Pediatric Physical Therapy Residency

The Johns Hopkins Hospital and the George Washington University pediatric residency aims to help therapists build a strong foundation and gain clinical experience through clinical exposure and direct patient care across the pediatric continuum. This includes the acute care environment, pediatric rehabilitation, school system, early intervention and outpatient services. Residents enjoy a personalized, didactic program and are expected to participate in scholarly activities. Graduates become clinical experts capable of providing comprehensive, world-class physical therapy for pediatric patients, and have the knowledge and experience to positively impact the field of pediatric physical therapy throughout their career.

Duration: 12.5 months
Accreditation: ABPTRFE Accredited
Apply through RF-PTCAS 
Application deadline: January 20, 2025
Admission decision: Early March
Program start: Mid-August
Prerequisites: applicant must be a graduate from an accredited physical therapy program (new graduates are accepted), hold a valid Maryland physical therapist license or be eligible to obtain one, hold a current CPR certification through the American Heart Association and be eligible to work in the United States without visa sponsorship by the PMR department.
Number of graduates: 10 graduates since 2016
Completion rate: 100%
Specialty exam pass rate: 100%
View program flyer | View financial fact sheet

 

Please click the pay application link to pay the supplementary application fee. Application will not be processed until the fee is received and application is complete. All fees are non-refundable.

Participating in residency was the best decision of my career! The exposure to different clinical practice areas, diagnoses, research and more, combined with expert mentorship, is something that really can’t be replicated. It is a year full of hard work, but it has shaped my clinical reasoning and helped form me into a competent and confident pediatric physical therapist.

Julie Miller, class of 2021

Program Features

  • One-on-one mentoring
  • Face-to-face academic teaching experience at the George Washington University in the spring semester
  • A variety of multidisciplinary learning experiences
  • Active participation in a quality improvement project
  • Opportunity to participate in at least 1 annual conference
  • Opportunity to participate in community service projects/camps

Program Completion Requirements

To successfully complete the residency, the resident must achieve/complete the following:

  • Live Patient Examinations
  • Graduation milestone on the Residency Competency Evaluation Instrument
  • Written Examination
  • Skill Competency Testing
  • Program Evaluations
  • Patient Health Conditions Chart
  • Site Objectives
  • Professional Portfolio
  • Classroom and laboratory Instruction
  • Assigned Scholarly Activities
  • International Classification of Function forms
  • Residency and Fellowship Consortium Modules

Residency Program Director

Hallie Lenker, PT, DPT

Hallie Lenker

Program Coordinator

Alex Parra, PT, DPT, PCS
headshot of Alex Parra

Current Residents | Class of 2025

Alexandra Hultstrom, PT, DPT

She/her/hers

Undergraduate school: Furman University, bachelor's of science in health sciences
Graduate school: Duke University School of Medicine, doctorate in physical therapy
Hometown: Woodstock, Georgia
Professional interests: pediatric cardiac care, developmental delay, NICU/PICU, medically complex infants, adaptive equipment
Why I chose Johns Hopkins: I chose Johns Hopkins due to numerous of opportunities to work with medically complex infants and learn from expert mentors. Additionally, I wanted the ability to collaborate and participate in interdisciplinary care to improve patient outcomes. Finally, I chose this program due to the opportunity to participate in research and teaching opportunities at GWU.

Headshot of Alexandra Hultstrom

Jazmyn Watson, PT, DPT

She/her/hers

Undergraduate school: Ohio University, bachelor's of science in exercise physiology
Graduate school: Ohio University, doctorate in physical therapy
Hometown: Sugar Grove, Ohio
Professional interests: cerebral palsy, genetic conditions, acute care, developmental delay, medically complex infants and children
Why I chose Johns Hopkins: I chose Johns Hopkins for the opportunity to provide exceptional evidence-based care to patients with a variety of needs through the continuum of pediatric practice while having one-on-one mentoring. In addition to the clinical experiences, participating in an assortment of didactic experiences while teaching at George Washington University also drew me to this program. I am looking forward to working with the interdisciplinary team and learning from diverse perspectives to provide holistic and high-quality care to all patients.

Headshot of Jazmyn Watson

Program Alumni

Logo of ABPTRFE accredited program