Pediatric Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Continuing Education – Online Courses

When I first came out of school there was very little in the way of continuing education opportunities online.  Almost all continuing education had to be done in person.  When I switched to pediatrics from orthopedics I felt like I was scrambling to find any pediatric physical therapy continuing education that I could find on demand.  Times have changed.   I LOVE in person courses, but with the craziness of 3 little children I have come to appreciate that there are now online offerings for continuing education in the therapy field.  I also love how online continuing education gives you the opportunity to access class topics that may not be near you whenever you want too!  I have been quite impressed with the courses that I have taken online and I’m excited to share with you about the different online  pediatric therapy and occupational continuing education courses. Many of these courses can be appropriate for pediatric speech therapists as well.

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Online Pediatric Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Continuing Education Courses

Some of the following links are affiliate links.  When you purchase through an affiliate link I earn a small commission from that company at no cost to you.

There are lots of great online pediatric physical therapy and occupational therapy continuing education courses.  These courses have been a lifesaver for me as a mom of three young children who doesn’t always have the ability to travel or time to take away for courses.  Now, in the COVID era I’m re-visiting these again as some in person courses I had planned to go to are cancelled (rightfully so).  

Does It Count For Continuing Education Credit In My State?

As a physical therapist, much of what I’m talking about comes from a physical therapy perspective. When looking at online courses for continuing education purposes, always be sure to look into how continuing education is offered and what your state’s rules are on continuing education.  It’s not always as cut and dry as a course that comes to your state.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you are unsure!

There are so many great courses out there!  The thing is that unless they come from a large continuing education business it is hard to have official state board approval from every state.  There is no central system (in the PT world) that this can be done.  This results in many courses (fabulous courses) offering certificates of completion without any official board approval, as they don’t have the resources to get board approval from every single state.  Is it going to count for you?  The answer is that depends.  You need to look at your states continuing education laws based on your particular license.  

It’s important when doing any continuing education you know the rules/laws of the state(s) that you are licensed in and what they deem necessary for continuing education. 

Online Pediatric Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Continuing Education Courses

MedBridge – I personally have a membership to MedBridge and have been impressed with their course offerings.  I’ve taken courses in pediatrics, school based courses, ethics, and even some orthopedic courses.  Since I’ve been so happy with the options I’ve worked with MedBridge to offer a discount to Pink Oatmeal readers.   Using the promo code PINKOATMEAL will save you $150 dollars off the membership bringing the cost for an entire year super affordable. 

As far as subscription based continuing education options goes, in my opinion this is the best of the subscriptions I’ve tried . There are several courses to choose from, you can go at your own pace, there is the option to get in courses for ethics, and the price is right when you think about how you could achieve all your continuing education right here if you wanted.  I go more into depth on how you can search different courses and some of my favorite Medbridge courses in my School Based Physical Therapy Courses from Medbridge post. (This post is great for any discipline)

Continued.com – I’ve also recently just become a member of physicaltherapy.com part of the continued.com family.  They have courses available for PT’s, OT’s, and SLP’s. This includes (physicaltherapy.com, occuaptionaltherapy.com and speechpathology.com).  I’ve worked with the company to come up with a discount code for readers of Pink Oatmeal. This subscription also gives you another great option for pediatric continuing education courses.  If you use the code PINKOATMEAL13 at checkout you will get an extra month for free.  So instead of 12 months for $99 dollars you will get 13 months for $99.

Leveraging Technology for Efficiency as a School-Based TherapistThis course will go into all different technologies, likely already available to you, that you can use to do your documentation, progress tracking, stay organized and so much more. If you are a school-based therapist, this course is not to be missed!

Mealtime Works – This course is offered by my friend Alisha Grogan from Your Kids Table. This class Is AOTA approved for 10 hours (1 CEU), All lessons must be completed and quizzes must score 80% or higher to complete the course with a certificate. This course is more than a tip or strategy, it’s a whole plan. Everything you need from A to Z. This plan is taught to you in a class, just like an online college course. It is called Mealtime Works because what you learn is a real solution to mealtimes that actually work

School Based Physical Therapy 101 – This isn’t a true course, but a page dedicated to all the resources I wish I had in one place when I started out as a school based therapist!

Cheap CEU’s – This is another online option that other therapists have recommended. I personally haven’t used it as my state is one of the more difficult states to get approved for CEU credits, so many of these courses aren’t approved in my state. But, for most people this looks like it would be a nice option!

Summit – This is another option for online courses.  I’ve taken courses live from Summit that I’ve enjoyed.  I personally don’t have any experience with their online courses, but have heard good reports from those that have taken courses online through Summit.

The Brain and Sensory Foundations– (The doors to this course open and close)The Brain and Sensory Foundations® course gives in-depth, comprehensive, and kid-friendly tools that really work and are supported by evidence. These innate rhythmic movements, plus primitive and postural reflex integration activities are excellent for boosting brain, body, and sensory maturity. You can be a powerful force for helping children with challenges with these unique and outstanding tools. 

Harkala’s Retained Primitive Reflexes Course (affiliate link) – This is another primitive reflexes resources course that has the doors open year round. It has AOTA approval for 10.5 contact hours and glowing reviews!

I personally do not have any experience with primitive reflex courses myself. There has been interest shown amongst Pink Oatmeal readers in this area. The two courses above are those that I am aware of, that I have received feedback from others that they were good.

Creating and Implementing Sensory Diets from Harkala  (affiliate link)- Another online course that has AOTA approval with glowing reviews. If you’ve been wanting to learn more about creating and implementing sensory diets and want the continuing education credits that come along with it, this course is for you. Bonus, since it’s online you can take it in your pajamas!

OT School House – If you love listening to podcasts this is for you!  Listen to their podcast, take a quiz, and earn professional development!  For a school based pediatric therapist this is a fun and unique way to earn continuing education credits.

Therapies in the School Conference – This is a conference held in Massachusetts each year put on by Education Resources Inc, but also provides you with the option for online courses after the conference. 

Apply EBP – This is a great collection of courses for a school based therapist. Feedback from other therapists have been great on these courses. I’ve taken one live and thought it was fabulous!

Professional Organizations – As members of different professional organizations such as the APTA or AOTA, online continuing education opportunities are available for you.  This includes both free and paid courses.

Non-Clinical 101Although not a pediatric course, this course is an excellent resource for non-clinical careers.  If you are looking to move to utilization review or a non-clinical direction in pediatric physical therapy this course is worth looking into! The creator of the course Meredith has given Pink Oatmeal readers a $50 discount when you click through my link!

Therapy Blogging 101 – This really isn’t a continuing education course, but an excellent option if you’ve ever been curious about starting your own therapy blog! 

This resource will continued to be added too as I learn of new opportunities.  If you know of something great feel free to email me and I will add it to the list of online continuing education courses for pediatric physical therapists, pediatric occupational therapists, and speech and language pathologists.

Online continuing education courses for pediatric physical therapists, pediatric occupational therapists, and speech and language pathologist. A collection of different online courses and opportunities for getting your continuing education credits

 

 

 

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