Applications accepted beginning November 1

CINCINNATI, OH, USA, October 26, 2016 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Neonatal Therapy National Certification Board (NTNCB), an organization created to provide certification to neonatal occupational therapists (OT), physical therapists (PT) and speech language pathologists (SLP), has announced a new certification program.

In the United States, approximately 500,000 infants are born prematurely each year. Still more are born full term, but incur conditions that require care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at birth. Preterm infants, as well as those with congenital, cardiac, and neurological conditions, have a heightened risk of developmental challenges that can continue throughout childhood. OTs, PTs and SLPs are vital to infants in the NICU, providing early assessment and intervention in addition to educating and supporting families and collaborating with the medical team. It is the complex environment of the NICU, as well as the infant’s vulnerability and fragility, which requires therapists to have advanced knowledge and skill in order to practice in the NICU.

Until now there has not been an interdisciplinary certification and recognition for neonatal therapy to assure the consumer, medical team and family that a therapist has the necessary skills to provide safe, effective and evidence-based interventions for the high-risk infant in the NICU.

The certification process will improve the field of neonatal therapy by ensuring that those who are certified have met minimum standards for safe practice as an OT, PT, or SLP in the NICU.

To qualify for consideration, applicants must have been a credentialed professional for a minimum of 3 years, have 3500 hours of clinical experience in the NICU and 40 hours of professional education related to the NICU, and participated in specialized mentoring.

"The certification process could potentially improve services that infants and their families receive by ensuring that advanced training has occurred," said NTNCB Chair Bobbi Pineda, PhD, OTR/L. "This can translate to safe, evidenced based, efficacious treatments for high risk infants, so they can go on to lead productive and fulfilling lives."

To submit an application and for more information visit https://www.ntncb.com. Submissions will be accepted beginning November 1st.

Bobbi Pineda
Neonatal Therapy National Certification Board
866-999-5524
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