Program Mission

 

The mission of the Northwestern Medicine Acute Care Physical Therapy Residency is to develop physical therapists with highly specialized skills in the rehabilitation of the medically complex acute care patient. Residents and faculty will seek to improve the health of our local community and the knowledge of our professional colleagues by fostering a culture of quality education and research to encourage excellence of practice, science-based clinical reasoning, and lifelong learning.

 

Program Features

The Northwestern Medicine Acute Care Physical Therapy Residency is an intensive 12 month program beginning in August of each year.

• Clinical Care: Resident will spend 1,500+ hours evaluating and treating patients at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the No. 1 hospital in Illinois and a top 10 hospital in the nation, as rated by U.S. News & World Report for 2022-23. Service area rotations include: cardiopulmonary/cardiothoracic surgery, emergency department, general surgery, general medicine, orthopedics, neurosciences/neurosurgery, obstetrics, and oncology.
• Education: Resident will partake in service line/patient population-specific didactic content, as well as on-site and external/online program educational opportunities. Residents will also have the opportunity to assist with teaching DPT courses at Northwestern University Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences. Northwestern University has one of the largest physical therapy schools in the U.S., and is ranked No. 4 nationwide, according to U.S. News & World Report.
• Mentorship: Resident will receive three to four hours per week of one-on-one direct faculty mentorship with formal evaluation and documentation.

Program Objectives

• Residents complete education, clinical training, and mentorship that reflect our hospital’s Analysis of Acute Care PT Practice to prepare them to obtain ABPTS board certification as clinical specialists in acute care physical therapy as soon as it becomes available.
• Residents will demonstrate advanced, efficient, and effective skills in acute care PT practice with a variety of patient populations and conditions consistent with our hospital’s Analysis of Acute Care PT Practice (and DRP when it becomes available).
• Residents will demonstrate specialist-level knowledge and clinical reasoning so that examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, interventions, and outcome decisions are consistently based on the three pillars of evidence-based practice.
• Residents will develop advanced skills as educators to share knowledge and best evidence in acute care practice with patients, caregivers, students, colleagues, and interdisciplinary partners.
• Residents will demonstrate skills in research and quality improvement methodology through exposure to a variety of projects and participation in a project related to acute care physical therapy.
• Residency graduates will contribute to the growth and development of acute care physical therapy within Northwestern Medicine and the broader society.

Please download the residency information packet (PDF) below for more information. The packet is updated annually prior to the opening of the application cycle.

NM Acute Care Residency Information Packet

Additional information can be found at: Northwestern Medicine Acute Care Physical Therapy Residency: Physical Therapy & Human Movement Sciences: Feinberg School of Medicine: Northwestern University

Program Outcomes

Northwestern Medicine Acute Care Residency—Outcomes
	Cohort Year
	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23
# of Residents Admitted	2	2	2
# of Residents Graduated	2	2
% who graduated	100%	100%