NANT held a contest for best office space during the 2018 International Neonatal Therapy Week (INTW) – a challenge to celebrate who you are and what you do as neonatal therapists. The winners are featured here as a global CONGRATULATIONS. Below you’ll see a handful of the photos they posted on social during INTW as well as their replies to a few questions we asked them about the work they love. We think their passion will feel very familiar to all of you.
Featured Team:
Kelli Dupps, OTR/L
Lisa Olsen, OTDR/L, CNT
Christine Grahs, MA, CCC-SLP
Christina Conte, MS, CCC-SLP
Hospital: Banner University Medical Center – Phoenix, Arizona
Years of experience:
Kelli Dupps, OTR/L: 14 years (nearly 2 in the NICU)
Lisa Olsen, OTDR/L, CNT: 4 years in the NICU
Christine Grahs, MA, CCC-SLP: 19 years (1 in the NICU)
Christina Conte, MS, CCC-SL: 10 years (3 in the NICU)
Total years of collective experience: 47 years, NICU – 10 years
Best parts of 2018 INTW were:
- Getting to plan creative activities with our team to engage our unit. The games and activities we created were aimed at increasing insight and understanding of our focus and roles as NICU therapists. It was fun to interact with our co-workers in new ways. We were able to have some great open discussions about specific recommendations and even dispel some common myths in the process!
- We were able to have fun while increasing the NICU staff’s awareness of all things related to neonatal therapy.
- Allowing our creativity to flourish in developing activities that would be both fun and educational for staff members. These activities led to meaningful and interactive discussions about evidence-based practice, and promoted positivity regarding therapy goals and recommendations through laughter, smiles, engagement and allowing the staff to see the therapy team on a more personal level. In the end, as much as our team and our staff gained from this process during the INTW week, I truly believe that this week allowed us to develop powerfully impactful ways of providing education that we will begin to use more often. We are so glad that we participated and will continue to grow from this experience!
We love the work we do because:
1. At the end of the day we are able to see that what we DO makes a difference in the lives of our patients and their families.
2. We impact the development and long-term outcomes for our babies!
3. We are blessed and humbled to have a role in positively impacting the journeys of so many infants and their families during such a fragile time in development. How lucky and honored we truly are to work in the field we do!
Kelli, Lisa, Christine, and Christina – thank you for sharing the fun you had while celebrating International Neonatal Therapy Week! Your passion shines. Congratulations!
