On April 12, 2024, the Neonatal Therapy Certification Board (NTCB)™ welcomed its 1000 th CNT™, Laura Franke. This comes 10 years after the birth of Neonatal Therapy Certification™ and just 8 years since the first CNT™ was announced in 2017. 

“Back when Neonatal Therapy Certification™ began, we did not even know if 1000 neonatal therapists existed. Now, 10 years later it is thrilling to see the expanding field, the number of therapists who have demonstrated they have the experience and knowledge to work in the high-risk NICU setting, and the focus on skilled and evidence-based practice! Cheers to all of the CNTs who have taken the steps toward certification or are in the process toward improved care for babies and families!”

—–Bobbi Pineda, PhD OTR/L, CNT

Ten years ago, Laura’s OT educational program barely mentioned the NICU as an option for OTs. However, she was immediately drawn to the NICU setting and eager to explore it further, taking every opportunity to focus on the NICU for classroom assignments while carving out her own learning path. Laura currently works at Albany Medical Center in New York, in a 60-bed Level IV NICU with a single-family room design. She started working in the NICU approximately one year after starting
employment at Albany Medical Center.

At the time, there was not an established therapy program, and the therapy team’s voice in NICU culture was limited. Over the last eight years she and her team have worked diligently to improve neonatal care services. Although their time is shared in other areas of the 760-bed hospital, the NICU therapy team now includes two CNTs, who help to ensure that infants admitted to the unit receive the same priority of care as other areas of the hospital. In addition to being a CNT™, Laura is also a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST), with advanced training in Special Healthcare Needs, and a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC).  Several events inspired Laura to become a CNT™, including her internal drive to be an advocate for infants and families, her frightening experience as a mother when her son had a short NICU stay, and the work that she did with her patient, Daisy. 

In the summer of 2023, Laura worked closely with a full-term baby named Daisy which reignited her passion and drive. When Daisy passed away from severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), Laura was left with both grief and a sense of purpose. Daisy inspired Laura to pursue her CNT™ to demonstrate the value of neonatal therapy and to gain the expertise and recognition that it entails. She was grateful for the chance to work with Daisy and will always cherish her memory as a source of inspiration for her practice. 

“Pursuing my CNT™ helped me develop the skills and confidence to enhance the care of patients and their families. The process of becoming a CNT™ has taught me the fundamentals of neonatal therapy and enhanced my understanding of my practice. I was especially interested in learning about swallowing and oral motor skills, which were new to me. I have also gained more confidence as a clinician through this process. Before, I was shy around family members, because I lacked confidence and had difficulty explaining my role in the NICU. However, this process has equipped me with so much foundational knowledge that I now enjoy collaborating with families and feel confident in my work. “

—-Laura Franke

We are grateful for the journey that Laura took to achieve her CNT™ and welcome her to the CNT community. Being the 1000 th CNT™ carries special meaning for her, for the NTCB, as well as for all CNTs. It is a fantastic milestone to remind us of the special value we have when serving the most vulnerable members of society, that we are not alone, and that expert neonatal therapy is not only here to stay, but is growing rapidly.

 “Being the 1000th CNT™ carries special meaning for me. This milestone will shine a light on the vital role that neonatal therapy plays at Albany Medical Center, highlighting our dedication and positive impact on our hospital’s smallest and most vulnerable patients along with defining the value in having dedicated NICU therapy services. I’m grateful for the chance to represent my team and our profession through this impactful recognition. “

—-Laura Franke


Please join us in celebrating the successes of the Neonatal Therapy Certification™
program and congratulating Laura Franke, our 1000 th CNT™.

                                                                                                                          

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

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