Non-Clinical CEUs and Courses

Cheap Non-Clinical CEUs & Courses – PT/OT/SLP

Just a few years ago, you’d be hard-pressed to find any non-clinical coursework that could be used toward your continuing education units (CEUs). However, these days, there are quite a few options out there! We’ll cover the top non-clinical CEUs and courses that can help you build your skillset while you save money, and learn more about non-clinical careers!

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Here’s what to expect:

  1. Non-Clinical CEUs: Non-clinical healthcare-related courses from familiar online CEU providers (MedBridge, ContinuEd, etc.).
  2. Career Courses: Courses that help you learn about and land non-clinical healthcare jobs. These may or may not offer CEUs.
  3. Non-Healthcare Courses: An overview of popular online platforms used beyond healthcare. They don’t offer CEUs.

Whether you’re looking for general guidance on leaving patient care, searching for specific training in a niche non-clinical role, or simply want some resume fodder as you forge a completely new path—my goal is to cover your options in this article.


non-clinical ceus and courses list

(1) Non-Clinical CEUs

It’s always nice when you can learn AND earn credit toward your license renewal at the same time! I combed through the most popular online CEU platforms for therapists and found some great courses that teach you non-clinical skills—and count toward license renewals! That said, you’ll want to check courses yourself to ensure they do count for your state’s CEU requirements, as each state has its own rules for what counts.

MedBridge Non-Clinical CEU Courses

Medbridge Education Non-Clinical CEUs

Let’s start with my top pick: MedBridge Education. Top pick? Why? Well, while it’s not the absolute cheapest option, MedBridge undoubtedly has the best selection of unlimited non-clinical CEU courses—and they’re all conveniently accessible online. MedBridge also boasts live webinars, which sometimes fulfill the live educational component that many states require for therapists and assistants. While some of the courses on the platform do not offer CEUs, the vast majority do.

My favorite part about MedBridge is that they offer certificate programs, which can add some extra oomph to the non-clinical resume!

Save 40% on Unlimited Medbridge CEUs with promo code TNCPT!
This is the best discount you can currently get on MedBridge’s unlimited platform, but make sure the promo code (TNCPT) is used at checkout so you get the FULL discount!

Billing and Documentation Courses

These courses are great for those pursuing clinical documentation specialist and/or utilization review careers, as well as careers in compliance and operations.

Care Coordination and Case Management Courses

Note: The below course series is geared specifically toward OTs

Compliance, Safety, and Infection Control

Driver Rehabilitation

Ergonomics, Orthotics, and DME

If you’re looking to get into ergonomics, orthotic consulting, or DME fitting, these courses are great!

Ethics | Diversity & Inclusion | Public Health

Home Modifications

The home modifications niche is a great option for occupational and physical therapy professionals who have the entrepreneurial bug. MedBridge has lots of great courses that include practical knowledge on the modifications themselves, and on the business side of things.

Leadership and Management

If you want to become a clinic director, department manager, director of rehabilitation services, operations manager, regional director, or any other fancy leadership title, you’ll want to get some education under your belt. MedBridge has some great options included in your subscription that will help you be a better leader—and will look great on your resume!

Research

Telepractice

Utilization Review/QA

OASIS D-1 Documentation Series

Recorded Webinar: Preparing for OASIS-E: What You Need to Know Now

ContinuEd websites

Continued Non-Clinical CEU Courses

PhysicalTherapy.com | OccupationalTherapy.com | SpeechPathology.com

If you’re looking for the cheapest, and easiest, way to get unlimited online CEUs, you’ll want to explore the Continued family of sites. They have one for PT, one for OT, and one for SLP. I like how easy these sites are to use and navigate, and I think it’s really cool how niche some of the topics are on each site.

The drawback with this family of sites is that there’s no crossover, so you might find a great course you like on the OT site, but you can’t take it as a PT. If you want a bare-bones option for unlimited cheap CEUs, and you don’t need quite the selection that MedBridge has, check out these options!

Browse through your own discipline to see if the non-clinical course topics interest you!

PhysicalTherapy.com

I have personally used PhysicalTherapy.com for years for my CEUs. That’s because it’s the most affordable option, and I learn best by reading. The ContinuEd sites offer a variety of purely text-based courses, which are great for people like me who simply want to read something, take a test, and move on.

→ You can read my review of physicaltherapy.com here. 

[Editor’s Note: If you don’t belong to PhysicalTherapy.com, please consider using my discount code: NCPTBONUS13 to get a free bonus month!]

Billing and Documentation

Care Coordination and Case Management

Ergonomics

Ethics

Home Modifications

Compliance, Safety, and Infection Control

Telehealth

SpeechPathology.com

While I don’t know of anyone on the SpeechPathology.com platform, I find that they present an impressive number of cheap non-clinical SLP courses, especially telehealth SLP courses. This could be due to the fact that telepractice speech pathology is one of the most commonly seen modes of telerehab so far. In any case, here are my picks for their non-clinical courses, based on a perusal of the site. Don’t miss the great selection of burnout and career courses!

[Editor’s Note: If you don’t belong to SpeechPathology.com, please consider using my discount code: NCPTBONUS13 to get a free bonus month!]

Burnout Prevention and Career Advice

Compliance, Safety, and Infection Control

Leadership, Management, and Collaboration

Telepractice/Telehealth

OccupationalTherapy.com

I know quite a few occupational therapists who use OccupationalTherapy.com for their CEUs, and they’ve been very happy. This site has some really cool non-clinical topics worth exploring, such as gaming, 3D printing, burnout, and driver rehabilitation—as well as neat ones like mental health, ergonomics, and industrial rehab.

[Editor’s Note: If you don’t belong to OccupationalTherapy.com, please consider using our discount code: NCPTBONUS13 to get a free bonus month!]

Billing, Documentation, Utilization Review, and Management

Burnout Prevention and Career Growth

Driver Rehabilitation

Entrepreneurship

Ergonomics

Gaming and Technology

Home Modifications and Accessibility

Industrial Rehab

Leadership

Mental/Community Health

Telehealth/Telepractice

3D Printing

Monarch Continuing Education

Monarch CE logo - a great source of non-clinical CEUs

I recently learned about Monarch Continuing Education (CE) when I began working with the wonderful Carmen Recupero, PTA, on her upcoming spotlight! I love that this continuing education company is woman-run and therapist-owned. Plus, Monarch CE’s offerings are online, self-paced, and perfect for those pursuing non-clinical career paths in IT, sales, and leadership! Below are some of her offerings in those spaces.

Professional Organizations’ Non-Clinical Courses

APTA

(2) Career-specific non-clinical courses

There’s no doubt that education is changing. More and more programs—even therapy grad programs—are moving online. Here are some of the top non-clinical courses you can take to build specific careers leveraging your rehab background and education.

General Non-Clinical Career Exploration

Non-Clinical 101

non-clinical-101-ad
25 career paths (soon to be 27!), 40+ non-clinical resumes, cover letter templates, LinkedIn tips, networking/interview strategies, and guided insights to help you feel confident you’re making the right moves! You’ll also get early access to the hottest non-clinical job listings!

I can’t NOT start with this one 🙂 This course was created by yours truly (The Non-Clinical PT), and it’s designed for PT, OT, and SLP professionals who know they want to do something else—but want a roadmap, structure, and resources to help them on their journey.

From exercises to help you identify your strengths and transferable skills, to an overview of many different non-clinical healthcare fields, Non-Clinical 101 is truly the best starting point. It comes with heaps of non-clinical resume templates for various positions, and gives support for interviewing, negotiating, networking, and finding jobs.

Non-Clinical Crash Courses

Not sure you want to commit to Non-Clinical 101 quite yet?

No worries! I have pulled out content from some of the most popular career paths covered in Non-Clinical 101 to create my Crash Course series! If you enroll in a Crash Course, you’ll automatically get a coupon for NC101, too!


Therapy Blogging 101

Therapy Blogging 101: Learn online entrepreneurship from the founders of The Non-Clinical PT and Pink Oatmeal!
Learn online entrepreneurship from the founders of Pink Oatmeal and The Non-Clinical PT!

This course was created by yours truly, along with Chanda Jothen, PT, DPT of Pink Oatmeal. She and I have both built and grown websites that have become our sources of full-time income. (And, yes, we both made more than we did as clinical PTs!) We created the course to help aspiring bloggers learn everything from setting up a blog, to search engine optimization, and so much more!

Aspireship Pro – a buffet of tech career options

If you want to explore the tech space without spending a fortune, we love the Aspireship Pro program. This career development platform is priced low, but it includes a buffet of options in its “foundations” coursework to explore in the tech realm. Aspireship Pro is the perfect entry-level career exploration platform because it gives both theoretical and practical training in the areas of:

  • Customer/client success
  • Tech/SaaS sales (SaaS stands for “software as a service,” and you can think of it is something like EMR/EHR sales)
  • Software engineering
  • Revenue operations (RevOps)

We have been extremely impressed not just by the training and support offered on the platform, but also by the outcomes. People who use this platform land non-clinical jobs in tech. It just works! You can use our affiliate link below to sign up for Aspireship Pro and save over 50% on the already low price!

Aspireship promo code: Save over 50% on Aspireship Pro!
Save over 50% on Aspireship Pro!

Leadership and Management

LAMP leadership and management non-clinical CEU courses

This coursework is offered through APTA, but it’s open to all rehab professionals who are looking for leadership careers. It does count toward PT/A CEUs, and you might be able to get the course approved in your state for your specific licensure.

The reasons I recommend it are 1. People rave about it and 2. You will meet SO many people in high places when you take this course. The APTA is basically a hotbed of networking opportunities, and if you take this course, you’ll rub shoulders with folks in leadership roles across the country. Yes the course is good, but the networking opportunities are even better. You take these courses as pre-conference sessions at APTA’s CSM meeting. I believe OT and SLP professionals might be eligible to take the courses, but you’ll want to reach out to be sure.

Copywriting/Health Content Writing

I am biased toward building a health writing career if it interests you. Not only can you build your brand as a therapist (clinical or non-clinical), it’s a great way to make money on the side, or as a full-time gig! I strongly recommend exploring the courses at Health Writer Hub. They’re extremely well reviewed and teach you valuable skills as both a writer and a business person.

Breaking into Health Writing (Save 25%) – This course is awesome, and it’s quite affordable for what you get. It’s a great introduction for a new or aspiring copywriter needs to understand how to actually start writing. It covers types of writing that are out there (medical vs. marketing vs. health, etc.), and it explores what you need to make an actual plan to get there. I highly recommend this course if you’re looking for a writing career where you write content for other companies.

(3) Additional Non-Healthcare Course Providers

Online courses tend to be more affordable and more accessible to many, but don’t be fooled by thinking they’re lower quality. Even most Ivy League universities have started to incorporate distance learning into their curriculums. I consider online education to be a perk of living in this modern age!

Heck, if we’re all addicted to antidepressants because of our chaotic modern lives, at least we can relax and learn from home, right? 🙂

I’m going to quickly give some suggestions for courses offered by a number of reputed providers. If you’re looking to go beyond healthcare into design, marketing, UX, etc.—or, if you’re looking to do something new in healthcare, such as data analytics—you will want to consider these programs.

Coursera

Coursera logo for non-clinical courses

Coursera was one of the earliest online education platforms, and it’s cool because it has a lot of “big name” universities in its course offerings. That makes your coursework, as well as your certifications, look that much more impressive on your resume. What I love about Coursera is that you have a 7-day free trial for their courses. So, if you enroll and don’t like the content, you can always get your money back. That is PRICELESS for someone still figuring out the next step. Plus, many of these programs have professional certifications you can pursue, which, as I noted, look great on the resume!

General Assembly

Logo for General Assembly Non-Clinical Courses

General Assembly (GA) is a wonderful representation of the modern approach to learning. Rather than presenting traditional education (undergraduate or graduate courses), GA offers non-traditional educational programs, both in-person and online. They’re known for their immersive programs, which are best for those who know for a fact that they want to pursue a given career path. You can opt to take part-time, full-time, or online only courses. Be aware that the full-time and part-time options might be location dependent.

The top subjects offered are listed below:

  • Software Engineering
  • Web Development
  • UX Design
  • Product Management
  • Data Science
  • Data Analytics

Skillshare

Skillshare banner for creative non-clinical courses

Skillshare presents a unique setup for aspiring creatives, as well as folks pursuing roles in marketing and content creation. This platform offers a huge variety of online courses taught by all sorts of people. It’s an affordable monthly subscription platform where you can take unlimited courses for a flat rate. It’s perfect for times when you’re between roles, working a single PRN job, or simply not even remotely sure what interests you, so you want to try it all without breaking the bank. Another reason why Skillshare is great is that it has a lot of software courses. If you’d like to learn graphic design, you can sign up for Skillshare and quickly take a Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign course for a flat rate. Then you can cancel your subscription if you no longer need the platform.

I have a special link you can use to get a free month of the Premium level membership with zero commitment, so I often recommend that people sign up, try out a few courses, and simply cancel their subscription if they’re not using it (or unhappy with the courses.).

→One month of free Premium membership at Skillshare

Udemy

Udemy logo for non-clinical courses


Udemy is great website for those in search of low-cost or introductory training on a variety of non-clinical topics, including business, development/coding, marketing, design, and so much more. The courses can be resume-boosters, or they can simply serve as introductions to all sorts of subjects that are related to healthcare, but not necessarily considered “healthcare courses.”

Udemy does offer certification programs, too, although they’re not necessarily considered as reputable as traditional programs. I recommend that you explore any of the following courses to get started. Also, there are a few wonderful courses on using MS Office, which is pretty much a must-have for any non-clinical role! Here are just a few cool courses you can find on Udemy, but you should really explore on your own!

Free Physical Therapy CEUs

happy woman learning

If you’re a PT, and are just looking for some free physical therapy CEUs, we’ve got a few options for you. While there’s nothing wrong with free PT CEUs, it can be painful to navigate through the sprinkling of free CEU courses out there, and the options are limited.

APTA Learning Center

The APTA Learning Center has some free courses, many of which give you PT CEUs, such as this one for peer reviews.

It’s no-frills, but you won’t have to spend a dime! The only caveat is that you must be a member of the APTA to take full advantage.

Not a member of the APTA? Don’t worry. Check out the next option!

ANPT Synapse Online Education Center

The Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy (ANPT) Synapse Online Education Center (wow, that’s a mouthful!) has got you covered if you want some free online CEU courses. Some of them don’t require you to be a member, so they’re yours for the taking!

PhysicalTherapy.com

We mentioned PhysicalTherapy.com before, and they require you to pay for most of their courses. However, they have a nice option for getting free CEUs. If you’re a new customer, you get to pick one free course per person that qualifies for PT CEUs!

“I’m overwhelmed with no idea where to start! What do I do?”

Take a deep breath! This article is a BEHEMOTH, and I am aware that you might find it overwhelming and stress-inducing. Bear in mind that it’s hard to determine which of these are worth your time, money, and effort, unless you have a solid idea of what you want to do next. Don’t forget to explore our spotlight series and do plenty of informational interviewing when you plan your next career move.

And be sure to join my networking and jobs group so you can see what else is out there!


What are your favorite non-clinical CEUs and courses? Please let us know in the comments!

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