Acute Care Physical Therapy Residency

UNCMC is a large academic teaching hospital. Our acute care staff consists of 100+ therapists who work collaboratively to provide the highest quality of care to our patients. 

Program Mission

The UNC Health Acute Care Physical Therapy Residency is dedicated to delivering exceptional mentorship and high-quality education to licensed physical therapists in the acute care setting, equipping them to meet the evolving health needs of North Carolina and beyond. Our program will empower residents to continuously improve their clinical practice, advance their skills as educators, and engage in professional development to positively impact patient outcomes. Residents emerge as highly skilled acute care clinicians who excel in the rehabilitation of patients and are forward-thinking leaders in the physical therapy profession.

Goals

1. Support continuous growth and relevance as a provider of high-level, post-graduate education for future acute care clinical specialists.

2. Demonstrate sustainability by maintaining accreditation, retaining faculty, and promoting resident recruitment

3. Contribute to residents' professional development as leaders in acute care physical therapy.

4. Expose residents to a wide range of patient populations and provide high quality, structured mentorship to support clinical development of acute care PT specialists.

5. Prepare residents to become autonomous acute care PTs, displaying excellence in evaluation, examination, intervention, and patient/caregiver education while integrating current evidence into clinical practice.

6. Demonstrate program sustainability through financial support, collaboration with system partners, and the availability of adequate resources.

Outcomes

  1. Participants will become autonomous, advanced acute care clinical specialists, displaying excellence in evaluation, examination, diagnosis, intervention, and patient/caregiver education while integrating current evidence into clinical practice.
  2. Participants will advance their teaching skills to students and peers, demonstrating the ability to integrate and translate clinical knowledge and evidence-based practice into verbal presentation.
  3. Participants will prove to be reflective learners who represent the physical therapy profession by upholding APTA core values, engaging in combined modules, and participating in multi-disciplinary rounds.
  4. Participants will demonstrate advanced skills in research and evidence-based practice, enabling them to contribute to their self-development through professional presentations.
  5. Participants will develop leadership skills to promote advocacy for self and the PT profession.
  6. Participants will exceed the clinical and didactic hour goals to align with the program’s goal of delivering exceptional mentorship, equipping residents to meet the evolving health needs of patients.

Program Structure

  • The program is a 55 week appointment starting September 7, 2026.
  • We are seeking ABPTRFE accreditation and have 1 position available

Curriculum

Combined modules:

  • Evidence Based Practice
  • Teaching and Learning
  • Leadership and Professional development
  • Clinical Reasoning
  • Wellness
  • Practice management

Acute care specific modules:

  • Neurology
  • Trauma-Orthopedics
  • Cardiopulmonary
  • General Medicine
  • Oncology

Additional activities:

  • Research/quality improvement project
  • Academic and clinical teaching opportunities
  • Journal clubs
  • Community Service

Salary, Tuition and Benefits

Residents are full-time employees (with competitive salary and benefits). Residents also receive Paid Time Off for vacation, sick and holiday time off from clinic work. There is no tuition associated with the program.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Applicants must be residents of the U.S. and have NC PT licensure prior to program start date.
  • Applicants must have clinical experience in the acute care setting either via completion of full time clinical experience and/or work experience.

Application

Applications for 2026-2027 will open October 1 through May 15th 5pm EST. Please email the following to clinicaledreq@unchealth.unc.edu

  • Resume/CV
  • 1 page essay answering the following questions:
    • Why do you want to do an acute care residency
    • Why do you want to do a residency at UNC Health
    • What are your short and long-term professional goals
  • Three letters of references sent directly by the reference to clinicaledreq@unchealth.unc.edu One letter should be from an academic faculty and one from a Clinical Instructor/Supervisor who has worked with you in the clinical setting

We will invite strong candidates for an on-site interview on Monday Friday May 29th, 2026.

Mentors and Faculty

Kristel MaesKristel Maes, PT, DPT, Program Director

Undergraduate school: KULeuven Belgium

Graduate school: KULeuven Belgium and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Professional interest: My clinical interest is spine. In my current position as Administrator of our post-graduate programs I have a passion for education and preparing the future generation of therapists.

Why I serve as a mentor: Research has shown that having a professional mentor is beneficial to advancing your career. From personal experience, I value the benefit of surrounding myself with others who can give me a different perspective on a patient case, problem or project. By serving as a mentor I hope to pass on my knowledge and support a resident’s professional growth.

Caitlin LaemmleCaitlin Laemmle, PT, DPT

Program Coordinator

Undergraduate school and Degree: : Penn State University, B.S. Kinesiology

Graduate school and Degree: Western Carolina University, DPT

Areas of Specialty Practice: Stroke, vestibular therapy

Why I serve as a mentor: I enjoy teaching and helping to develop improved clinical reasoning skills in the constantly changing environment of the acute care setting. I find it fulfilling that I can help guide the next generation of physical therapists toward their own professional goals, and I also find that mentoring has helped me become a better clinician through my collaboration with residents.

 

Caitlyn CrandallCaitlyn Crandall, PT, DPT, CCS, RYT

Undergraduate school: Russell Sage College

Graduate school: Sage Graduate School

Professional interest: My clinical and academic interests center on advanced cardiopulmonary physical therapy within the acute care setting, particularly in the cardiac ICU. I am passionate about early mobility in high-acuity populations, including patients with mechanical circulatory support, advanced heart failure, and complex hemodynamic instability. I am especially interested in the integration of standardized outcome measures into acute care practice to strengthen clinical decision-making, improve discharge prediction, and enhance documentation defensibility. Additionally, I am committed to advancing evidence-informed practice through clinical education, residency development, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Why I serve as a mentor: I serve as a mentor for the UNC Acute Care PT Residency because I am deeply committed to developing clinicians who are confident, evidence-driven, and capable of practicing at a high level in complex medical environments. My clinical focus in cardiology and critical care has reinforced the importance of strong physiologic reasoning, interdisciplinary communication, and thoughtful mobility progression in medically fragile populations. Acute care physical therapy — particularly within the cardiac ICU — requires more than task-based mobility. It demands an understanding of hemodynamics, mechanical circulatory support, respiratory management, and the broader trajectory of critical illness. I value mentorship as an opportunity to help residents build that foundation: to connect physiology with functional outcomes, to think systematically rather than reactively, and to advocate for safe, progressive mobility even in high-acuity settings. Serving as a mentor allows me to support residents as they grow into clinicians who are not only technically skilled, but also reflective, collaborative, and capable of advancing acute care practice.

 

Alison Malek Alison Malek PT, DPT

Undergraduate school: Wright State University

Graduate school: University of Cincinnati

Professional interest: Oncology

Why I serve as a mentor: To expand the knowledge and application of oncology rehabilitation

Hang Nguyen, DPT

Undergraduate school: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Graduate school: University of Illinois at Chicago

Professional interest: My professional interest is in critical care rehabilitation. Although I work in surgery/trauma, I firmly believe the integration of a comprehensive systems-based approach of neuro, cardiac, etc is essential to optimizing patient outcomes. I find the greatest fulfillment in my work when I am able to utilize my skills to help patients improve their mobility and regain a sense of their quality of life -- particularly during vulnerable phases of recovery in the critical care setting.

Why I serve as a mentor: I believe I am a strong clinician because of the exceptional, innovative mentors who have guided my development. Their willingness to share their expertise and commitment to providing the highest level of care shaped not only my clinical skills but also my approach to patient care and lifelong learning. I hope to pay that forward serving as a mentor and contributing, even in a small way, to the growth and confidence of future clinicians.

Michelle LeBlancMichelle LeBlanc, PT, DPT

Undergraduate school: UNC- Wilmington

Graduate school: East Carolina University

Professional interest: Adult Oncology

Why I serve as a mentor: To educate and support colleagues and advance Cancer Rehab programming.

 

Allison Driver PT

Undergraduate school: Russell Sage College

Graduate school: The Sage Colleges

Professional interest: Critical care - Adult

Why I serve as a mentor: I enjoy teaching didactic clinical information, problem solve and give mentees an opportunity to put new information into practice and a safe, accountable and encouraging way.

Eryn Daniel PT, DPT

Undergraduate school: University of Northern Colorado

Graduate school: Boston University

Professional interest: Critical Care

Why I serve as a mentor: To assist with educating the next generation

Rachel Hicks, PT, DPTRachel Hicks

Undergraduate school: UNC Chapel Hill

Graduate school: Campbell University DPT program

Professional interest: Acute Care, was most recently a clinical specialist in the Emergency Department and Observation Units

Why I serve as a mentor: I really enjoy mentoring new therapists to the nuisances of acute care. It's a dynamic environment and challenges therapists to critically think.

Questions

Reach out to Kristel Maes