At the end of Phase II On-Line Education, 100% of participants will pass all post-tests with a score of 80% or higher, showing their knowledge and ability to:
- Combine three neuroprotective, developmental, family-integrated care practices to minimize neonatal pain & stress and ensure trauma-informed care.
- Critique application of care practices provided in the NICU that optimize brain & sensory development and protect sleep in 3 different stages of development.
- Distinguish which touch, positioning or handling practices are appropriate for infants in different stages of development to support their physiological stability, alignment, movement and lymphatic flow.
- Modify care strategies in 3 high risk infant scenarios using the Neurodevelopmental CARE Umbrella to mitigate adverse infant outcomes and foster family-integrated care.
- Complete all On-Line Education through our training portal at your convenience in the comfort of your own home.
- The On-Line Education takes about 16 hours to complete and is self-paced with short webinars for ease of integration.
- The webinars include clinical videos, demonstrations, research reviews and lecture.
- Complete and pass (>80%) the 5 question test after each webinar with re-takes available.
- Complete within 4 months of registration and assure completion 10 days prior to attending NTMC Phase III: Hands-On Training
- Complete course evaluation
- Obtain contact hours for the On-Line Education (No partial credit is provided)
Phase II NTMC On-Line Education is available to you from the comfort of your own home, in an On-Demand format in short units to allow for full integration of information in your own timeframe. It must be completed prior to the Hands-On Training and takes ~16 hours to complete. You may re-watch and review as a maximum of 5 times to complete before the Hands-On Training.
Access NTMC Speakers’ Disclosures Here
Neuroprotective, Developmental, Family-Integrated Care CTC Principles & Practices
Kara Ann Waitzman, OTR/L, CNT, NTMTC & Kathi Randall, RN, MSN, CNS, NNP-BC, NTMNC
?? minutes| This presentation will provide the foundation for the Neonatal Touch & Massage Certification, which is rooted in evidence-based literature supporting neuroprotective, developmental, family-integrated care. NTMC principles and practices are shared which guide Infant-Driven Care by the nurse and therapist in their everyday strategies, decision-making and care practices. Handling, positioning, 2 person care, skin to skin holding and massage are just a few of the activities discussed.
Neurodevelopmental CARE Umbrella™ ☂️ in Daily NICU Care
Aune Hjartarson Nunn, OT Reg. (Ont), CNT, NTMTC, Rachel Harris, OTD, OTR/L, CNT, NTMTC, & Erin Springer, MOTR/L, CNT, NTMTC
22 minutes| This presentation will provide an introduction of the Neurodevelopmental CARE Umbrella™ with a focus on identifying infant and family strengths and vulnerabilities across the preterm and post term NICU journey and ways to positively impact their development. It delineates some of the key factors to foster the infant-parent relationship through compassionate, adaptive, and responsive care using NTMC principles and practices.
Parenting in the NICU: The NICU Roller Coaster
Sara Brandon, BSN, RN, NTMNC
65 minutes| The emotional roller coaster of the NICU if often terrifying and disorienting for parents. This presentation offers practical, evidence-based strategies for healthcare professionals to minimize the trauma experienced by families and babies, provide trauma-informed practices, and other developmental care activities to facilitate parent-infant attachment opportunities and build confidence and competence for optimal infant and family development.
CTC Team CARE: Bringing to Bedside/Principles & Practices
Melissa Bloomer SLP-CCC, NTMTC & Kathi Randall, RN, MSN, CNS, NNP-BC, NTMNC
12 minutes The Creative Therapy Consultant’s team will incorporate NTMC Principles & Practices into the framework of the Parent Roller Coaster content with up to date literature and a parent vignette to support the interventions and strategies provided within the Neurodevelopmental CARE Umbrella™ ☂️
A Trauma-Informed Approach to Infant and Family Care in the NICU Science, Soul & Skills
Mary Coughlin, MS, NNP-NCC-E
38 minutes| We all make meaning out of the world based on how the world makes us feel, beginning in infancy. These feelings create cellular memories mediated primarily by maternal caregiving experiences which influence hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity and effect the developmental trajectory of our lifelong health and wellbeing. Mitigating the iatrogenic psychological effects of medical care in the NICU and beyond is a moral and ethical imperative for quality healthcare delivery. This webinar, Theories, Conceptual Models and Praxis for a Trauma Informed Approach to Care, will ensure neonatal caregivers understand the concepts of infant medical traumatic stress and its association with alterations in brain growth and development. Additionally, the webinar highlights the biologic relevance of a trauma sensitive, developmentally aware approach to care in the NICU and beyond.
CTC Team CARE: Bringing to Bedside/Principles & Practices
Melissa Bloomer SLP-CCC, NTMTC & Kathi Randall, RN, MSN, CNS, NNP-BC, NTMNC
8 minutes The Creative Therapy Consultant’s team will incorporate NTMC Principles & Practices into the framework of the Trauma Informed Care content with up to date literature, infant and parent provided massage, 2 person caregiving, and interventions specific for infant’s in the Red Zone of the Neurodevelopmental CARE Umbrella™ ☂️
Brain and Sensory Development: Practice Applications within the Neurodevelopmental CARE Umbrella™ ☂️
Aune Hjartarson Nunn, OT Reg. (Ont), CNT, NTMTC and Elisabeth Zimmerman, RN, RNC, NTMNC ??
75 minutes| This presentation will review critical brain and sensory system development in the context of Neurodevelopmental CARE Umbrella™ ☂️. It will highlight tangible methods to adapt care practices, modulate the sensory environment, and support brain and sensory system development. Strategies to involve parents and caregivers will be integrated as a vital part of supporting brain development and empowering families during the NICU admission. This advanced level information will enable neonatal clinicians to be intentional in the care strategies and practices to optimize the short and long term outcomes for infants and families. ADD Promoting feeding in here, Melissa to do smell, taste (chemo sensory) and interoception and colostrum care and oral milk dips for feeding, etc.
Neonatal Skin & Touch: Implications for NICU Practice, Rachel Harris, OTD, OTR/L, CNT, NTMTC
72 minutes| Skin is our largest sensory organ that provides us a conduit for learning and tactile experiences. Touch is an essential part of human interaction, development and communication. Positive touch is critical to support an infant’s development and bonding with their parents. It is the first thing a parent wants to do when their baby is born: hold, touch, and comfort them. However, we know from working in the NICU that skin and touch is a complex matter for premature infants. In this webinar, we will discuss neonatal skin and tactile development, the influence of toxic chemical exposure during pregnancy and in the NICU, practical implications for caregiving in the NICU, and ways to best support parents in providing their infants with the positive, loving, and caring touch they both need to thrive.
Implications of Pain & Stress in the NICU and Beyond
Ginny McGill PT, DPT, CNT, NTMTC
74 minutes| Up-to-date analysis of the unique connection between pain and stress on the developing brain is provided through a lens of seeing each infant experience as a fingerprint on their brain that affects their short and long term development. Emphasis on specific caregiver roles to minimize and address pain and stress is shared through understanding the allostatic load, toxic stress, protection of sleep, positioning and handling techniques, and responsive care that buffers the stress response, provides co-regulation, and assures appropriate pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. Finally, the scientific acknowledgment of the unique role of parents through skin to skin holding, parent voice, and other activities that form secure attachment for better cognitive and language skills in toddlerhood is delineated.
CTC CARE: Bringing to Bedside with Rachel Harris, OTD, OTR/L, CNT, NTMTC & Bridgette Rillo, BSN, RNC-NIC, C-ELBW, NTMNC
8 minutes The Creative Therapy Consultant’s team will incorporate NTMC Principles & Practices into the framework of the Pain and Stress content with up to date literature, safeguarding sleep, use of massage to minimize stress and LOS, 2 person caregiving, and interventions specific for those recieving IVs or other painful procedures. HOLDING With COOLING article?
Musculoskeletal System: A Dynamic Systems Approach
Erin Springer, MOTR/L, CNT, NTMTC & Jennie Jacobs, PT, NTMTC
55 minutes| Anatomy of the bones and muscles is reviewed, including the cranium helping the learner understand the impact of plagiocephaly and other implications for development. Likewise, the presentation reviews the bones and muscles of the upper and lower extremities, with implications for positioning infants in the NICU to prevent shortening and deformation during the NICU stay.
- CTC Brining it to the Bedside: Positioning & Handling Techniques & Products
Rachel Harris, OTD, OTR/L, CNT, NTMTC
60 minutes| Positioning of the neonate effects their postural and neuromotor development as well as their current physiologic stability and sleep. In this module you will learn why the neonate is particularly susceptible to changes in their development due to positioning and how to optimize their function now and for the future through infant positioning and handling.
The Lymphatic System: Integrating Manual Edema Mobilization within the NICU, Holly Schifsky, OTR/L, CNT, NTMTC, CBIS
38 minutes| Medically complex and premature infants in the NICU can demonstrate fluctuations with excessive fluid in their extremities due to co-morbidities or genetic conditions. During this session, we will review the development of the lymphatic system, its role to allow infants the ability to obtain physiological stability, and positioning/handling interventions to maximize the ability of the integumentary system to support lymphatic flow. Discussion of therapeutic interventions and assessment of edema to determine critical reasoning for treatment planning with use of manual edema mobilization or complete lymphedema therapy.
PHASE III PREPARATION
Integration of Neurodevelopmental Positioning Products, Kara Ann Waitzman, OTR/L, CNT, NTMTC
47 minute| This presentation goes through common positioning products used in the NICU and provides tips for optimal use and precautions while using basic principles of flexion, containment, alignment and comfort. Positioning during bathing, skin to skin transfers and in prone, supine and sidelying are reviewed.
Foundation of the Listening Touch Massage, Melissa Bloomer, MA, CCC-SLP, NTMTC
47 minutes| Massage has a host of benefits such as decreased pain and stress, improved digestion and increased weight gain. This presentation provides introductory information about the Listening Touch Massage TM, which was exclusively designed for infants in the NICU and beyond. The touch-brain feedback loop, types of touch and massage, contraindications and benefits of massage are discussed, along with the overall goal to empower families to provide the Listening Touch Massage both in the NICU and after discharge.
Access NTMC Speakers’ Disclosures Here
Sara Brandon, RN, NTMNC
Sara has been a registered nurse at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital in their level IV NICU since March 2023. She received her Neonatal Touch & Massage Certification in February 2024. Before becoming a nurse, Sara earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and worked for a soccer club, developing curriculum for their youngest players. In 2011, Sara and her husband, Jon, spent 50 days in the NICU with their second child. Being a NICU parent before becoming a nurse has been foundational to Sara’s practice in the NICU. She believes in focusing care on the entire family through trauma-informed practices, shared decision-making, and involving families in every aspect. In her free time, Sara enjoys spending time with her husband and their four children. She loves knitting, reading, and gardening.
Mary Coughlin
Rachel Harris
Emily Hills, MSc, CNT, NIDCAP, IBCLC, NTMTC
Emily is a Clinical Specialist Neonatal Occupational Therapist at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. She is a certified neonatal therapist (CNT) and holds an MSc in Advanced Neonatal Studies from Southampton University. Emily is NIDCAP certified and lectures on the Family and Infant Neurodevelopmental Education (FINE) program across the UK. She is also a qualified lactation consultant and has completed NeonatalTouch & Massage Certification (NTMC). Additionally, she is a senior Brazelton trainer. Emily is a co-author and co-founder of Sensory Beginnings Ltd and is an Advanced Practitioner in Sensory Integration (SI).
Jennie Jacob, MSPT, CNT, NTMTC, CNBE-H
Jennie has been a pediatric physical therapist since 2000 and has worked in all areas of pediatric PT intervention throughout her career, including early intervention, center-based, outpatient, and inpatient settings. She began specializing in and focusing on NICU care in 2007. Jennie continues to work exclusively in the NICU and follow-up clinic at Banner University Medical Center-Tucson. Additionally, Jennie was part of the inaugural board for the Neonatal Therapist National Certification process and has served as clinical faculty for Arizona LEND since 2015. She is actively involved in NANT as both the PT clinical liaison and an Ignite Guidance Call Mentor and Guest Lecturer. Jennie is a Certified Neonatal Therapist, and she is also certified in Neonatal Touch & Massage and Babywearing Education. She enjoys lecturing on various neonatal topics. Jennie still finds passion in her daily work and continually looks forward to learning and expanding her knowledge.
Elizabeth Jeanson
Ginny McGill, PT, DPT, CNT, NTMTC
Ginny graduated from Creighton University with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2001. She has practiced in the NICU for 23 years at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Providence Alaska Children’s Hospital. She has earned certifications in Neonatal Therapy, Neonatal Touch & Massage, as well as wound care and lymphedema. Ginny teaches nationally and enjoys these opportunities to share her knowledge. She is grateful for the many babies, families and therapists she has had the privilege to learn from throughout her career. She lives in Anchorage, Alaska, with her family and dog, Finn, and enjoys traveling and exploring the outdoors, especially any water sport she can find.
Aune Nunn
Bridgette Rillo
Holly Schifsky, OTR/L, CNT, NTMTC, CBIS
Holly is an Occupational Therapist with 28 years of experience in pediatrics, including the past 20 years in a level IV NICU. She is a Certified Neonatal Therapist, Certified Neonatal Touch & Massage Therapist, Certified Brain Injury Therapist and actively participates in the National Association of Neonatal Therapists. Additionally, she completed a six-month mentorship in infant and child NDT. Holly has worked both in the NICU and NICU follow-up clinics to improve outcomes for the most complex premature and medically fragile term infants and their families. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of North Dakota in 1997. Her career has been dedicated to clinical care and advancing developmental practices for all members of the multidisciplinary team. Holly has presented at numerous regional and national conferences, including the National Association of Neonatal Therapists, the American Physical Therapy Combined Sections Meeting, the Audrey Harris Vision NICU conference, and the University of Minnesota NICU conference. She is a faculty member for Manual Edema Mobilization and Education Resources Inc. In 2018, she received the NANT Clinical Excellence Award.
Erin Springer
Course requirements for the Phase II NTMC On-Line Education includes > 80% test score following each webinar and completion of course evaluation. No partial credit is available and learners must register for NTMC to participate.
Physical Therapist CCUs
- This activity has been approved for 16.48 CCUs by the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners for PTs and PTAs.*
Occupational Therapist CEUs
- Creative Therapy Consultants is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development. PD activity approval ID# 11194. This distance learning independent training is offered at 1.66 CEUs, advanced level, Occupational Therapy Service Delivery. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA or indicate AOTA approval of a certification or other professional recognition.
- This PD activity is approved for 16.6 contact hours (1.66 CEUs).*
Speech Language Pathologist CEUs
- The Neonatal Touch & Massage Certification Phase II On-Line Education is offered for 1.6 ASHA CEUs (Advanced Level, Professional Area).*
* Partial credit for course will not be given.