Flashback: The first 5-10 years of my NICU practice.
Like so many of you, I looked high and low for education that would guide my practice as a ‘NICU OT’. I questioned whether I was using the latest information, evidence and practices for assessment and intervention. (Reading semi-related literature was great, but no substitute for information published by neonatal therapists.)
I attended, no RAN, to any conference in which an ACTUAL neonatal therapist of any discipline was featured on the agenda. Participating in those events and learning from a ‘real-life’ neonatal therapist was like getting to see a rare bird up close. I was captivated. She used words that only we cared about – facilitated tuck, postural alignment, proprioceptive input, intra-oral suction. How amazing!
I wanted to know every thought in her head because after the conference she would go back to her life and work and I’d return to mine. Once again I’d work in isolation until the next sighting of said rare bird.
At the time, this was simply reality. NICU therapists were hard to find, especially the ones who seemed to truly understand what they were doing and why.
Present Moment:As I sat down to write this article I read over the agenda for the 2015 NANT Conference. I’ve reviewed it about a million times during and since its creation.
And what happened next?
Chills. From head to toe.
Why?
This realization: At least 25 neonatal therapists are listed on the main agenda -close to 40 including poster presentations. FORTY rare birds presenting in ONE place! And 300+ participating!
Oh, and the topics?
The topics are not semi, sort of, somehow related to what we do every day. They ARE what we do every day, and more.
Dysphagia, movement and developmental assessments, neurobehavior, developmental outcomes, feeding quality, touch techniques, thickened feeds, brain development, oral motor skills, breastfeeding, parent perceptions and support, safe sleep practices, postural integrity, referral policies, plagiocephaly, encephalopathy, promoting sleep, research, teamwork and MORE.
This agenda is the stuff my ‘NICU OT’ dreams were made of. And it couldn’t be done without ALL OF YOU – those of you presenting, those of you attending, and those trying-like-mad to attend.
So let’s take a collective moment and celebrate. We are no longer alone. We have a conference of our own that’s 100% relevant to our work.
Standing amidst your energy and brilliance at the NANT Conference it’s clear: we no longer have to tote a pair of binoculars and go on a quest to find rare birds.
We’re a flock.
Future: When speaking in California earlier this year I met a few ‘newer’ neonatal therapists. They were clearly excited to be working in the neonatal space and had many fantastic questions over dinner. I slowly realized that they’d only practiced in the NICU ‘post-NANT’. The only world they knew involved support, resources, research and relevant education.
They are NANT members who make use of all the resources available to them. They are likely light years ahead of where I was with the same level of experience.
And that, my friends, is a whole new species of neonatal therapist.
