Why Getting LSVT Certified in College - Not After - Makes a Difference
If you're a PT, OT, SLP, or nursing student reading this, here's something worth thinking about before you graduate: the certifications that will make you a specialist are often easiest to get while you're still in school — not after.
It sounds counterintuitive. Between coursework, clinicals, and exams, adding one more thing to your plate as a student can feel like the last thing you need. But there are real, practical reasons why certifying early — in programs like LSVT BIG, LSVT LOUD, or CNRN — can shape the entire trajectory of your career.
You Graduate Already Specialized
Most new grads enter the workforce as generalists, and specialization happens gradually — usually after years of practice, once there's time, funding, or employer support to pursue it. That's a perfectly normal path. But it also means it can take years before a new clinician is equipped to treat a population like Parkinson's patients with specialized, evidence-based tools.
Certifying as a student flips that timeline. You walk into your first job already able to offer something most new grads can't: a credentialed, specialized skill set employers value and patients need immediately.
It Can Open Doors at the Job Search Stage
Clinics and hospital systems that treat neurological populations are actively looking for therapists with credentials like LSVT BIG or LSVT LOUD — and a nursing unit focused on neuroscience care values CNRN certification for the same reason. Having that certification already in hand when you're job hunting can be a genuine differentiator, especially in a competitive market or when applying to a specialized unit or practice.
Certification Sticks With You Differently As a Student
There's also a learning-science argument for certifying early. As a student, you're already deeply immersed in coursework on movement, speech pathology, or neuroscience — the concepts behind these certifications reinforce and connect with what you're learning in real time, rather than being bolted on years later as an isolated continuing-ed requirement. Many clinicians who certify as students report that the training clicks differently when it's layered directly on top of active academic learning.
The Real Barrier: Cost
If certifying in school makes so much sense, why don't more students do it? In our experience, it usually comes down to one thing: cost. Certification courses and exam fees are a real expense, and most students are already stretched thin — tuition, housing, and the simple reality of being in school full-time don't leave a lot of room for an extra few hundred dollars, let alone more.
That's precisely the gap the W.A.D.E. Initiative was built to close. We provide grants specifically for graduate students pursuing LSVT BIG, LSVT LOUD, or CNRN certification before they graduate — because we believe cost shouldn't be the reason a talented, motivated student enters the workforce as a generalist instead of a specialist.
If You're a Student Considering It
Our advice: don't wait. If you're in your final year of a PT, OT, SLP, or nursing program and have any interest in working with Parkinson's or other neurological populations, look into certification now, while you're still a student and while support — including from organizations like ours — may be available to help make it possible.
Visit our Grants page to learn more about eligibility and how to apply.
Interested in learning more about the specific certifications we fund? Check out our earlier post, LSVT BIG vs. LSVT LOUD: What's the Difference, and Why Does It Matter for Parkinson's Care?