How to Become an OT in the NICU

Hi readers!

Over the last nine weeks, you probably have gained plenty of knowledge on what occupational therapy is and how OTs can treat the smallest of patients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). We have discussed Kangaroo Care, Oral Motor Stimulation, Pain Management, Hand Splints in the NICU and more! Now, some of you may be interested in this career choice, so I would like to talk about the education needed to become an OT in the NICU. As for parent readers, you can learn about the education level of your child’s therapist.

To practice occupational therapy, you must receive a master’s degree following your bachelor’s degree, no matter what setting you decide to work in. You can obtain a bachelor’s degree in majors such as kinesiology, psychology, biology, anthropology, or sociology followed by a master’s program in occupational therapy (“How to Become”, 2012). However, some schools offer accelerated programs where you can receive your bachelor’s and master’s degrees in occupational therapy in about five years. Master’s degree programs in occupational therapy “include courses in functional anatomy, medical and social conditions, assistive technology, patient care concepts, and research methods” and usually consists of anywhere to 20-40 hours of field experience in different OT settings (“How to Become”, 2012).

After both degrees, you must become licensed in the state you wish to work before you can practice. Once you have completed an accredited OT school program and have completed field work, you must pass the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam (“How to Become”, 2012). Afterwards, you are a registered occupational therapist; however, you must do continued education coursework to maintain the credential.

Finally, after practicing OT in a pediatric setting for 2-6 years, you may be qualified to work with the highly vulnerable population of NICU babies.

As always, thank you for reading!

 

Kayla

Works Cited

"How to Become an Occupational Therapy Professional." Study.com. Study.com, 2012. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.

Hand Splints in the NICU

Babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) commonly have hand deformities and hand dysfunction. Since occupational therapists help with daily activities like eating and other fine motor skill tasks, it is important for OTs to try and fix these hand deformities quickly and accurately, so that the baby can perform daily activities of life now and in the future.

Hand deformities and hand dysfunction, being common in the NICU, can be caused due to many things. The authors stated that, "problems are due to increased tone resulting from central nervous system damage associated with CNS developmental anomaly, hemorrhage, hypoxia, infectious processes, tumors, or trauma" (Anderson & Anderson, 1988, p. 222). Rare yet possible, hand dysfunction isn't usually caused by the ingestion of a drug or other toxin during pregnancy.

Due to NICU babies' instability and time constraints, OTs usually opt for the intervention of hand splinting, to try and correct the deformity and dysfunction of a hand. Splints can provide protection, support, and immobilization. Orthotic splinting can hold a joint in a function position through a series of changing molds in order to force a joint into better alignment over time (Anderson & Anderson, 1988, p. 225).

Safety is very important when splinting, especially on infants, since they can't directly tell you what hurts. Premature and ill infant are more at risk for skin ulcers due to diminished fat pads on their hands. Therefore, it is important to watch carefully for irritation from the splint. The straps, if pulled too tightly, may also cause edema. The straps should be loose and wide so that the pressure is spread over a great area. The glue used to adhere the straps should also not come in contact with the baby in order to prevent contact dermatitis. Finally, a sock usually is put over an infant's splint in order to prevent injuries or removal by infant (Anderson & Anderson, 1988, p. 225).

Thanks for reading,

Kayla

Works Cited:

Anderson, L. J., & Anderson, J. M. (1988, April). Hand Splinting for Infants in the Intensive Care and Special Care Nurseries. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 42(4), 222-226. Retrieved November 4, 2016.