From Delivery to Discharge: Understanding the Role of Therapy in the NICU

Course Description:

You work in the acute care hospital setting…but you secretly hope that you are NEVER called to do therapy in the NICU.  Why?  The babies are so precious but SO tiny!  Statistics say that 450,000 babies are born preterm in the United States every year.  Can therapy benefit these babies….absolutely.  Dr. Aditi Mehra, DHS, OTR/L will help you better understand the role of therapy in the NICU.  This course will cover:

• Identifying neurologic, respiratory, cardiac and other complications
• The 7 Core Measures of the Neuroprotective Care Model
• Therapeutic interventions for the autonomic, motor, behavior, attention-to-interaction and self-regulation system
• Recognize and correct body misalignment with therapy

Methods of Instruction:

Online audio/video course

Course Instructor:

Dr. Aditi Mehra, DHS, OTR/L

Target Audience:

Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapist Assistants and Athletic Trainers.

Educational Level:

Intermediate

Prerequisites:

None

Course Goals and Objectives:

At the completion of this course, participants should be able to:

1. Differentiate between extremely preterm/moderately preterm/late preterm
2. Differentiate between neurologic concerns of preterm infants
3. Identify respiratory, cardiac and other complications of preterm infants
4. Identify the 7 Core Measures of the Neuroprotective Care Model
5. Differentiate between Healing Environment, Partnering with Families, Position and Handling, Safeguarding Sleep, Minimizing Stress and Pain, Protecting Skin and Optimizing Nutrition
6. Recognize the Professional Therapeutic Intervention Process in the NICU
7. Differentiate between sources of stressors in the NICU and how therapy intervention can be beneficial
8. Differentiate between therapy interventions for the autonomic, motor, behavior, attention-to-interaction and self-regulation system
9. Recognize therapeutic ways to prevent body misalignment in the NICU
10. Identify NICU proper therapeutic positioning techniques

Criteria for Obtaining Continuing Education Credits:

A score of 70% or greater on the post-test

AdvantageCEUs.com is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development. Course approval ID # 7332. This distance learning-independent course is offered at 0.2 CEUs, Intermediate level, OT Service Delivery/Foundational Knowledge. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by the AOTA.