NICU Physical Therapy Fellowship

The Duke Health NICU Physical Therapy Residency Program has been granted candidacy status through the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education

Our Mission

The mission of the Duke University Neonatal Physical Therapy Fellowship is to develop expert physical therapists who provide compassionate and family-centered care to preterm and medically fragile infants requiring intensive care through evidence-based practice, comprehensive clinical training, interdisciplinary collaboration, and structured mentorship. Our program is committed to graduate fellows who optimize and improve the quality of infants and their families lives, and who become leaders, advocates, and innovators in the treatment and developmental support of NICU patients.

What Makes Our Program Unique

Duke’s Neonatal Physical Therapy Fellowship is unique for several reasons. Perhaps the most important reason is the experience you will have with our multidisciplinary team. This includes the following:

• Interdisciplinary observations with Speech Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, social work, transitional care attending, Lactation Consultant, nurse practitioner and respiratory care practitioners in acute care
• Exposure to a variety of settings that encompass the continuum of care of neonates including a Level 4 NICU, Level 2 Special Care Nursery, Special Infant Care follow-up clinic for NICU graduates, and community based physical therapy through Early Intervention
• Experience with standardized assessments specifically for neonates and/or infants including, Generalized Movement Assessment (GMA), Hammersmith Infant Neurologic Examination (HINE), Neonatal Neurobehavioral Scale-2 (NNNS-2), Preemie Neuro, and Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES)

Highlights of Our Program

The first quarter will include a thorough and comprehensive overview of the full-term/preterm infant with high medical complexities and collaboration with your direct NICU multidisciplinary team. The fellow will then progress to younger gestational ages in the second quarter, including as young as 22- week gestation and the extremely low birth weight infants. The subsequent quarters, in addition to maintaining a caseload in the NICU, the fellow will follow-up with NICU graduates in the Special Infant Care Clinic and Early Intervention. During this time, communication with the interdisciplinary team will include the SICC fellows, attendings, social workers, nurse practitioners and lactation consultants.

Part of the fellow’s requirements throughout the year includes quarterly written quizzes, live patient examinations, case studies, presenting at Grand Rounds, collaboration on a competency, and submission at a national/ state conference.

In addition to didactic and clinical highlights, you will have opportunities with Duke DPT students through teaching in the classroom setting. You will also have access to Pediatric and Neonatal Grand Rounds, Developmental Rounds, Retinopathy of Prematurity Rounds, Developmental Committee, Vermont Oxford Network Committee, Safe Sleep Committee, and Neuro Intensive Care Nursery Meetings. There is also participation in weekly PT/OT Interdisciplinary meeting to collaborate patient care.

How to Apply

All applicants must have graduated from an accredited PT program and be licensed or eligible for licensure in North Carolina. Applicants must be Board Certified in Pediatrics (PCS), and/or have graduated from an ABPTRFE-accredited pediatric residency program. Pediatric acute care experience is preferred.

Please send the following documents in a single Zip folder to Duke’s Residency and Fellowship Director Michael Schmidt by January 2, 2026.

• 3 letters of reference
  • One from a clinical instructor
  • One from a professor or previous mentor
  • One from previous employer
• CV or resume and cover letter
• Academic transcripts
• APTA member highly suggested
• Completed written application