NTCB Spotlight: Amanda Broadhurst

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NTCB Spotlight: Amanda Broadhurst

“A premature baby may look tiny and fragile to touch, but don’t underestimate the courage, strength, and determination of a baby born too soon.” This quote, written by an unknown author, could be about Amanda Broadhurst who is originally from Newark, Delaware. Years after Amanda required NICU care as an infant, she returned to the NICU as an occupational therapist and recently obtained the Certified Neonatal Therapist (CNT) credential. Below is the story of Amanda’s journey to become a CNT.

Amanda is a former preemie born 32-33 weeks gestation, and her hospital course was complicated by aspiration pneumonia. Despite her parents being told that she did not have a good prognosis, Amanda persevered and thrived. She was discharged home after several weeks. Her mother continues to verbalize the emotions ofhaving a baby in the NICU today, which makes her empathize with parents that start in their role as parent within the NICU setting.

Fast forward to 2000, Amanda became an occupational therapist. Initially she worked in hospital acute care, adult rehabilitation, and adult outpatient brain injury, which diversified her expertise as a clinician. She then transitioned to pediatrics in 2001, working in early intervention and outpatient. In 2002, she began practicing as a neonatal therapist in a private, non-profit hospital. Her initial practice as a neonatal therapist was in the very NICU that was founded by her own NICU doctor in 1977. There, she built expertise in the pediatric department, in the NICU, and in early intervention,

which also included completing early intervention eligibility assessments for the State of Delaware. She split her time between NICU and other areas, spending an average of 12 to 20 hours in the NICU each week for the past 18 years. When asked, “Why was becoming a neonatal therapist important for you?” Amanda answered, “working in the NICU is my favorite part of my job… I love being able to make such an impact on these vulnerable little premature babies, as well as their families.”

Amanda has now moved to Arlington, Virginia. Her zip code may have changed, but her passion for neonatal therapy has not. She has not yet begun practicing occupational therapy in Virginia, however continues to travel back to Delaware to work per diem. She hopes to find a NICU position in her current city once the pandemic is over and she can return to work.

Becoming a skilled OT in the NICU is not where Amanda’s learning journey ended.  She aspired to elevate her level of practice by pursuing her credentialing as a CNT. Becoming a CNT was a natural next step, as she has always been inspired by the learning process and is driven by a desire to provide better care for fragile infants in the NICU and their families through the most relevant and evidence-based methods and research. Amanda recognizes the value of certification. Becoming a CNT validated her skills and knowledge in the eyes of the occupational therapy profession, her NICU colleagues, and most importantly her clients and their families. It also improved her ability to serve the infants and families in the NICU within her community. Her favorite part of being a CNT is having opportunities to make an impact on vulnerable premature babies, as well as their families.

We are thrilled to have Amanda as part of the CNT community and extend appreciation to all therapists who have committed to making a difference in the lives of high-risk babies and families.

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Testimonials

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

“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
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 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
“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
Heidi Stubb
OT, 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
“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
“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
“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

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