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Kloosterman C1, Fernandez-Fernandez A2,3
1West Boca Medical Center, Rehabilitation Dept, Boca Raton, United States, 2Nova Southeastern University, Physical Therapy, Fort Lauderdale, United States, 3South Miami Hospital, Physical Therapy-NICU, South Miami, United States
Background: Medical advances in neonatology have led to redefining best practices in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), with an increased need for specialized personnel who can focus on the survival of premature infants and the long-term developmental outcomes of NICU graduates. Physical therapists (PTs), occupational therapists (OTs), and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are an integral part of the NICU team. The Neonatal Therapy National Certification Board (NTNCB) was created in 2014 with the purpose of developing an interdisciplinary certification to recognize NICU therapists who have neonatal expertise, and to define minimum levels of education and experience. The certification process opened to applicants worldwide in November 2016.
Purpose: The main purposes of this presentation are to outline the requirements for neonatal therapy certification, describe the characteristics of Certified Neonatal Therapists (CNTs), and create international awareness about the certification process to validate the experience and knowledge of therapists working with high-risk infants in the NICU.
Methods: Applicants were informed and agreed that the Board could use their certification information in aggregate form for descriptive analysis and program evaluation purposes. Records included geographical practice location, discipline, total years of practice and years in NICU, examination scores, other certifications, and continuing education. Data from May 2016 to July 2018 was analyzed with IBM SPSS 25 for descriptive statistics, and to explore relationships between examination scores and characteristics of CNTs.
Results: In the first 18 months, 196 therapists completed the certification process and are designated as CNTs. The majority practice in the USA (97.4%), whereas 5 practice in 3 other countries. Fifty-nine (30.1%) CNTs are PTs, 97 (49.5%) OTs, and 40 (20.4%) are SLPs. Their clinical experience ranges from 4-42 years, with an average of 20.4 (± 9.5) years; and their NICU experience ranges from 3-39 years, with an average of 13.8 (± 7.7) years. The average certification exam score was 94.4% (± 3.6%). Total number of years of experience was not significantly related to exam performance (p>0.05). CNTs claimed an average of 64.4 (±30.8) professional education hours within the previous 3 years, and 137 CNTs (70.0%) had at least one other certification.
Conclusion(s): The current cohort of CNTs represents a good mix of disciplines, years of experience, and educational background. The average certification exam score was high irrespective of applicant experience beyond the minimum certification requirements. Current CNTs predominantly practice in the USA, but the certification is open to applicants worldwide and provides value to the profession by recognizing therapists who can provide safe, effective, and evidence-based services to at-risk infants and their families.
Implications: Neonatal therapy has been recognized as an advanced practice area by US professional associations (APTA, AOTA, ASHA). The number of clinicians from all three disciplines that deliver direct and consultative services in the NICU has grown in the last 15 years. The neonatal therapy certification process aims to acknowledge and test the common interdisciplinary knowledge required to provide these therapy services. International growth of the certification will foster the creation of a worldwide community of qualified therapists.
Keywords: Neonatal Therapy, Certification, NICU
Funding acknowledgements: Unfunded
Purpose: The main purposes of this presentation are to outline the requirements for neonatal therapy certification, describe the characteristics of Certified Neonatal Therapists (CNTs), and create international awareness about the certification process to validate the experience and knowledge of therapists working with high-risk infants in the NICU.
Methods: Applicants were informed and agreed that the Board could use their certification information in aggregate form for descriptive analysis and program evaluation purposes. Records included geographical practice location, discipline, total years of practice and years in NICU, examination scores, other certifications, and continuing education. Data from May 2016 to July 2018 was analyzed with IBM SPSS 25 for descriptive statistics, and to explore relationships between examination scores and characteristics of CNTs.
Results: In the first 18 months, 196 therapists completed the certification process and are designated as CNTs. The majority practice in the USA (97.4%), whereas 5 practice in 3 other countries. Fifty-nine (30.1%) CNTs are PTs, 97 (49.5%) OTs, and 40 (20.4%) are SLPs. Their clinical experience ranges from 4-42 years, with an average of 20.4 (± 9.5) years; and their NICU experience ranges from 3-39 years, with an average of 13.8 (± 7.7) years. The average certification exam score was 94.4% (± 3.6%). Total number of years of experience was not significantly related to exam performance (p>0.05). CNTs claimed an average of 64.4 (±30.8) professional education hours within the previous 3 years, and 137 CNTs (70.0%) had at least one other certification.
Conclusion(s): The current cohort of CNTs represents a good mix of disciplines, years of experience, and educational background. The average certification exam score was high irrespective of applicant experience beyond the minimum certification requirements. Current CNTs predominantly practice in the USA, but the certification is open to applicants worldwide and provides value to the profession by recognizing therapists who can provide safe, effective, and evidence-based services to at-risk infants and their families.
Implications: Neonatal therapy has been recognized as an advanced practice area by US professional associations (APTA, AOTA, ASHA). The number of clinicians from all three disciplines that deliver direct and consultative services in the NICU has grown in the last 15 years. The neonatal therapy certification process aims to acknowledge and test the common interdisciplinary knowledge required to provide these therapy services. International growth of the certification will foster the creation of a worldwide community of qualified therapists.
Keywords: Neonatal Therapy, Certification, NICU
Funding acknowledgements: Unfunded
Topic: Paediatrics; Education: continuing professional development; Critical care
Ethics approval required: No
Institution: N/A
Ethics committee: N/A
Reason not required: Applicants were informed and agreed that the Board could use their certification information in aggregate form for descriptive analysis and program evaluation purposes. Reporting aggregate characteristics of certified neonatal therapists is within the scope of use of information agreed upon by each applicant.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
