Pediatric Residency

Qualified applicants MUST meet one of the following:

• Hold a current PT license in the state of Colorado.
• Hold licensure in another state and be willing to apply for licensure by endorsement in Colorado within 5 days of accepting the position.
• Be eligible to take the NPTE no later than April 2025 and receive a passing score.

In addition to meeting the above, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• Applicants must have graduated from a fully-accredited DPT program in the US or Canada, or be on-track to graduate by June 2025 (note: criteria above about licensure must also be met for any new graduate).
• All applications for the 2025-2026 Residency experience must be submitted through RF-PTCAS (common application system). Applications must be complete and submitted to RF-PTCAS by January 1, 2025. All applications must be verified in RF-PTCAS by January 15, 2025 to be considered for an interview and to move forward in the process. Since the verification process can take longer than two weeks, we suggest that serious applicants have their full application submitted much earlier than the stated deadline.         
  • Complete application via RF-PTCAS - Review the RF-PTCAS datasheet for our program. While completing your application via RF-PTCAS, also adhere to all the supplemental application requests related to this residency program.
  • Your RF-PTCAS Application will not be made available to the University of Colorado Pediatric Physical Therapy Program until after you submit your completed application and pay the RF-PTCAS Application Fee. Please plan to submit all components of your application well ahead of the due date as RF-PTCAS will need time to process your application.
• Pay the University of Colorado Pediatric Physical Therapy Program Supplemental Application fee. Instructions for payment will be in the RF-PTCAS instructions.
• All complete and verified applications will be reviewed by a committee, and invitations to complete an initial interview using Zoom (computer audio and video) will be issued in January 2025 to the top pool of candidates. These Zoom interviews will be conducted in late January 2025 and a second virtual and/or onsite interview may occur in February 2025. Additional information will be provided later. Our program is participates in a Match process, which is an uniform system by which pediatric residency applicants and pediatric residency programs simultaneously “match” to fill residency positions. The Match process follows the principle that programs rank all of their applicants they interview, and applicants rank the programs they have interviewed with. Match results will be shared with participating programs on an established date in early March. This date will be shared with applicants once our program has been notified of it.

The Program follows University policies to facilitate equal opportunity and nondiscrimination for faculty, staff and prospective/enrolled students, by following policies of the Office of Equity and the Regent's laws and Policies, Article 10, nondiscrimination.
University Strategic Priority

The University of Colorado Pediatric Residency Program is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities for all residents, including those with disabilities (e.g., mental health, attentional, learning, chronic health, sensory, or physical) who meet the technical standards of the program, with or without reasonable accommodations.

• 12 Residency Program graduates (100% graduation rate)
• 10 Residency Program graduates passed PCS exam on first attempt (100% first time pass rate)
• All Residency Program graduates are working in pediatric physical therapy – many in specialized facilities
• Many Residency Program graduates have assumed leadership roles in their clinical settings and within APTA
• Many Residency Program graduates are involved in teaching DPT students and several serve as clinical mentors in the residency program

Pediatric Residency Learning Outcomes

1. Residents will demonstrate advanced skills as direct service providers and/or consultants in a variety of practice settings with a variety of patient populations as delineated in the current Pediatric DSP and DRP.
2. Residents will demonstrate preparedness to sit for and successfully pass the ABPTS pediatric clinical specialist certification examination.
3. Residents will contribute to the profession of physical therapy, and the larger healthcare community, through leadership, evidence-based practice, teaching, and service.

• Clinical mentoring for development of pediatric physical therapy clinical skills in multiple settings
• Participation on multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams
• Experiences in an array of pediatric settings including Children’s Hospital Colorado (inpatient and outpatient), Cherry Creek School District, Denver RISE School, ENRICH early intervention program, and Therapies of Hope and/or Adam’s Camp
• Focus on teamwork, collaboration, and Maternal Child Health (MCH) leadership competencies
• Graduate courses (~ 10 credits) with an interdisciplinary group of LEND Fellows focused on working with individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities and autism and their families
• Pediatric-related didactic courses sponsored by the APPT Residency and Fellowship Consortium
• Teaching experiences in the DPT Program
• Paid stipend of approximately $61,000/year plus benefits as a full-time employee of the University of Colorado

This Residency Program uses a block system to organize and focus the clinical component. Some of the clinical settings continue across more than one block, for example: Early Intervention and School-based, while other clinical settings are focused within a specific block (eg, inpatient acute care and rehab). In addition to these ongoing clinical components, research and teaching are threaded into the modules at various points depending on opportunities and resident interest. The blocks are focused around:

1. Outpatient Services (early intervention, school-based, and outpatient clinic)
2. Inpatient services (hospital-based acute care and rehab)

Click here for sample schedules for each block. Please be aware that these may be subject to change. It is assumed that the Resident will have a lunch break around the noon hour every day, though this is not explicitly shown on the weekly sample schedules.

Throughout the Residency Program, the Resident will receive mentorship via

1. Direct observation of Resident by mentor during patient care (a minimum of 150 hours total) and
2. Case discussion and review. The Residency Director, PCS faculty member(s), and other clinical Residency faculty members will provide these forms of mentorship. 

• JFK Partners core curriculum classes: The Resident will attend JFK Partners core curriculum classes every Tuesday with other LEND trainees following a typical academic fall and spring semester schedule. In July, the Resident will participate in the Leadership class.
• APPT Residency and Fellowship Consortium Didactic Courses: The Resident will complete specific pediatric-related didactic courses offered only to pediatric residency/fellowship programs through the Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy over the course of the year. Each course will include asynchronous and synchronous content, with the Resident creating a knowledge translation plan at the end that they can share with their mentors and program directors as they begin to apply the information in their clinical settings.
• Early Intervention: The Resident will carry ~20% FTE early intervention caseload (4-5 patients) throughout the entire 13-month program. The Resident will also attend weekly ENRICH team meetings on Tuesday mornings.
• School-Based: The Resident will spend one day per week in the Cherry Creek School District during the school year (mid-August to end of May) and half a day per week at the Rise School of Denver from the end of August through December.
• Outpatient: The Resident will provide outpatient services at Children's Hospital Colorado Therapy Care-Highlands Ranch one day per week from August through April.
• Inpatient: The Resident will begin observing and orienting to the inpatient setting in late April or early May, and will be responsible for a caseload of patients on inpatient rehab and inpatient acute care throughout June and July. 
• Therapies for Hope, Adam’s Camp, and Other Clinical Experiences: The Resident will provide clinical services during one or more sessions of Therapies for Hope or Adam's Camp. The Resident may observe/participate in a variety of specialty clinics and the NICU at the Children’s Hospital Colorado. The Resident may participate in faculty directed research and conduct other projects as established in individual plans with the Residency Director.
• Teaching Experience: The Resident will be a lab instructor in one or more entry-level DPT courses and may assist in other courses.
• Mentoring: The Program Director will meet with the Resident at least 1 hour/month. This time may include direct observation of the Resident, case discussion, or addressing other clinical or program activities or concerns. Residency Clinical Mentors will directly observe the Resident during patient care at least 3-4 hours/month. Additional mentoring will occur in all clinical settings on a regular basis.
• Independent Study: Independent Study time is included in the schedule for each module and varies with clinic schedules and other commitments. This time will be used by the Resident for: working on independent or group projects, completing homework for JFK Partners core curriculum LEND courses, attending in-services, or participating in self-directed learning on pertinent topics related to patient care, pediatric physical therapy, healthcare topics, etc.
• Professional Development: The Resident will have many opportunities to engage in professional development through on-campus Grand Rounds, conferences and workshops co-sponsored by JFK Partners, LEND Webinars, journal clubs, Colorado PSIG meetings and more.