In-person course for Pediatric Therapists. Complete both days for 15 Contact Hours (1.5 CEUs)
August 15 and 16, 2025
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Center/Hamilton Hall
Columbus, OH
8:00 am
EARLY BIRD RATE!
Register by July 5, 2025 to receive $20 off your registration. Enter coupon code EARLYBIRD20 at checkout to receive the discount. Must be used at time of registration.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This intermediate-advanced course will focus on the cardiopulmonary implications for the premature or medically-complex infant as related to physiological stability, evolving motor control, sensory stability, and transition to oral motor skills that support feeding. It will focus on advancing the critical reasoning skills of the neonatal therapist to support the infant’s ability to obtain foundational motor and sensory skills. These skills include the ability of the infant to cough, produce audible phonation, oral motor skills, swallow skills, trunk facilitation, gestational age-appropriate positioning/handling to support the emergence of gross motor skills for postural stability. You will learn movement analysis skills (via lab time and video presentations) to assess breathing patterns, facilitation techniques to support trunk development, positioning strategies to support chest wall development, and feeding techniques to maximize postural control. We will discuss current literature as relevant to this topic and apply a systems theory approach for case study treatment planning.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Integrate chest wall movement assessment and treatment strategies to maximize infant outcomes
- Utilize developmental positioning and handling interventions to reduce chest wall deformities
- Assess the effects of invasive and non-invasive pulmonary support to the facial and oral structures as related to non-nutritive sucking and oral feeding progression
- Incorporate postural support with positioning and handling of infants for improved chest wall mobility during oral feeding
- Choose an appropriate individualized care plan for an infant with compromised cardiopulmonary systems, using a systems approach
AUDIENCE:
This course is recommended for intermediate to advanced neonatal therapists, PTs, PTAs, OTs, OTAs, and SLPs working with infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
PARTICIPANT REQUIREMENT:
In order to maximize the learning experience during lab time, each participant needs to bring a soft body doll. The ideal size would be 10-15”, but any soft body doll will work.
Holly Schifsky, OTR/L, CNT, NTMTC, CBIS, has worked in pediatrics for the past 28 years with the past 17 years in a level IV NICU. She is a Certified Neonatal Therapist, Certified Neonatal Touch and Massage Therapist, Certified Brain Injury therapist, a member of National Association of Neonatal Therapists, and has completed 6-month mentorship in infant/child NDT.
She has worked within the NICU and NICU follow-up clinic to maximize patient and family outcomes for the most complex premature and medically-fragile term infants. Holly received her BS in OT from the University of North Dakota. She is a faculty member for the Neonatal Touch and Massage certification; and Manuel Edema Mobilization training. She is the recipient of the National Association of Neonatal Therapists Clinical Excellence award in 2018, due to her clinical expertise and dedication to advancing the therapeutic interventions for NICU infants with cardiopulmonary conditions.
Financial Disclosures: Holly Schifsky receives a speaking fee when she teaches for ERI.
Non-Financial Disclosures: Holly Schifsky has no relevant nonfinancial relationships to disclose.
Amazing course! I thought this course was robust and built on foundational concepts incredibly well to translate into function. Holly is a gifted teacher and presenter, clearly very knowledgeable and up to date on current research that she integrates into her patient care. This population is so fragile and I feel like I now have a much more solid foundation and more real tools to integrate into my treatments with infants. -Carly S., OTR
As a new therapist to the NICU, I was not confident in my knowledge of specific ways I could actually have an effect on premie development other than neuro protection and positioning. With Holly's course, you get the foundational knowledge and examples of specific techniques to help premies in their development to affect their breathing patterns, oral motor skills, and more. It is a course chock full of information and demonstrations! You get so much more than you expect from it! -Laura T., OTR
Holly is a walking medical encyclopedia. Her immense knowledge blew me away! She shows you practical techniques that you can put into your daily treatment the minute you return to the clinic. I love that she explains why she is doing a specific technique, or stimulating a certain muscle group; and what you want to see as a result of the facilitation. Makes so much sense when you view it that way. Definitely how the brain of a skilled therapist works! A must course for every CNT or Neonatal Therapist. I only wish I learned these techniques 17 years ago! -Gail L., OTR/CNT/CEIM
VENUE ADDRESS
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center - Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Center/Hamilton Hall Room 280
1645 Neil Ave.
Columbus, OH 43210-1218
Directions
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This course meets the criteria for 15 contact hours (1.5 CEUs) Intermediate Level.
Education Resources Inc. is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development. Course approval ID#87030. This Distance Learning-Interactive course is offered at 15 contact hours 1.5 CEUs. (Intermediate level, OT Service Delivery). AOTA does not endorse specific course content, products, or clinical procedures.
This course can be used toward your NBCOT renewal requirements for 15 units.
Approved provider of the FL Board of Occupational Therapy-CE Broker – 18 hrs. This course meets the approval of the TX Board of OT Examiners.
ASHA CE Provider (Intermediate level) 1.5 ASHA CEUs. ASHA CE Provider approval and use of the Brand Block does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedures.
ASHA credits are accepted by the TX Department of License and Renewal.
Approved by the FL Physical Therapy Association for 18 continuing education contact hours.
Approved by the MD Board of Physical Therapy Examiners.
Approved by the MN Board of Physical Therapy.
Approved by the NJ Board of Physical Therapy Examiners.
Application has been made to the OH Physical Therapy Association.
Approved sponsor by the State of IL Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for Physical Therapy for 18 contact hours. Application has been made to the Illinois EI Training Program. Approved provider by the NY State Board of Physical Therapy for 18 contact hours (1.8 CEUs).
Education Resources, Inc. is an approved provider for Physical Therapy CEUs in the following states: CA, OK and TX.
The following state boards of physical therapy accept other states’ approval: AK, AR, AZ, DC, DE, GA, HI, ID, IN, KS, KY, MA, MI, MO, MS, NC, OR, PA, RI, SC, UT, VA, VT, WI, WY. The following state boards of physical therapy either do not require course pre-approval or do not require CEUs for re-licensure: AL, CO, CT, IA, ME, MT, NE, ND, NH, SD, WA.
12 hours of this course qualify towards the discipline-specific hours for the 20-hour requirement for NDTA re-certification. They do NOT qualify towards the 8-hour NDTA Instructor requirement for re-certification.
This course meets the criteria for 15 hours that can be applied toward the Neonatal Therapy National Certification.
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