Physical Therapy Residency Program
The Northwestern Medicine Acute Care Physical Therapy Residency is a collaborative program of Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences. Our residency program prepares residents to care for medically complex acute care patients, and the program includes clinical care in a variety of service lines, educational opportunities, and one-on-one mentorship with a Northwestern Medicine faculty member.
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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 a year-long program (52 weeks), beginning on August 26, 2020.
- 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 2019-20. Service areas include: cardiopulmonary, emergency department, general surgery, medicine, orthopedics, neurosciences, obstetrics, and oncology.
- Education: Resident will partake in service/patient population-specific didactic content, as well as on-site and external/online educational opportunities. Residents will also have opportunities 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 it’s ranked 6th nationwide, according to U.S. News & World Report for 2019-20.
- Mentorship: Resident will receive three hours/week of one-on-one direct faculty mentorship with formal evaluation and documentation.
Program Outcomes
- 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.
Application Process
Admission Requirements
- Degree, licensure: Current licensure in good standing or eligibility for licensure as a physical therapist in the State of Illinois. Active licensure in Illinois is required prior to the start date.
- Proof of certification/membership: Current Basic Cardiac Lift Support (BLS) certification and proof of current APTA membership
- Academic/professional history: Transcripts from accredited physical therapy program and current curriculum vitae
- Letters of recommendation (2): Preferred—one letter of recommendation from a clinical instructor from an acute care clinical rotation
- Additional requirements: Personal statement, three professional references, meet criteria for employment at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and demonstrate characteristics of a team player with high standards of professional behavior.
Inquiry Form
Candidates who are interested in the Northwestern Medicine Acute Care Physical Therapy Residency Program should fill out our inquiry form. A member of our team will reach out to you directly with additional information about our program.
ABPTRFE has granted Northwestern Medicine's Acute Care Residency Program candidacy status. Candidacy status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation. Achieving candidacy status is not an indication that ABPTRFE will grant initial accreditation. Participants who graduate from a program in candidacy status are not deemed to have completed an accredited program.