Pediatric Clinical Residency Certificate

The Pediatric Physical Therapy Clinical Residency Program was established to prepare licensed physical therapists with advanced knowledge and clinical practice skills in the specialty areas of pediatric physical therapy. During this one-year program, the residents are employed by clinical sites, manage a full time patient load and receive four hours a week of mentoring from a board certified pediatric physical therapist. Residents also complete over 100 contact hours of didactic learning in the area of Pediatrics at the University. The residency program is in the candidacy process through the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education, a branch of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

The mission of this residency program is to prepare licensed physical therapists with advanced knowledge and clinical practice skills in the specialty area of pediatric physical therapy. Further, the program will enhance clinical reasoning skills, provide experience in teaching and presenting, reinforce use of best evidence in practice, and facilitate life-long learning.

Program Goals 

The clinical residency program will:

1. Provide an advanced and comprehensive curriculum of accredited residency education in the specialty area of pediatric physical therapy.
2. Provide residents clinical practice experiences by qualified clinical faculty and other health care professionals specializing in pediatrics.
3. Provide an environment for residents to apply evidence to clinical practice and contribute to scholarship in the area of pediatric physical therapy. 
4. 4Ensure sufficient resources for residency education to accomplish its mission, goals, and outcomes.
5. Be recognized regionally for resident and graduate achievement in pediatric physical therapy. 
6. Will conduct ongoing evaluations of program members for effectiveness and continuous improvement of residency education.

Educational Objectives: 

The resident graduate will demonstrate the following at the level of a clinical specialist in pediatrics:

1. Demonstrate advanced pediatric physical therapy patient management skills, emphasizing patient safety, intervention effectiveness and efficiency.
2. Possess highly effective interpersonal patient management skills to include compassion, written and verbal communication skills, objectivity, and an ability to address issues related to diversity (includes lifespan, gender, culture and ethnicity).
3. Demonstrate the ability to teach in patient care, community and educational settings.
4. Possess sound clinical reasoning skills and a commitment to lifelong learning.
5. Display a high level of professionalism regarding patient care, community and educational settings.
6. Be a health care practitioner capable of providing a point of entry into the health care system utilizing advanced medical screening.
7. Implement best available evidence in patient care and teaching.
8. Demonstrate personal and professional development that enhances their life and lives of others
9. Be positioned to be leaders in pediatric physical therapy field.

This program is offered as an elective to graduates of the St. Ambrose professional DPT program. See DPT department for more details. Current students are encouraged to review additional program information provided on the department’s website and in the Clinical Residency Program Student Handbook.

Requirements for Pediatric Clinical Residency Certificate