Physical Therapist - NICU

Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanderbilt Health's Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt seeks a Neonatal Physical Therapist to join our Level IV NICU team, caring for medically fragile newborns and premature infants in a nationally recognized pediatric hospital.

You’ll collaborate with neonatologists, nurses, PT/OT/SLP, and families to support developmental outcomes, participate in discharge planning, and advance evidence-based practice in a fast-paced, academic medical center environment.

Qualifications

• Graduate of an accredited Physical Therapy program.
• Current or eligible Tennessee Physical Therapy licensure.
• Minimum of 2 years of Physical Therapist experience.
• Pediatric, acute care, or neonatal experience.

Responsibilities

• Neurodevelopmental assessment and intervention.
• Positioning and developmental support.
• Feeding readiness collaboration with the care team.
• Family and caregiver education.
• Discharge planning and transition of care.
• Interdisciplinary treatment planning.
• Developmental outcomes monitoring.

Skills

Pediatric care

Neonatal care

Acute care

TN licensure (PT)

Education

Accredited Physical Therapy program

Job description

Discover Vanderbilt Health: With eight hospitals and over 180 clinics, we are the region’s largest comprehensive academic health system. Vanderbilt Health has a long tradition of providing world-class care to the people of the Mid-South, living out our mission of moving medicine forward through preeminent programs in patient care, education and research. Here you’ll find a spirit of collaboration and a supportive community where your expertise is valued, your knowledge expanded and your uniqueness celebrated. We are committed to fostering an environment where talented, compassionate people are united in bringing the most advanced care to our neighbors throughout the region.

Organization

MCJCHV Peds Rehab

Job Summary

Provides physical therapy services to patients who have impairments, functional limitations, disabilities, or changes in physical function and health status resulting from injury, disease or other causes under occasional guidance. Actively collaborates with the health care/educational team to meet patient care, outcomes and system improvement objectives.

Physical Therapist - NICU

Level IV NICU | Pediatric Acute Care | Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt

Nashville, Tennessee | Full-Time | Monday-Friday | No Weekends | No Call

Advance Your Career in Neonatal Physical Therapy

Vanderbilt Health is seeking an experienced Physical Therapist with NICU experience to join our growing neonatal therapy team at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, home to one of the nation's leading Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU).

This is an exciting opportunity for a Neonatal Physical Therapist, Pediatric Physical Therapist, or Acute Care Physical Therapist looking to practice at the highest level while caring for medically fragile infants in a nationally recognized children’s hospital.

As a member of our multidisciplinary NICU team, you’ll collaborate with neonatologists, nursing, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, respiratory therapists, lactation specialists, and families to support developmental outcomes for premature and critically ill newborns.

Why Vanderbilt Children’s?

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is consistently recognized among the nation's leading pediatric hospitals and serves as a regional referral center for the most complex neonatal and pediatric patients.

What Makes This Opportunity Unique?

• Practice in a Level IV NICU with approximately 130 NICU beds
• Join a dedicated NICU therapy team serving one of the Southeast's largest neonatal populations
• Treat highly specialized neonatal diagnoses and medically complex infants
• Participate in a collaborative, family-centered care model
• Exposure to advanced neonatal interventions and developmental care practices
• Opportunity to collaborate across NICU and pediatric acute care settings
• Academic medical center environment with strong support for professional growth and continuing education
• Work alongside experienced NICU PT, OT, and SLP clinicians
• No weekends or call requirements

About The Role

The NICU Physical Therapist provides evidence-based evaluation and treatment services for premature infants, medically fragile newborns, and high-risk neonatal patients.

• Neurodevelopmental assessment and intervention
• Positioning and developmental support
• Feeding readiness collaboration with the care team
• Family and caregiver education
• Discharge planning and transition of care
• Interdisciplinary treatment planning
• Developmental outcomes monitoring

Schedule

• Full-Time
• Monday-Friday
• Flexible start times
• 8-hour shifts
• No weekends
• No call
• Annual holiday rotation schedule

Minimum Qualifications

• Graduate of an accredited Physical Therapy program
• Current or eligible Tennessee Physical Therapy licensure
• Minimum of 2 years of Physical Therapist experience
• Pediatric, acute care, or neonatal experience

Preferred

• NICU Physical Therapy experience
• 3-5+ years of clinical experience
• Experience in a Level III or Level IV NICU
• Developmental care training
• Experience treating medically fragile infants

The Ideal Candidate

• Passionate about neonatal and pediatric care
• Strong collaborators in multidisciplinary settings
• Family-centered in their approach
• Comfortable working with medically complex patients
• Adaptable in a fast-paced pediatric hospital environment
• Committed to evidence-based practice and continuous learning

About Pediatric Rehabilitation At Vanderbilt

• Neonatal Intensive Care
• Acute Care Pediatrics
• Neurology
• Trauma
• Orthopedics
• Complex Medical Care

Key Responsibilities

• Analyzes comprehensive information from formal and informal assessment that is pertinent to the patient’s care and management to determine a rehabilitation treatment diagnosis.
• Collaborates with stakeholders in establishing the plan of care, coordinates and implements care delivery while anticipating patient care needs across the rehabilitation continuum.
• Applies appropriate, evidence-based interventions to ensure effective outcomes and re-evaluates performance to assess patient’s progress towards goals.
• Employs strategies to promote successful return to home, community, and school/vocational environments.
• The responsibilities listed are a general overview of the position and additional duties may be assigned.

Technical Capabilities

• Treatment Planning & Goal Setting (Novice): Demonstrates sufficient proficiency in developing a plan of care that incorporates treatment interventions focused on meeting objective goals. Develops and documents patient focused short and long term goals that are functional and measurable. Identifies the need for and referral to other services, as needed.
• Rehabilitation Therapist Patient Evaluation (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in evaluating patients with physical deficits including impairments, developmental disabilities, functional limitations, disabilities, or changes in physical function by obtaining information pertinent to the assessment and administering and scoring standardized tests and objective measures of deficit areas. Selects appropriate measures and performs a functional assessment to document patient’s status requiring skilled therapy. Interprets the results of the assessment and their significance to the patient, family, referring physician and other members of the health care team.
• Treatment Implementation (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in providing treatment consistent with physician prescription and established plan of care. Able to modify treatment plan as needed to demonstrate provision of skilled therapy services including progression of treatment throughout course of care, and revision of treatment interventions of goals not met. May supervise and direct certified athletic trainers (PT only), physical therapist / occupational therapist assistants, technicians and volunteers and students. Selects and follows correct protocol for care and utilize evidence based treatments. Has completed at least one year of clinical experience in treatment implementation.
• Rehab Therapist Patient Documentation (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in documentation practices. Documents in the appropriate templates and utilizes only approved abbreviations within patient documentation. Meets institutional standards for quality and timeliness of documentation.
• Physical/Occupational Therapist Patient Education (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in communicating functional impact of assessment findings, treatment interventions, treatment planning diagnosis, and disease process. Considers the communication needs/level of understanding of audience and may share appropriate information/literature. May supervise, educate and train students from professional programs of physical therapy, occupational therapy and athletic training.

Core Accountabilities

Organizational Impact: Executes job responsibilities with the understanding of how output would affect and impact other areas related to own job area/team with occasional guidance. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Analyzes moderately complex problems using technical experience and judgment. Breadth of Knowledge: Has expanded knowledge gained through experience within a professional area. Team Interaction: Provides informal guidance and support to team members.

Core Capabilities

Supporting Colleagues: - Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas. - Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships. - Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one’s own communication style to suit different situations and audiences. Delivering Excellent Services: - Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them. - Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions. - Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly. - Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring. Managing Resources Effectively: - Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure. - Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area. - Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities. Fostering Innovation: - Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches. - Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges. - Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Work Experience

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level

1 year

Education

Bachelor's

Certifications

LIC-Physical Therapy License - Tennessee

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth.

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.