We all have to do it. Continuing Education. Some of us love it, some of us tolerate it, and some of us—well—consider it a form of professional torture.
If you’re like me, six years of school just wasn’t enough. I’ve taken A LOT of continuing education courses. I’m talking working-on-my-15th-ACE-award level of “a lot.” And let’s be honest: not all CEUs are created equal.
I’ve walked out of courses, sworn off certain speakers, and also counted down the days until I could hear others present again. There are those that left me energized and ready to treat dysphagia like the boss SLP I am—and others that left me wondering if I’d ever get those hours (or brain cells) back.
So today, I’m sharing some of my all-time favorite dysphagia-related CEU courses—the ones I truly believe every medical SLP should consider. And spoiler alert: none of them involved fluff or endless PowerPoint slides of outdated research. These are practical, evidence-based, and actually usable in your clinical life. Let’s dig in.
⭐️ The McNeill Dysphagia Therapy Program (MDTP) – FDI2
This course was a game-changer for me. It’s grounded in exercise physiology and gives you a treatment protocol that makes sense and can be implemented the next day—no expensive equipment required. (Unless you count groceries.)
Yes, I traveled to Florida for it, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat. It was worth every mile and every minute.
⭐️ MBSImP – Northern Speech Services
By the time I took this course, I had already completed hundreds of Modified Barium Swallow Studies. I thought I was confident in my skills.
Spoiler: I learned so much. This course connected the dots between what I was seeing on the screen and the underlying impairments—something I didn’t even realize I was missing. If you do MBSS, you need this.
⭐️ VitalStim – CIAO Seminars
Whether or not you’re team e-stim, this course delivers a goldmine of information on the physiology of the swallow. This was my “a-ha!” course—the one where it all clicked. If you’re looking to deepen your understanding of swallow kinematics and musculature, this course is for you.
⭐️ Assessment and Treatment of Chronic Cough – Mary Sandage, MedBridge Education
Raise your hand if you’ve had a patient come in for a swallow study because of a chronic cough… and found zero oropharyngeal deficits.
This course helped me better assess and manage chronic cough in a way that felt empowering, not frustrating. It’s thorough, practical, and full of takeaways you can use immediately.
⭐️ Pharmacology for Geriatric Patients – MedBridge Education
Medication management in the elderly is a beast. Just when I think I have a handle on it, something changes.
This course helped me feel more confident identifying how medications might impact swallow safety. Highly recommend if you treat medically complex or polypharmacy-heavy patients (so… everyone?).
⭐️ The Medical SLP Live Event – Medical SLP Collective
I’ve had the incredible opportunity to attend (and present at!) this event twice now, and I can’t say enough good things.
Unlike traditional conferences, this isn’t someone lecturing at you for 6 hours. It’s roundtables, real-time discussion, and shared clinical wisdom. You’ll laugh, you’ll learn, and you’ll leave feeling recharged.
Oh—and if you’re wondering whether the Medical SLP Collective is worth it? For me, the resource library, monthly webinars, and this live event make it a solid yes.
⭐️ AmpCare Effective Swallowing Protocol – Online + Live
This NMES course was packed with anatomy, physiology, and cranial nerve review in a way that didn’t make me want to fall asleep. The online and live versions both deliver, and this is a course I recommend to anyone looking to up their NMES game with a solid evidence-based approach.
⭐️ Kinesiology Taping Techniques for Swallowing Disorders – CIAO Seminars
I had been to a couple of taping courses at the ASHA convention that were… less than thrilling. But this course, taught by physical therapist John Kelly, was phenomenal.
It was incredibly practical, packed with in-depth teaching on anatomy and physiology, and honestly—fun! I was lucky enough to take it live, and the hands-on format really brought everything together. If you’re curious about how kinesiology taping might support your dysphagia patients, this one is absolutely worth your time.
⭐️ Expiratory Muscle Strength Training (EMST) – Christine Sapienza
I had the pure luck of attending this course live, and it was phenomenal. Christine Sapienza is a powerhouse in the field, and this course offered an in-depth dive into respiration, voice, and swallow physiology.
Learning about EMST, especially the EMST 150 device, completely changed the way I think about respiratory strength and airway protection. If you treat patients with dysphagia, voice, or neurogenic deficits, this course is a must.
⭐️ FEES Training
This one is tough because there are SO many options out there. If you’re looking for on-demand learning, Gerrita Morris has multiple amazing courses on MedBridge including:
- FEES: Compensatory Strategies to Improve Swallowing Functionality
- FEES: Normal vs. Abnormal Swallow Function
- FEES: Normal Variant vs. Anatomical Abnormality
These are all incredibly valuable courses that break down complex anatomy and function in an accessible and clinical way.
For hands-on training, I personally completed the Eric Blicker course, and it was PACKED with information. The hands-on experience was phenomenal—I completed so many passes I lost count! It was one of the most practical and immersive trainings I’ve attended.
Courses I Loved… But You Can’t Get Anymore 😢
One of my all-time favorites, Critical Thinking in Dysphagia Management, is unfortunately no longer available. It challenged me to think differently, apply evidence creatively, and trust my clinical reasoning. If it ever comes back, jump on it!
Final Thoughts
Continuing education doesn’t have to be boring, overwhelming, or a checkbox to renew your license. The right courses can reignite your passion, sharpen your clinical skills, and remind you why you chose this wild world of dysphagia in the first place.
There are so many good recorded courses on SpeechPathology dot com, MedBridge and Med SLP Collective.
I don’t do the ASHA recorded courses. At all. I’m not even a fan of the courses, for the most part, at the ASHA Convention. Why? At the ASHA Convention only a select number of people are compensated for their courses. Most people are accepted to present and then still pay the entire amount to attend the conference including flight, hotel, etc. If you have a popular course or one that ASHA thinks will do well, they ask you to record it, free of charge for them, and then continue to sell it to member for a profit. I will pay for your course, but the author and presenter should receive compensation for it, not just a place on the ASHA website and a thank you.
So tell me—what’s the best (or worst) dysphagia CEU you’ve ever taken? Drop it in the comments or tag me on Instagram @dysphagia_ramblings!
Side note….Just because a course isn’t on here, doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. Obviously I love learning. I may not have taken the course, or it just didn’t beat out my hard-to-beat list here!
Are you ready for a deeper dive with even more resources available? Join the Dysphagia Skills Accelerator today. You will get so many great tools with new tools being added all the time! Click here to join now!
Have you ever wanted a way to create a more standardized protocol for your Clinical Swallow Evaluation? Do you often forget or leave out parts of the CSE, you know, the parts that are important for your Plan of Care? You probably need the Clinical Dysphagia Assessment Toolkit if you answered yes. You can get your copy here.
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