies as needed 
• Documentation and Written Communication 
• Ability to produce clear, organized, and clinically accurate written documentation 
• Capacity to convey reasoning, plans, and outcomes in the medical record 
• Responsiveness and Communication Flow 
• Ability to respond appropriately and in a timely manner across communication platforms 
• Capacity to manage multiple communication streams simultaneously 
• Interdisciplinary Communication 
• Ability to communicate effectively within a multidisciplinary team (PT, OT, SLP, nursing, psychology, social work) 
• Capacity to coordinate, clarify, and prioritize team recommendations 
• Consultative Communication 
• Ability to function as a consultant by:  
• Translating rehabilitation principles for other specialties 
• Communicating functional goals, prognosis, and care plans clearly to referring providers 
• Synthesis and Recommendation 
• Ability to synthesize complex, multi-source clinical information into clear recommendations 
• Capacity to provide actionable guidance to patients, families, and healthcare teams 
• UW PM&R Residents must be able to communicate complex medical and functional information clearly, accurately, and adaptively across multiple modalities to patients, families, and interdisciplinary teams. Residents must demonstrate effective communication across multiple platforms with or without adaptive or augmentative devices, accommodations, or supports, including: 
• Electronic communication 
• Email 
• Electronic health record messaging (e.g., Epic chat) 
• Telephone communication 
• Real-time verbal exchanges with patients, families, and care teams 
• In-person communication 
• Face-to-face interactions in clinical, inpatient, outpatient, and team settings 

Essential Physical Functions 

(including senses, stances and mobility, manipulation and technical skills) 

• Perform clinical procedures and technical aspects of patient care competently, to support safe and effective diagnosis and treatment.  
• Perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures while maintaining proper positioning to minimize risk of injury to the patient, other team members, and proceduralist 
• Conduct patient assessments to gather and interpret clinical information, supporting  
• comprehensive medical and psychosocial evaluation.  
• Sustain performance of clinical responsibilities over scheduled shifts to ensure continuity  
• and quality of patient care. 
• Functions/details specific to the program:  
• The fellow must be able to safely observe, move, examine patients, and perform technical procedures using coordinated sensory, motor, and physical abilities across diverse clinical environments. 
• The fellow must be able to perform the following physical functions with or without adaptive or augmentative devices, accommodations, or supports. 

Sensory Functions 

• Visual ability 
• Ability to observe patient movement, physical findings, imaging, and monitor screens 
• Ability to interpret visual cues during procedures (e.g., ultrasound guidance) 
• Auditory ability 
• Ability to hear and understand patients, families, and team members in various clinical settings 
• Ability to perceive auditory cues (e.g., alarms, patient responses) 
• Tactile ability 
• Ability to perform palpation and detect physical findings (e.g., tone, swelling, tenderness) 
• Ability to use tactile feedback during procedures 

Stance, Mobility, and Physical Endurance 

• Mobility 
• Ability to move independently between clinical sites, inpatient units, outpatient clinics, and educational settings 
• Ability to mobilize in a timely manner for patient care and clinical responsibilities 
• Posture and physical positioning 
• Ability to maintain standing, sitting, and transitional postures for clinical care, procedures, and documentation 
• Ability to position self appropriately at bedside, exam tables, and procedural settings 
• Endurance 
• Ability to sustain physical activity throughout clinical duties, including prolonged periods of walking, standing, or sitting 

Manipulation and Technical Skills 

• Physical examination skills 
• Ability to perform comprehensive physical and neurologic examinations 
• Ability to assess strength, sensation, reflexes, coordination, and functional mobility 
• Fine motor skills 
• Ability to use hands for precise movements required for examination and procedures 
• Ability to manipulate medical equipment and devices 
• Procedural skills 
• Ability to perform or assist with procedures relevant to PM&R, including:  
• Ultrasound-guided procedures (U/S) 
• Electrodiagnostic testing (EMG/NCS) 
• Equipment operation 
• Ability to safely and effectively use clinical and procedural equipment 
• Ability to coordinate hand-eye movements during image-guided (example: ultrasound guided)or technical procedures 

Statement Of Nondiscrimination 

The University of Washington prohibits discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns, make complaints, or direct inquiries to the Civil Rights Compliance Office. View the Statement of Nondiscrimination. 

Key Principles for ADA-Compliant Language: 

• Focus on results, not methods 
• Essential function is a completed task, not how that task is completed 

This document reflects requirements, established practices, policies, procedures, and resources as of the date of publication; however, parts of this document may be updated from time to time in accordance with changes in the law and applicable requirements, established practices, policies, procedures, and resources. Continued participation by a resident in the program will demonstrate agreement by the resident to adhere to the updates. The program will communicate such change in their fellowship manual and webpage.