Pediatric Feeding Residency Program

The Pediatric Feeding Residency Program offered by Circle Therapy  is a unique one-year paid opportunity designed for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants looking to advance their knowledge and skills in pediatric feeding therapy. This residency offers a combination of clinical education (training, mentorship, co-treatment, research, etc), and hands-on clinical experience serving children, enabling clinicians to specialize in pediatric feeding within occupational therapy. 

Before beginning their clinical hours, residents must complete administrative, clinical and educational requirements during the early orientation period, which typically spans the first 2-3 weeks of their placement beginning. Residents will work a five-day week, with four full days per week dedicated to clinical work treating pediatric clients with a focus on feeding, eating and swallowing, and one full day per week focused on clinical education activities for their residency. These residency days are designed to enhance learning and experience in pediatric feeding through orientation, co-treatments, research, problem-solving, case studies, and projects. Residents are expected to log at least 950 clinical hours and 375 residency hours by the end of the year. Clinical hours are scheduled in the home or community settings typically. 

Upon successful completion of the residency, there may be an opportunity to continue working with Circle Therapy in a full-time capacity on an ongoing basis, with subsequent pay increase and opportunity to earn bonuses. Applications are competitive, with limited capacity to accommodate 1 residency position per placement. There are three placements that are open for applications at this time: a placement beginning November 11th, 2024, a placement beginning January 20th, 2025, anda placement beginning March 17th, 2025. No applicants will be considered past the deadline. See below for the application timelines and deadlines.

Benefits

• The residency is a paid salary position

• Paid time off (PTO)

• Mileage reimbursement

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance

• Approximately $2,000 worth of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) access focused on pediatric feeding evaluation and intervention in addition to their mentorship and hands-on training opportunities.

• A relocation stipend of up to $2,000 will be provided, split into $1,000 at the beginning and $1,000 at the end of the residency year.

Eligibility criteria

• Applicants must have graduated from an ACOTE-accredited program in occupational therapy or occupational therapy assistant.

• Applicants must hold an active license for the state of North Carolina and an active NBCOT certification, with no current disciplinary actions. If applicants do not hold an active license it is understood that they must meet these requirements before the frist date of their residency if accepted. 

• There is no prior clinical experience requirement; OT and OTA applicants may be newly graduated or have extensive experience. If you have a passion for pediatrics and feeding, you will be considered, provided you meet the other eligibility criteria.

• Applicants must be willing to relocate within a 30 minute driving distance from our offices in Thomasville, North Carolina for the one year period of their residency.

Application Timelines and Deadlines

Pediatric Feeding Residency Program Application

To download the application and view more information click the links below.

• Application

• Residency Information Sheet

Please submit your application, along with all the required attachments listed in the application, to Debb at debb@circletherapypeds.com. Thank you!