Student experiences in the neonatal intensive care unit: addendum to neonatal physical therapy competencies and...

To describe the appropriate experience for entry-level physical therapist students in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Care for infants in the NICU represents a subspecialty within pediatric physical therapy delivered in a very complex environment. Recommendations for designing student educational experiences related to the NICU are provided.

Supervised observation is the appropriate level of NICU experience for physical therapy students. Observation in the NICU cannot be used to demonstrate entry-level clinical competency defined as managing 100% patient caseload in the setting. Additional closely supervised experiences with older, less fragile infants and children in neonatal follow-up clinics and pediatric wards can provide opportunities for entry-level physical therapist students interested in pediatrics to participate in examination and intervention with young children.