NTCB International Scholarship Program

We are thrilled to introduce the Neonatal Therapy Certification Board’s® (NTCB™) inaugural international scholarship program. This scholarship initiative aims to promote health equity, diverse representation, and access to quality care worldwide by supporting passionate and experienced neonatal therapists (OT, PT, and SLP) in NICUs from 2024 World Bank designated upper-middle, lower-middle, or low-income countries (World Bank Country and Lending Groups), who are on the path to becoming Certified Neonatal Therapists®. 

Key Dates:

  • Application Period: January 15th, 2025-February 17th, 2025

  • Announcement of Successful Applicants: March 14th, 2025

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants must:

  • Reside and work in a country designated as a 2024 World Bank upper middle, lower middle, or low income country.  Applicants must not reside or work in a country that the United States has established economic sanctions and embargo programs with. It is the applicant’s responsibility to know if they are legally eligible to apply. 
  • Demonstrate passion and experience working with infants and families in the NICU.
  • Align with the NTCB’s mission to advance inter-professional neonatal therapy practice through evidence-based certification standards.
  • Able to meet the criteria for application during the spring 2025 application cycle: https://neonataltherapycertification.com/certification/application/certification-requirements/
  • Have completed at least 35 out of the 40 hours of education required for application and will complete the 40 by the time of application 
  • Meet the certification mentorship requirements 
  • Can test in English

Scholarship Details:

  • Number of Scholarships: Two scholarships will be offered during the spring 2025application cycle.
  • Benefits: Waived Neonatal Therapy Certification™ application & exam fees.
  • Application Link: Opens on January 15th 2025
  •  

This scholarship program represents an incredible opportunity for NICU professionals to gain recognition and further their expertise through the Certified Neonatal Therapist ® (CNT™) certification program. 

We would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our sponsors, the National Association of Neonatal Therapists, Dr. Brown’s Medical, Parapharma Tech, Innara/Cardinal Health, Foundation for Premature Infants, and Education Resources Incorporated, for their support and generosity in making this scholarship program possible.

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Testimonials

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

“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
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
Heidi Stubb
OT, CNT
Vanessa Nimon
PT, 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
“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
“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 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
“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 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 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

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