Physical Therapist - Pediatric Neuromuscular Clinic

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:

Physical Therapy Out

Job Summary:

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.

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Physical Therapist - Pediatric Neuromuscular Clinic

Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt

Doctors' Office Tower & Children's Hospital Coverage | Nashville, TN

Discover Vanderbilt Health

Are you an experienced Pediatric Physical Therapist seeking the opportunity to build expertise in complex neuromuscular disorders while working alongside nationally recognized specialists?

Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt is seeking a skilled Pediatric Physical Therapist to join our multidisciplinary Pediatric Rehabilitation team. This role primarily supports specialty outpatient clinics in the Doctors' Office Tower, with occasional inpatient coverage opportunities at the children's hospital.

This position is ideal for a clinician who enjoys managing medically complex patients, collaborating across specialties, and serving as a trusted resource for children and families navigating lifelong conditions.

Why This Role Is Different

This is not a traditional pediatric therapy position. You'll work with children, adolescents, and young adults across a wide range of diagnoses while developing advanced expertise in pediatric neuromuscular care.

Highlights include:

• Specialty outpatient practice with occasional inpatient support
• Collaboration with pediatric neurologists, physiatrists, orthopedic specialists, and rehabilitation teams
• Exposure to complex neurological, developmental, orthopedic, and genetic conditions
• Opportunities to develop expertise in rare and progressive neuromuscular disorders
• Strong interdisciplinary partnerships focused on family-centered care
• A dynamic environment where clinical reasoning and advanced skills are valued

What You'll Do

As a Pediatric Physical Therapist, you will:

• Perform comprehensive evaluations and develop individualized plans of care
• Provide evidence-based interventions to improve mobility, strength, endurance, balance, gait, and functional independence
• Collaborate with physicians and multidisciplinary care teams to optimize outcomes
• Educate patients and caregivers regarding treatment strategies and home programs
• Recommend adaptive equipment, orthotics, and mobility devices
• Maintain timely clinical documentation
• Support care across multiple outpatient specialty clinics and occasional inpatient settings

Preferred Experience

We are particularly interested in experienced Pediatric Physical Therapists with clinical exposure to:

• Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)
• Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)
• Other neuromuscular disorders
• Cerebral palsy
• Spina bifida
• Developmental delay
• Genetic and congenital conditions
• Medically complex pediatric populations
• Mobility, gait, and balance disorders
• Seating, positioning, and adaptive equipment recommendations

Experience administering specialized assessments is strongly preferred, including:

• North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA)
• Performance of Upper Limb (PUL)
• Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale (HFMS)
• Infant Test of Neuromuscular Disorders (INTEND)

Therapists with related pediatric experience and a strong interest in learning specialized neuromuscular assessments are encouraged to apply.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate:

• Demonstrates advanced pediatric clinical reasoning skills
• Functions independently in complex clinical environments
• Enjoys collaborating with specialty teams
• Builds strong therapeutic relationships with patients and families
• Is adaptable, curious, and committed to lifelong learning
• Thrives in a fast-paced academic medical center

Required Qualifications

• Graduate of an accredited Physical Therapy program
• Tennessee Physical Therapist licensure or eligibility
• Current BLS certification or ability to obtain within established timeframe
• Strong communication, collaboration, and patient education skills
• Commitment to evidence-based, family-centered care

Why Vanderbilt Health?

At Vanderbilt Health, therapists are empowered to make a meaningful impact every day. You'll join a nationally recognized pediatric healthcare organization known for clinical excellence, innovation, collaboration, and compassionate care.

If you're looking for a Pediatric Physical Therapist opportunity that combines advanced clinical practice, neuromuscular specialization, and the chance to care for some of the region's most complex pediatric patients, we'd love to meet 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. 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.

Allied health is among the fastest growing occupations in healthcare today. This area can be defined as credentialed professionals who perform supportive, diagnostic, and therapeutic health care services to promote health and prevent disease in a variety of settings.

These areas are crucial to Vanderbilt Health’s reputation for excellence in these areas that has made us a major center for patient referrals from throughout the Mid-South.

Each year, people throughout Tennessee and the southeast choose Vanderbilt Health for their health care because of our leadership in medical science and our dedication to treating patients with dignity and compassion.

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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.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities:

Certifications:

LIC-Physical Therapy License - Tennessee

Work Experience:

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level :

1 year

Education:

Bachelor's

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.