This introductory course provides pediatric physical therapists with foundational knowledge and practical considerations for delivering physical therapy services to medically complex children in home and community-based settings. Clinicians will explore common medical conditions, equipment, and healthcare technologies encountered in mobile practice, including tracheostomies, ventilators, feeding tubes, orthotics, and positioning devices. The course will discuss safety considerations, caregiver collaboration, environmental adaptations, and strategies for integrating therapy into daily routines. Participants will gain increased confidence in evaluating, planning, and implementing physical therapy interventions for medically complex pediatric patients outside of traditional clinical settings.
Live Webinar
Thu, Aug 20, 2026 at 12:00 pm EDTCEUs/Hours Offered: AK/2.0; AL/2.0; AR/2.0; AZ/2.0; CA/2.0; CO/2.0; CT/2.0; DC/2.0; DE/2.0; FL/2.0; GA/2.0; HI/2.0; IA/2.0; IACET/0.2; ID/2.0; IL/2.0; IN/2.0; KS/2.0; KY/2.0; MA/2.0; MD/2.0; ME/2.0; MI/2.0; MO/2.0; MS/2.0; MT/2.0; NC/2.0; ND/2.0; NE/2.0; NH/2.0; NM/2.0; NY/2.4; OK/2.0; OR/2.0; PA/2.0; RI/2.0; SC/2.0; SD/2.0; TX/2.0; UT/2.0; VA/2.0; VT/2.0; WA/2.0; WI/2.0; WY/2.0
Learning Outcomes
- After this course, participants will be able to identify common medical conditions, equipment, and healthcare technologies frequently encountered when providing mobile physical therapy services to medically complex children.
- After this course, participants will be able to describe key safety considerations, environmental factors, and caregiver collaboration strategies that support effective physical therapy intervention in home and community settings.
- After this course, participants will be able to explain foundational clinical reasoning principles for developing appropriate physical therapy goals and intervention strategies for medically complex pediatric patients receiving care in a mobile setting.
Agenda
| 0-10 Minutes | Introduction: What is considered medically complex and why mobile PT is positioned to serve this population. |
| 10-25 Minutes | Understanding Medically Complex Children (CMC): Medically fragile vs medically complex, Common medical diagnoses, and family caregiver dynamics |
| 25-40 Minutes | Medical Equipment: Tracheostomies, Ventilators, Feeding Tubes, and Positional Equipment |
| 40-60 Minutes | Safety in the Home: Infection Control, Emergency Preparedness, and Red Flags |
| 60-80 Minutes | Assessment and Intervention Considerations: Objective (RR, HR, O2), Gross Motor Skills, Positioning, and Strengthening |
| 80-95 Minutes | Caregiver Coaching and Collaboration: Education to the family on positioning, Integrating therapy into daily routines, and Updates regarding specialist doctors' visits |
| 95-110 Minutes | Case Study |
| 110-120 Minutes | Takeaways, Resources and Q&A |
Presented By
Jennetta Spears
PT, DPT
Jennetta Spears, PT, DPT, is a licensed physical therapist with more than a decade of experience serving the pediatric population. She earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Winston-Salem State University in 2013 and has provided pediatric-focused care since 2014.
Dr. Spears has extensive experience working with children who have medically fragile and complex conditions, developmental delays, hypertonia, hypotonia, generalized muscle weakness, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), prematurity, cerebral palsy, and other neurological conditions. She also has expertise in equipment assessments and letters of medical necessity for pediatric clients. Her clinical passion centers on supporting children and their families, with a particular love for working with babies and toddlers.
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Spears is an entrepreneur and operates a mobile pediatric physical therapy practice serving families in Wake and Johnston Counties, North Carolina. She is also the founder and CEO of EJ Kicks LLC, an adaptive shoe brand designed for children and teens who wear foot orthotics. Through this work, she has developed a flexible, lightweight shoe option that better accommodates bulky orthotics while supporting comfort and function.
Dr. Spears also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Winston-Salem State University Physical Therapy Program, where she helps teach typical development in the Lifespan course. Beyond her professional roles, she is a wife of 13 years and a mother of two. Diagnosed with autism in 2024, Dr. Spears has been learning to speak more openly about her experiences in order to support families navigating life with autism. In her personal time, she enjoys building Legos, completing puzzles, playing video games, and watching the WNBA and Unrivaled Basketball. Above all, she deeply values time with her family.
More
Financial Disclosures: Jennetta Spears received an honorarium for this course.
Non-Financial Disclosures: Jennetta Spears has prior professional experience working at a non-profit intermediate care facility serving medically fragile children.
Sponsor Disclosure: This Course is presented by PhysicalTherapy.com, a Continued site.
Content Disclosure: This learning event does not focus exclusively on any specific product or service.
Course participation information
To ensure you are ready to participate, please complete our short Test Drive to prepare your computer to view the course.
NOTE: Full attendance for all courses is mandatory. For self-study courses, this includes reading the full text, listening to the full audio recording, or watching the complete video, as appropriate for the format of the course.
Passing an online exam and completing a course evaluation will be required to earn continuing education credit.
Live Webinars allow presenter and participant interaction. The exam and course evaluation for these courses must be completed within 7 days of the event.
On-demand courses include texts, video and audio recordings of live webinars, and multimedia formats. The exam and course evaluation for on-demand courses must be completed within 30 days of course registration.
To participate in the course, complete the exam and course evaluation, and earn continuing education credit, you must be a PhysicalTherapy.com member. Participants must complete the entire course; partial credit is not allowed.
PhysicalTherapy.com is committed to ensuring accessibility to the widest possible audience. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone. If you have questions, requests, or would like to report an accessibility-related issue, please email [email protected]. We will review your request and respond in a timely manner.
Visit our Contact us page or give us a call if you have questions.
California
PhysicalTherapy.com is a recognized continuing competency approval agency for the Physical Therapy Board of California. This course is offered for 2.00 hours of continuing competency.
CE Broker
PhysicalTherapy.com is approved to report to CE Broker for PTs and PTAs licensed in the states of AR, AZ, FL, GA, KS, MI, MS, ND, NV, OK, SC and TN, and ATs licensed in the states of AZ, KS, LA, MI, TN, and WI. CE Provider #: 50-14089. If you are a PT/PTA or AT in one of these states, CE Broker may be of interest to you.
Washington D.C.
The District of Columbia Board of Physical Therapy (Board) has established that PhysicalTherapy.com is an approved continuing education provider for DC physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. Licensees must adhere to all other continuing education regulations of the Board, including those related to online courses and content.
International Association for Continuing Education and Training
continued, LLC, DBA PhysicalTherapy.com, is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). continued complies with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognized internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices. As a result of this accreditation, continued is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. continued, LLC, is authorized by IACET to offer 0.20 CEUs for this program.
IL Physical Therapy Continuing Education Sponsor
PhysicalTherapy.com is approved by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation as a sponsor of continuing education for PTs/PTAs (Sponsor License #216000252). This course is offered for 2.00 hours (Introductory level).
New Mexico
This course is offered for 2.00 hours (Introductory level) by the New Mexico Board of Physical Therapy.
New York
PhysicalTherapy.com is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Physical Therapy as an approved provider of physical therapy and physical therapist assistant continuing education.
Oklahoma
PhysicalTherapy.com is an Approved Provider by the Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure & Supervision for Physical Therapists, PT CE Provider BAP202310006. This course is offered for 2.00 hours of continuing education for Oklahoma PTs/PTAs.
Texas Physical Therapy Association
This course is offered for 2.00 hours (Introductory level) by the Texas Physical Therapy Association. The assignment of Texas PT CCUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by TPTA or TBPTE. The Texas Physical Therapy Association (TPTA) administers the CCAP on behalf of the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Provider #2706033TX).
We recognize that state CE requirements are constantly changing. If you have any questions regarding our courses and your state requirements, please contact us at 866-782-6258 or contact Customer Service.