Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Services | Pediatric Physical Therapy Residency Program

Boston Children’s Hospital is one of the largest pediatric hospitals in the United States and a major teaching facility of Harvard Medical School. BCH is a comprehensive medical center for pediatric and adolescent health care, dedicated to excellence in patient care, teaching, and research. As a resident you will have access to all department resources, which include highly qualified and experienced clinicians and faculty, extensive didactic experiences, teaching, and research opportunities.

The mission of Boston Children’s Hospital Pediatric Physical Therapy Residency Program is to provide licensed physical therapists who have a strong interest in pediatrics. The residency provides an opportunity for an advanced, intensive clinical and didactic training, with strong mentoring in order to become a clinician, researcher, and educator of choice with a pediatric specialization.

Program goals:

1. graduate physical therapists from the residency that are prepared to pursue ABPTS certification in pediatric physical therapy
2. provide opportunities to critically review evidence-based literature and to contribute to this body of knowledge
3. provide opportunities to engage in different models of service delivery in pediatric physical therapy
4. prepare the resident to contribute to the profession through teaching
5. consistently support the professional development and personal growth of the resident at all sites

Admission criteria:

• graduate of accredited physical therapy program
• one year of experience as a physical therapist with the equivalent of at least six months in pediatrics, or one year of experience with an extended clinical pediatric internship of six months
• meets all the requirements for employment at Boston Children’s Hospital
• licensed or eligible for licensure in Massachusetts
• current CPR certification
• admissions process
• submit completed RF-PTCAS application by deadline: https://portal.rfptcas.org/
• on-site interview required for final candidates

Highlights of the program include:

• residency financial fact sheet
• physical therapy faculty includes 15 pediatric certified specialists, one orthopedic certified specialist, and one neurologic certified specialist
• shared faculty with Boston Children's Hospital Occupational Therapy Residency Program, including two board-certified pediatric specialists
• full-time benefited employee of Boston Children's Hospital
• participate in Boston Children's Hospital Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Program (LEND) as a fellow
• combined experiences with Boston Children's Hospital Occupational Therapy resident
• shared didactic experiences with Harvard Medical School residency programs (Orthopedic, Neurology, Pain, Medicine)
• teaching assistant as part of the department’s educational opportunities at area PT program
• chronic pediatric pain module at the Mayo Family Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Center at our Waltham campus
• participate in multidisciplinary clinics
• participate in research

Program outcomes:

• program completion rate: 100 percent
• number of residency years: 11
• number of graduates: 11
• number of LEND Fellows (since 2018): 6
• Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Pediatric Physical Therapy (PCS) exam pass rate: 89 percent
• program retention at Boston Children's after graduation: 90 percent

Next cycle to begin August 2024

Application deadline for 2025 start date: Dec. 31, 2024

Inquiries should be directed to:

Heather Molind, PT, DPT, PCS, ATC
Director, Pediatric Physical Therapy Residency
Site Coordinator of Clinical Education

Department of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Services
Boston Children's Hospital
300 Longwood Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
Phone: 617-355-7212
Fax: 617-730-0151
Email: heather.molind@childrens.harvard.edu