“If you’re going to be inspired by anyone, be inspired by people who have been exactly where you are now.” ― Douglas Copeland
I’ve learned so much about the field of neonatal therapy by leading NANT Members during 6 years of Inner Circle Mentoring Calls and Special Topic Calls, and reading thousands of your emails. I’ve learned from those of you with decades of knowledge and experience as you contribute to the conversation, mentoring others as you go.
And I’ve learned that there are hundreds (thousands?) of you that have zero access to an in-person mentor and yet are expected to work in the NICU or many times charged with developing a neonatal therapy program. Additionally, some of you were self-taught and not sure if you truly picked up all of the foundational pieces over the years.
In a nutshell, there’s a huge gap between what is expected of neonatal therapists and the resources available to confidently and competently fulfill those expectations.
This discrepancy first became apparent to me years ago as I consulted in NICUs all over the U.S. Some NICUs had highly evolved neonatal therapy teams while others had none. Some had access to a non-specialized therapist that could ‘come over to the NICU’ if needed. The services they provided were sometimes pediatric or rehabilitative in nature, rather than neonatal and preventative and/or habilitative. The inconsistencies were of great concern.
Patients and their families deserve better. And so do you. (We all just want to do the right thing!)
While NANT Members devour their on-demand and real-time benefits, the need for accessible, comprehensive, and foundational knowledge and training remained until the Ignite Program was first launched in 2015.
IGNITE: Core Training and Mentoring for Neonatal Therapists fills the gap and reaches out to you in the void. Ignite creators Chrysty Sturdivant and Sandra Carroll serve as the primary mentors in the program, and they, along with expert guest mentors, have been exactly where you are and know precisely how to build a thriving neonatal therapy presence and practice. Simply stated, the IGNITE mentors know their stuff – from entry level foundational knowledge to industry changing clinical research and best practice – they know it.
The best part is, it doesn’t matter where you live (the current class of Ignite includes international participants), or whether or not you have in-person access to the mentor of your dreams. Our goal is to raise the foundational level of knowledge and training of new(er) neonatal therapists all over the globe. Your in-person mentors, should you have them, can save their time and resources for hands-on teaching and 1:1 guidance.
And why not?
Babies and families everywhere deserve this level of care and neonatal OTs, PTs, and SLPs (and NICU directors) deserve to feel confident in their services.
It’s a whole new world.
**Kudos to the incredible first Ignite class that is wrapping up in May and to everyone who enrolled in the 2016-2017 class during the NANT Conference – your enthusiasm was contagious!
P.S. – Click here to learn more about IGNITE. Enrollment for the 2016-2017 Program ends May 16th!
