Physical Therapist - NICU

Vanderbilt University Medical Center; United States; On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanderbilt Health is seeking an experienced Neonatal Physical Therapist to join the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital NICU team.

You will provide evidence-based evaluation and treatment for premature and high-risk infants within a Level IV NICU, collaborating with neonatologists, nurses, OT, SLP, and families to support developmental outcomes. Ideal candidates have 2+ years in pediatric, acute, or neonatal PT, licensure in Tennessee, and a commitment to family-centered care in a leading

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.

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.

Skills

NICU experience

Pediatric care

Team collaboration

Evidence-based practice

Education

Physical Therapy degree

Job description

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. Working within a highly specialized interdisciplinary environment, you’ll focus on:

• 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-FridayFlexible start times 8-hour shiftsNo weekendsNo callAnnual 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

Our Pediatric Rehabilitation team provides comprehensive therapy services across neonatal and pediatric populations, including:

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

This is an opportunity to join a close-knit, highly specialized team where therapists play a critical role in improving outcomes for some of the most vulnerable patients we serve. If you’re ready to advance your NICU Physical Therapy career in a nationally recognized pediatric hospital, we’d love to connect with you.

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. Consider 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 Capabilities

• Academically rich: supports development of self and others
• Builds and maintains relationships
• Communicates effectively
• Serves others with compassion
• Solve complex problems
• Opens meaningful advice and support
• Ensures high quality: performs excellent work
• Ensures continuous improvement
• Fulfills safety and regulatory requirements
• Managing resources effectively: demonstrates accountability, stewardship, data-driven decisions
• Fostering innovation: applies technology, adapts to change

Position Qualifications: Certifications

LIC-Physical Therapy License - Tennessee

Work Experience

Relevant Work Experience Experience Level : 1 year Education: Bachelor's

Benefits

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. PEOPLE ARE AT THE HEART OF ALL WE DO. Great health care takes great people. We’re looking for like-minded individuals driven to make a difference. We invite you to explore careers at Vanderbilt Health, where we value collaboration, embrace continuous learning and foster an environment where everyone can thrive. We’re the largest private employer in Middle Tennessee, with a growing team and an expanding footprint across towns and communities throughout the region. We employ more than 43,000 people who work in inpatient and outpatient clinical care, research and graduate medical education.

Our employees also serve in critical supporting roles in administration, information technology and informatics, finance, legal and community affairs, communications and marketing, fundraising, groundskeeping and facilities, and many other departments. Our growing academic health system has more than 2,100 licensed hospital beds at eight hospitals: Vanderbilt University Hospital Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Vanderbilt Health is the Mid-South's largest provider of specialty care, with hundreds of outpatient clinic and surgical locations throughout the region, and Tennessee’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center for adults and children. We are one of the nation’s busiest critical care centers, home to Middle Tennessee’s only Level 1 Trauma Center and Burn Center for adults and children, and Middle Tennessee’s only Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. We are the nation’s largest transplant center, and last year we performed the most heart transplants than any center worldwide. Vanderbilt Health is an epicenter for biomedical research, winning over $1 billion in annual research awards from government, industry, foundations and donors. We are also a national leader in medical training and education, with the largest clinical training center in the Mid-South and the only training center in Tennessee for many adult and pediatric specialties. We’re honored to be consistently considered among the nation’s best hospitals for quality, safety and patient satisfaction. Three of our hospitals - Vanderbilt University Hospital, Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital and Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital - have been awarded a Five-Star Quality Rating from Medicare. We support each other and encourage excellence among every member of our workforce. High-achieving employees stay at Vanderbilt Health for professional growth opportunities, competitive compensation and benefits, and a sense of community and purpose. Join us in advancing health care. Our vision: The world leader in advancing personalized health Our mission: Personalizing the patient experience through our caring spirit and distinctive capabilities