Leader in Defining Excellence of Neonatal Care Standards

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Leader in Defining Excellence of Neonatal Care Standards

Leader in Defining Excellence of Neonatal Care Standards

Pearls of Wisdom from the work and advocacy of Pattie Bondurant DNP, RN, ANLC, FAAN

Neonatal Care Expertise 

With over 30 years of experience in pediatrics and neonatal nursing, Pattie Bondurant DNP, RN, ANLC, FAAN has dedicated her career to advancing care for infants and young children hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Before transitioning to the NICU, she worked extensively as a clinical nurse specialist in developmental pediatrics, caring for children post-NICU discharge.  She then went on to dedicate several years to nursing leadership roles at top tier pediatric hospitals. Her leadership then extends beyond institutional settings, having played a pivotal role in a federally funded grant for transforming neonatal care as well as serving as a key stakeholder and nursing lead in the development and implementation of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) NICU Level of Care Verification Program. With a regional, national, and internal focus, Dr. Bondurant has committed her career to standardizing care for NICU patients while supporting families and healthcare leaders in optimizing outcomes for vulnerable infants. 

 Motivation for Advocacy 

As one of the nurses on the AAP Verification team with experience constructing care models across multiple NICUS, Dr. Bondurant recognized the need for nationally advocating for a more comprehensive approach to neonatal care. Her first-hand experience working with interdisciplinary teams fueled a deep commitment to advocating for this team approach, ensuring that specialists such as occupational and physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, social workers, and dieticians had a voice to contribute to optimal NICU care.  For decades, the traditional medical model has dominated NICU care, so Dr. Bondurant, along with her colleagues, have advocated for a more integrated, team-based approach to the newest neonatal care standards which recognize that comprehensive, collaborative care is critical to improving outcomes. 

Impact of Neonatal Therapy Certification 

Dr. Bondurant affirmed that neonatal therapy certification plays a pivotal role in codifying the structure and defined processes of neonatal therapists nationally. She shared that respected members of the neonatal care team value the role of neonatal therapists in their unit, and certification provides a clearer distinction to the contributions and practice of the neonatal therapist. This underscores the importance of certification- not just for validation but for establishing a clear framework for contributions. She believes this has helped solidify where therapists fit into the broader NICU care model, moving beyond anecdotal involvement to a more structured and process driven best practices. The certification ensures that the necessary care is provided effectively, collaboratively, and is clearly aligned with the therapy standards outlined for each NICU level of care.  Certification empowers neonatal therapists to advocate for their role both within their profession and across NICU teams. The certification provides clear guidance for neonatal therapist practice and reinforces their essential contribution as an integral member of the care team. Neonatal therapists contribute an element of balance to the care team through providing a holistic lens of care and gentleness to the developing infants and their caregivers as well as facilitating transition into early childhood once discharged from the NICU. 

Future of interdisciplinary collaboration in the NICU

Dr. Bondurant shared that the future of interdisciplinary collaboration in the NICU lies in ensuring that every infant receives the right care at the right time in the right place. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has long emphasized risk-appropriate and regionalized care, recognizing that having the right personnel in place directly impacts outcomes. Neonatal therapy certification is still in its early stages, but its potential impact on NICU standards is immense. As the certification process evolves, it will continue to shape the role of neonatal therapists, further integration of care models and standards. By strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration, neonatal therapy certification will help build a more structured, effective, and equitable system- one that truly meets the needs of the most vulnerable patients and their families. 

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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
“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
“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 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
“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
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
“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
Heidi Stubb
OT, CNT

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