Recertification

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Recertification
  • Those who fulfill the requirements of neonatal therapy certification™ will earn the credentials of Certified Neonatal Therapist™ CNT™. Certification is valid for 5 years.
  • CNTs must apply for recertification prior to expiration of CNT™ designation. CNTs seeking recertification must demonstrate professional credentialing, have accrued 2000 NICU-related practice hours, and obtained 60 hours of NICU-related professional education within the 5-year period of certification. A recertification fee, currently $350, must also be submitted. Examination is not required for recertification for those who submit 2000 NICU-related practice hours and 60 hours of professional education related to NICU clinical practice.
    Retaking the certification exam is an option for those who do not submit 2000 NICU-related practice hours and 60 hours of professional NICU-related education.
    Click here to read more about recertification.
  • Credentials for recertification require a professional license if that is what is required for practice in your location (as in the US) OR a professional credential for international CNTs who do not require a license to practice in their location.
  • Recertification application cycles are bi-annual, January 1st-March 31st and July 1st-September 30th , depending on when your certification expires. 

If your certification expires January-June, you will need to apply for recertification between January 1st and March 31st of that year. If your certification expires July-December, you will need to apply for recertification between July 1st and September 30th of that year. 

Expiration dates will be moved to bi-annual dates of June 30th or December 31st.

  • Your certification will remain valid until you hear back from the NTCB provided you applied during the corresponding application period.
  • There are two pathways for recertification, clinical hours and education or retaking the exam. The clinical hours and education option includes NICU-related hours. Please see Recertification Requirements for more information.
  • The NTCB will notify you within 90 days of your application.
  • You can update your contact information by logging into your NTCB profile.
  • If you are planning to return to NICU or NICU-related practice at any point in the future, you should maintain your CNT™. Retired status is only for those who are retiring and do not anticipate returning to NICU or NICU-related practice at any point in the future.
 
 
  • Yes, you are only eligible to apply for CNT™-Retired if your status is current.
 
 

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Testimonials

See what others have to say about their experience with us!

“The process of preparing for the neonatal therapy certification exam was as beneficial as taking the examination because of the knowledge gained. The resource list is invaluable and I refer to it almost daily.”
Lauren Adams
PT, PCS, CNT
“I feel like I come to the NICU with a wider breadth of knowledge and appreciation for all the aspects of developmental care.”
Julie Ecclestone
MA, CCC-SLP, CNT
“I pursued the Certified Neonatal Therapist Certification because working with infants in the NICU is a passion of mine. It has grown exponentially through the years and I felt the time was right to prove to myself, my team, and my management staff that I had the skills and competency to lead in the NICU.”
Cameron Harris
OTR/L, NTMTC, CNT
“I have spent many days fighting for respect and proving myself to other professionals in the NICU. Earning the title of Certified Neonatal Therapist has helped minimize that fight.”
Casey Manning
M.S. CCC-SLP, CNT, NTMTC
“I was so worried that I would fail the exam (and be embarrassed) that I did not tell my boss I was taking it. Then I took it and found out right away that I aced the exam.It helped me be more confident in myself as a clinician. Reading the literature that was provided was great in helping me prepare and helped me understand what parts of my practice are evidence based.”
Ruth Wilkerson
OTR, CLC, NTMC, CNT
Vanessa Nimon
PT, CNT
Before the exam:
“The Neonatal Therapy Certification process has made me a more well rounded developmental care specialist. It has forced me to step out of my feeding/dysphagia bubble and I have been able to apply my new knowledge every time I interact with a baby and their caregivers.”

After the exam:
“The test was a challenging yet fair representation of what an advanced NICU therapist should know. I strongly encourage every NICU therapist to pursue certification. You owe it to your patients to be the best therapist you can be!”
Chelsea Moss
MA, CCC-SLP, IBCLC, CNT
“As a new therapist, I was passionate about achieving certification to demonstrate competence and promote our profession as an advanced area of practice. Following extensive mentorship in the NICU, and after meeting the minimum requirements for certification, I became a certified neonatal therapist! I am thrilled to be a part of a growing profession who now has a successful pathway for developing competency that will continue to establish our profession as an essential component of NICU care.”
Lisa Olsen
OTDR/L, CNT
“As a speech pathologist in the NICU, I was initially hesitant to become a CNT because I thought it would be more geared towards OT/PT studies. What I learned in my journey towards the certification is that everyone who comes in contact with an infant in the NICU benefits from the complex knowledge of neuro development. A different mindset, apart from simply “safe feeding” engulfed my daily practice. My OT coworker (and also CNT) and I began to tag-team ways to incorporate gentle, kind touch into each interaction with the infants. Often our efforts “rubbed off” on other coworkers and parents. My feeding skills have been enhanced by my all-in focus when encountering each baby. It’s not just safe feeding with no aspiration, it’s enjoyable experiences at each feeding time, whether bottle feeding or tube feeding. It’s preventing severe oral aversions in complex cases instead of undoing negative feeding experiences for years to come. I am a better therapist because of my studies to become a CNT.”
Cynthia Armstrong
M.S., CCC-SLP, BCS-S, CNT
“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to become a Certified Neonatal Therapist (CNT) in 2018, through the Neonatal Therapy Certification Board (NTCB).I believe this qualification is very relevant to practice in the United Kingdom (UK) as it helps raise the profile of neonatal therapy and also promotes a core knowledge base and practice. I truly believe that all neonatal therapists should have the same theory and knowledge base when working with this high-risk population, their intervention and level of involvement for each patient may well be slightly different. The certification process requires collaborative working. I am extremely fortunate in my setting to have a speech and language therapist who was prepared to relentlessly ask me questions on neonatal feeding, until she felt I was competent enough to the take the exam. I hope that more neonatal therapists in the UK consider taking this examination, the more people who talk about neonatal therapy, the louder our voices will be. I hope that one day every family and their baby who enter the neonatal unit continue to have access to good medical and nursing care, but also have access to all neonatal therapy; occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy. I hope that every therapy discipline has the credentials to highlight their specialty and knowledge and that no family is asked to choose between receiving occupational therapy or physiotherapy or speech and language therapy again. I believe that becoming certified in neonatal therapy is definitely a step in the right direction.”
Emily Hills
OT, MSc, CNT, NTMC
Heidi Stubb
OT, CNT

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