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Neonatal therapy professional development program

Professional Development

Guiding Greatness is a neonatal therapy professional development program for practicing neonatal therapists, therapists entering the field of neonatal therapy, or graduate students interested in the field of neonatal therapy, providing 50-minute one-on-one virtual sessions with experts in the field of Neonatal Therapy.  

 

Tailored to graduate students and therapy professionals who want to: 

  • Develop and deepen their understanding of neonatal therapy

  • Refine their resume writing and interview skills to articulate their best professional self

  • Collaborate and expand their insight on feeding, eating, and swallowing 

  • Advance their knowledge of positioning, handling, and developmental interventions

  • Delve into standardized assessments, including administration, scoring, and reporting

  • Refine goal writing skills to improve outcomes and accentuate the intrinsic importance of Neonatal Therapy

  • Learn the foundations for developing a neonatal therapy program 

  • Integrate and sustain neuroprotective and neuropromotive care practices 

  • Create and implement neonatal therapy skills assessments 

  • Navigate productivity between NICU and best practices when working in a rehab model

  • Understand and apply transdisciplinary care practices 

  • Have direct access to neonatal therapy experts who have done all the research for you

Advanced board certified pediatric and neonatal therapist Heather Batman, MS, OTR, BCP, CNT, NTMTC

HeatherBatman,MS,OTR
BCP, CNT, NTMTC

Passionate about optimizing infant outcomes through evidence-based care.

Heather Batman, MS, OTR, BCP, CNT, NTMTC, is an occupational therapist with 20 years of expertise in feeding and developmental skills of premature infants, NICU graduates, and newborns through the first five years.

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Heather holds her Advanced Board Certification in Pediatrics, is a Certified Neonatal Therapist, is recognized as an Early Intervention Specialist by the American Occupational Therapy Association, is a certified NIDCAP Professional, and is a certified Neonatal Touch and Massage Therapist.  

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In 2006 Heather began the journey of developing and growing a neonatal therapy program in a level III NICU. Heather guided her NICU’s quality improvement team to integrate family-centered care, neuropromotive care practices, and therapeutic interventions as NICU standards of care.  

 

In 2015 Heather developed and managed a high-risk feeding and developmental follow-up clinic serving birth to 3 years.  

 

Heather's professional career path inspired her to open her practice, Beyond Preemie, integrating her expertise into her community to support and optimize infant care, guiding families in helping their babies to thrive beyond five.  

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Heather was the primary investigator for Improving Long-Term Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Low Birth Weight and Extremely Premature Infants, which is currently in the process of being submitted for publication.

 

Heather is an educational resource for NICU staff and early intervention therapists.  She is a sought-after speaker offering numerous AOTA, APTA, ASHA, and ANCC 

approved continuing education courses.  

 

In her free time, Heather enjoys gardening, cooking, playing piano, and spending time with her family.

Let's Chat

To schedule an appointment or ask a question, please fill in the form below.  

We look forward to meeting you!

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