MSR DPT Exceptional Internship Program
We pride ourselves as a national leader in teaching Doctor of Physical Therapy students with a comprehensive and holistic approach to Physical Therapy. We believe in incorporating extensive examination, history taking, clinical reasoning, differential diagnosis, and implementing current scientific evidence-based care. We incorporate biomechanics, FDM, bio-psychosocial, psychology, pain science, ACT, stress- management, proper nutrition, proper hydration, proper posture, etc. to provide exceptional care to our patients. We have developed a residency-style module that includes different facets of learning (reading papers, watching videos, articles, lessons, practicals, manual therapy techniques, etc.) which we teach as we progress through our internship program.
1. Attitude towards students and student teaching/learning from a former student
Dr. Ujjwal (endearingly referred to as “Doc”) is a diligent and dedicated teacher. He puts extensive time, effort, and money into developing a thorough and robust student program. He provides multiple courses out of his own pocket that cover topics outside of the entry level PT requirements. Examples include functional nutrition for chronic pain, acceptance and commitment therapy, and a deeper dive into fascia. At the beginning of the rotation you are provided with a binder of material, which quickly grows as he jots down new gems of knowledge for you on a daily basis. Many students have had the opportunity to contribute to this binder through their own educational articles, facilitated by Dr. Ujjwal. It is clear to gauge this man’s success as a teacher by observing the long stream of bright-eyed students that have made their way through the hallowed door of MSR each semester, some requesting a chance to work with him from far outside of the area. He guides his internship in a deliberate and structured way, facilitating students to become an efficient, compassionate clinician who is prepared for entry level practice. As I advanced in the internship, I earned more autonomy, until I had a full caseload and even had the opportunity to train a new PTA as well as the next student during the last two weeks. It is abundantly clear that doing things this way is not the easy way – it takes considerable effort, expense and even risk on his part – as this business is his livelihood as well as his conduit to the local community. Despite the added challenge on his part, he has shown a consistent effort to always provide an exceptional learning experience in order to contribute to the field of physical therapy. Dr. Ujjwal is a shining example of a clinical instructor dedicated to improving the field, serving as a role model for future clinicians, and standing as a pillar of the community.
2. Communication skills from a former student
We were in close communication for the entirety of the clinical internship. He always found additional time to discuss patient cases, or anything else that came up. Everything was a learning opportunity for him; with Doc, I even had the opportunity to co-author an article on communication strategies and how to build trust from the first visit. Additionally, I got to see how to communicate with local referring doctors in a professional way in order to coordinate the best care for the patient. This was one of the fascinating benefits that come with working with Dr. Ujjwal. He has built a close relationship with a number of doctors in the area in multiple specialties, and taught me how to concisely communicate important information to them – which results in efficient and effective care for our patients. At the end of the rotation, he made additional time to accept my feedback. He was humble and open minded in listening to how I thought the experience could be improved upon for the next student, despite the fact that he has done this many times before.
3. Creative clinical teaching skills from a former student
The whole student program is a product of his creation. There is the “anatomy of documentation”, which outlines the necessary components of documentation – allowing students to quickly become proficient in their notes, getting them done on time and keeping focus on the patient. No one has to take notes home. There is the upper and lower quarter screens – a way to do an efficient and comprehensive evaluation of a patient, that is practiced extensively and can be modified as needed. This helped to gather plenty of objective data, showing confidence to put the patient at ease and aiding in clinical reasoning. Further, Doc teaches you to employ multiple schools of thought – looking at the patient through biomechanical, tissue specific, and FDM (fascial distortion model) lenses. Through the clinical I was often exposed to new learning experiences when opportunities arose, even having a couple classes next door at Pentagon MMA to learn about the demands of kickboxers and grapplers. I applied this knowledge in the clinic while holding pads for patients to strike, instructing on form and foot work. This in particular was a fun, challenging, (and slightly intimidating) way to work on coordination, conditioning, stability and athletic performance.
4. Commitment to the profession/Professional role modeling from a former student
MSR is a clinic that is deeply intertwined with the local community. Dr. Ujjwal built this clinic from the ground up, and has turned it into a place that uplifts the people and business around it. The work that he does exemplifies what I, and what I imagine the profession as a whole, believe physical therapy should look like. For his patients he is their first line of approach for health care needs. He has grown his knowledge and cultivated his relationships to be able to manage any appropriate diagnosis and find other specialists to help the presentation if needed. He and the business he built represents what direct actress physical therapy should be, demonstrating how to represent the profession by maximizing the utility of our Doctorate degree. His partnership with the MMA gym next door extends to the doctors and business in the DMV area; they hold events and fundraisers to bolster the health and relationships of people in the community. Arlington is a better place because of MSR and Pentagon MMA.
5. Mentoring abilities from a former student
I think that everything I wrote above is a testament to Dr. Ujjwals mentoring abilities. He is always available for advice, and gives thoughtful responses to any question. He leads by example, and really shows how much he cares about the field of physical therapy; he believes in the power we hold to have a transformative impact on patient’s lives. This is infectious and has inspired me to uphold and advance this philosophy. For years, he has put significant effort into building a student program that has developed proficient physical therapists. Simultaneously, he has built a successful business that provides a nurturing environment for students, employees and patients alike. I am confident that the students before and those who come after me will agree in saying that we are lucky to have Doc as a mentor.
Testimonials From Interns
Wael Mbarki, Marymount University 2025
My name is Wael Mbarki, and I am a health science pre-physical therapy student at Marymount University. I am incredibly grateful for the guidance, support, and mentorship I received from Dr. Ujjwal Shakya during my journey to apply for a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. Dr. Ujjwal was not just a supervisor—he was a true mentor who went above and beyond to teach and guide me throughout my observation and internship hours.
It’s no surprise that Dr. Ujjwal has been recognized as the best physical therapist in Arlington for several years — and after working with him, I can confidently say it’s for a reason. From the very first day, he welcomed me with open arms into his clinic, creating a friendly and positive environment that made learning enjoyable and stress-free. His clinic is more than just a workplace — it feels like a family where everyone is willing to support and help you grow both professionally and personally.
Dr. Ujjwal took the time to teach me valuable hands-on skills, patient communication, and clinical reasoning that went far beyond just logging hours. His advice and recommendations played a huge role in helping me gain acceptance into the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Marymount University. I genuinely believe I wouldn’t be where I am today without his mentorship and generosity.
Words can’t express how thankful I am for everything Dr. Ujjwal has done for me. All I can promise is that when I graduate as a DPT, I would be honored to return and give back to his team and clinic — to contribute and support others the same way he supported me.
Thank you, Dr. Ujjwal, for inspiring me and for being such an incredible role model in this profession.
Eddries Nezam, Marymount University 2025
MSR has helped me tremendously grow, not only as a student but as a practitioner of PT. I have come across various issues among patients and learned how to accurately help and rehabilitate with the use of different techniques. Dr. Ujjwal’s teaching style requires a lot of focus, it is more of a hands-on learning experience with some information coming in the form packets that he himself has written. Overall I learned so much valuable information from him and would recommend any student in the PT field to pursue an internship here.
Jazmine Rathi
I am Jazmine Rathi an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia majoring in Kinesiology with a focus on sports medicine. I spent this summer shadowing Dr. Ujjwal Shakya. Not only did I observe Dr. Ujjwal Shakya’s daily practice as a physical therapist but I was able to participate hands on. I was able to take the blood pressure of patients, help them perform exercises, and many more tasks that made me truly feel a part of the MSR community. I was also able to form meaningful relationships with the patients here at MSR. This allowed me to understand physical therapy is not only about the service you provide patients, but also the connection and trust you build with them. In addition, I am very grateful for Dr. Shakya’s attentiveness. He made sure I understood the “why” behind everything and taught me many meaningful lessons along the way. Dr. Ujjwal Shakya’s goal was always for me to learn. With that, I am glad to say MSR has shown me my true passion for sports rehabilitation. My journey with MSR is something I will carry with me forever. I can not thank Dr. Ujjwal Shakya and the MSR team enough for the experience they have given me.
Lauren Ridings, DPT George Washington University 2023
As a full-time student with MSR, I learned how to treat the person and not just the pain. I gained experience in a variety of different manual techniques, neuromuscular concepts, high-level and return-to-sports exercises, and the list goes on. But I also learned about patient psychology, sleep, stress, nutrition, trust, and so many other factors needed to treat the patient holistically as a whole that goes far beyond addressing just their pain. This is what separates MSR from so many other clinics in the area and has helped me to become a well-rounded physical therapist.
This experience was different from all my other clinical rotations because Dr. Ujjwal met me where I was as a student. I wanted to work with athletes and learn more about sports-specific rehab, but I had minimal exposure to this population in my previous clinicals. We spent a lot of time discussing all the areas I didn’t feel as comfortable with and built a plan to address them throughout my experience. He provided me with tons of resources, personal experiences, and educational tools to turn these weaknesses into strengths. He never made me feel foolish for not understanding something or looked down on me for not knowing something, but instead worked with me to reinforce these concepts and pushed me to apply them in the future.
As a student, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and like everyone is always judging you, but the small and friendly nature of MSR makes it a great environment for learning and growing your confidence as a clinician. Dr. Ujjwal was also incredibly respectful of my time and understood that I was studying for boards throughout my rotation. He made sure I was out on time every day, gave me longer breaks when I felt stressed out, and made the most out of our time in the clinic so I could focus on studying and my personal life outside of MSR. I wouldn’t have wanted to do my final rotation as a student before going off into the real world anywhere else.
Jamal Adjamah, Student
In the summer of 2022, I had an incredible experience shadowing Dr. Ujjwal and his team for three months. I learned the rationale behind each component of an effective patient evaluation, several manual therapy techniques and a variety of tests used to assess common injuries.
What makes MSR different is the quality and continuity of care between providers. Patients reach their goals and providers offer clear explanations about why certain soft tissue manipulations or exercises are being performed and prescribed.
The culture at MSR is excellent—there’s plenty of camaraderie and no ego—which makes it a great place for students to learn.
Ryan Downing, DPT Marymount University 2023
I was lucky enough to begin my relationship with this team two years prior to my full-time experience; when I had the opportunity to return for my final rotation I jumped at the opportunity. Dr. Ujjwal puts an immense effort into preparing a thorough, structured, student program – beginning with a binder of robust educational material. Throughout the program, I was introduced to a treasure trove of additional material – by the end of the 12-week rotation my binder is as thick as one of my PT textbooks. That is a resource that I can take with me for life.
Furthermore, Dr. Ujjwal taught me the important distinction between being a therapist and being a clinician, the latter being a practitioner who can listen to what a patient needs, approach the patient’s problem from multiple angles, and have the knowledge to refer to other healthcare professionals when necessary. With this mindset, you are there to be a resource for the patient – and may only need to see them weekly, monthly, or whenever they need a check-up. Empowering people to adopt healthier habits facilitates a transformative experience for both the patient and clinician, something I saw first-hand while at MSR. After learning from Dr. Ujjwal, I feel confident that I can address many diagnoses, screen for red-flag pathology, and communicate with doctors in other fields of medicine to coordinate the best care for my patients.
Over the 12-week internship, I treated neuro patients, high-level athletes looking to return to sport, post-cancer, TMJ, chronic pain/chronic headaches, post-op, and vestibular patients – along with a wide variety of orthopedic overuse injuries. The patient population was spectacular, I am privileged to have served this community. People from all backgrounds and walks of life crossed through these doors and were welcome to share their stories. I feel like I made lifelong friends here at MSR and hope I was able to help make an impact along the way. Seeing the trust that patients had in Dr. Ujjwal inspired me. Patients, after having a good experience, would refer their friends and family. Friends would come together, seeing multiple generations of family members was a common occurrence, and people almost always had a smile on their faces.
Furthermore, the rest of the MSR team was phenomenal. Ayesha, Jennice, Dr. Danni, Dr. Bri, and the newest member Emma – each was so talented, inviting, and fun to be around. The culture was warm, professional, very fun, and always collaborative. Overall, I am so impressed at what they have accomplished at MSR and am absolutely grateful that I had the opportunity to begin my career here. Thank you!
Chris Cunningham, DPT Student
My clinical experience at MSR was a valuable chapter in my professional development. It challenged me, taught me vital skills, greatly increased my confidence, and helped me grow immensely as a physical therapist. Dr. Ujjwal teaches his students the same way he treats his patients, holistically.
I appreciated that it wasn’t only about the work and me conforming to the way he did things, which is how clinicians can be sometimes. He gives his students the space to critically think on their own and clinically reason through patient cases. Furthermore, he provides opportunities to read articles, watch videos, and research various topics related to patient care.
Dr. Ujjwal and the other clinicians create an environment not only conducive to learning but also fun and fulfilling. I have shared a lot of laughs/good times with everyone here and will sincerely miss MSR. Although challenging, I can honestly say I looked forward to coming into the clinic every day.
Christian Barnes PT, DPT, ACSM-EP Marymount University 2022
I had the distinct pleasure of having my last clinical internship at MSR in the summer of 2022. Dr. Ujjwal and his team are committed to excellence and they are extremely kind, compassionate, and understanding when it comes to teaching students.
The team also caters to how much you are willing to get out of the program, for example, Dr. Ujjwal knew that I was interested in sports and athletics, and he would consistently make it a priority to expose me to different sports as well as different schools of thought to better treat an athlete.
At MSR, the expectations and the progression is clear. Dr. Ujjwal outlines a distinct curriculum that is followed on a weekly basis. Dr. Ujjwal also carves out time in the weekly curriculum to go over any questions that a student may have from the previous week and he gives feedback about the student’s performance. Finally, Dr. Ujjwal and his team are great mentors – as an entrepreneur, he offers great insight into what it means to have a PT clinic and the challenges/ rewards for being an entrepreneur.
I learned so much in my last clinical experience – and I had a blast doing it! There hasn’t been a day of practice where I haven’t used what I learned from the team at MSR. Truly thankful for the experience and fully recommend trying to get a clinical affiliation here.
Josh Stallings – DPT George Washington University – 2024
I was placed at MSR for my final clinical rotation during my final year of PT school and was extremely happy with my overall experience. I gained a wide range of exposure to the typical musculoskeletal conditions that you would find at any other outpatient clinic but was also able to grow in my confidence and effectiveness in treating the more complex patient cases frequently referred to Dr. Ujjwal and his team. I was able to observe and learn from, then treat and manage, patients with chronic pain, fascial distortions, temporomandibular dysfunction, CRPS, fibromyalgia, trigeminal neuralgia, migraines, vertigo, and many other complex presentations. Dr. Ujjwal told me that his main goal for this clinical rotation was to ensure that there was not a single diagnosis or clinical presentation that I was not prepared to treat, and I feel that I have now attained that confidence.
A specific tool that helped me gain that confidence was unique to this rotation. Dr. Ujjwal specializes in a form of manual treatment and clinical reasoning called the Fascial Distortion Model (FDM). FDM is a new way of thinking that I have now seen and utilized as an effective tool and thought process to treat most cases, both complex and straightforward. The immediate effects of this treatment strategy are unparalleled by any other technique I had learned in school and would serve as a useful tool for any physical therapist’s toolbox. Even with this specialization in mind, Dr. Ujjwal emphasizes a holistic approach to patient care with a multimodal approach to management, clear of ideology biases. Other skills that I have seen great growth in from this experience are interpersonal skills, time management, documentation efficiency, and an improved understanding of our role as direct access clinicians (along with the responsibilities that come with that authority).
MSR includes a progressive learning module for students to grow as direct access primary healthcare clinicians. Through a progressive increase toward independence of a full patient caseload, researching articles and understanding current evidence, watching continuing education videos, and authoring papers to summarize teachings for future student use, I have gained a deep understanding of the outpatient rehab setting. Prior to taking part in my experience at MSR I had believed that the outpatient setting was too monotonous and repetitive to keep my interest, but following this experience I have found a revitalized drive to work in this setting in the future.
The clinic itself is a very supportive place. The entire team is welcoming, helpful, and shares the same passion for helping people. It is an environment that emphasizes teamwork, communication, and embraces sharing of ideas/thoughts. I would highly recommend this placement for any individual, ranging from pre-collegiate students looking to learn more about the profession to near graduate DPT students who may not have seen themselves in the outpatient setting. This rotation provides new insights, tools, and perspectives that keeps you interested and involved in learning from your first day until your last.
Ellie Casilino,
I really appreciated you focused on the individual patient and building relationships with each and every one. The notion that the patient will tell you where their pain is and that they are the experts of their own body, and your role as a PT is to listen, educated and support their goals is one I will carry with me. I also appreciated learning about the FDM technique, it was one I was not familiar with but that I will continue to research and learn more about it, as it was evident it helped many of your patients greatly.
Last, while I had 7 hours to think in the woods yesterday, I was reflecting on a lot of my shadowing experiences. I’ve not been in a clinic that focused so heavily on education as yours did, and I really value the time and energy you took to help teach me, provide educational resources as well as give me the opportunity to interact with patients. I really appreciated your perspective of the field of PT and it is evident that you are extremely knowledgeable about what makes a good PT and DPT student.
Caitlin Malia Yap – SPT, GWU 2024
As a DPT student at GW, I spent my 12 week clinical rotation at MSR with Dr. Ujjwal. While I was told this would be an outpatient sports experience, it was much more than that. Dr. Ujjwal really emphasizes a holistic approach to physical therapy, exposing his students to many avenues of patient care including: education, health and wellness, nutrition, sleep, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Yes, I spent time treating patients but time was also set aside for me to participate in continuing education courses, write articles for future students, and dive into evidence based practice. MSR really emphasizes the patient as a person and not just their injury or diagnosis, which is something I have noticed makes a difference in the patient experience.
This rotation really challenged me to be more open minded. While we learn a lot of information and techniques in school, that is not all that is out there. Dr. Ujjwal’s patient population was made up of athletes as well as more complex cases, such as people with persistent pain. His holistic and manual therapy techniques allow him to successfully treat people with decades of persistent pain, headaches, TMJ, and more. Three months ago I would not have told you I felt confident treating these conditions. However, with this experience I now do! I feel my time at MSR will set me apart from my peers as I enter the PT profession in the coming year. I am grateful for what I have learned and for the time I spent at MSR.