Recertification for Certified Neonatal Therapists™

• Recertification is required every 5 years.
• Recertification application cycles are bi-annual, either on January 1st through March 31st, or July 1st through September 30th , depending on when your certification expires. If your certification expiration is in the months of January through June, you will need to apply for recertification between January 1st and March 31st of that year. If your certification expiration is in the months of July through 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.
• Failure to recertify prior to the expiration date of the current certification period will result in inactive status. Those with inactive status who wish to become certified will initiate the process again, including submitting an application and taking the certification examination.
• Recertification applicants will submit documentation to support the requirements for recertification through their established applicant portal.

Recertification requirements:

1. Submission of current licensure/professional credential
2. Completion of a minimum of 2000 hours of NICU-related practice over the 5-year certification period, which may include:
   • Direct patient care in the NICU
   • Teaching or clinical instruction
   • Mentoring other neonatal therapists
   • Professional presentations (i.e. presentations to residents or nurses, conference presentations)
   • Research, quality improvement, and/or publication
   • NICU program development
   • Leadership/boards/advisory teams related to the NICU
   • Developing/training/testing new products for NICU infants, families and/or neonatal therapists
3. 60 hours of professional education related to NICU clinical practice over the 5 year certification period

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.

A recertification fee, currently $350, is required at the time the applicant completes his/her recertification application. This is the fee for either submitting practice and education hours or for retaking the examination.

You can access the recertification application by signing in using the same email you used when you originally applied for certification. Click the ‘recertification application’.  You will need to upload a copy of your updated CV (that lists all your NICU-related activities over the past 5 years), a photo, and copy of your current professional license, registration or credential. You will need certificates for courses you have taken, but will not have to upload them unless audited.  We anticipate the recertification application will take approximately 20 minutes, depending on how many entries you have. 

The Recertification Application consists of these steps.

Step 1:

Email address

Other email address (where you may receive email 5 years from now)

Name

Former/other names

Address

Country

Phone number

*Upload a picture (full face view photo taken within the past year)

*Upload Curriculum Vitae (updated to date of application with specific time dedicated to the NICU and activities performed in the NICU delineated and all other certifications held noted)

Step 2:

Current license number (or registration number)

State licensed in (or location of registration or location where the applicant works if graduation from an approved school is the credential required to practice)

Phone number of licensure board (or other organization that can verify credentialing)

Email of licensure board (or other organization that can be reached to verify credentialing)

Web address of the licensure board or other organization if they have an online public registry with a search function for currently credentialed therapists

Information about other licenses held in other states

Any additional circumstances that relate to credentialing if not already captured in other questions

Step 3:

*Upload copy of current license (registration or credential)

Step 4:

Indicate if you are applying for recertification by taking the exam or providing evidence of your experience and education over the past 5 years

Step 5:

If you are submitting evidence of your experience and education (not retaking the exam), identify the start and end dates of your NICU related experience and details about the organization, including type of organization, supervisor, and phone number/email

Step 6:

If you are submitting evidence of your experience and education (not retaking the exam), identify 60 hours of courses/conferences/webinars you have engaged in including, title, dates, course instructor, and website of course offering if available

Step 7:

Sign the legal statement and attestation

Sign with a digital signature

Step 8:

Pay the $350 recertification fee

(Optional) complete other metrics to help us track those who recertify (whether currently working in the NICU, what level, how many beds, discipline, how many years as a therapist, how many years practiced in NICU)

Review of the recertification application will take up to three months.