Teaching the Next Generation: Bringing Pain Neuroscience into Classrooms

July 16, 2025

The Future of Pain Education Starts Now 

Pain is personal and so is how we learn to treat it. As the healthcare landscape shifts, it’s never been more critical to rethink how we teach pain, starting with the next generation of clinicians. 

At Confluent Health and Evidence in Motion, we’re embedding Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) into classrooms, clinical training, and continuing education, ensuring today’s PT, OT, MD, or PAs alike are equipped to treat one of the most misunderstood conditions: chronic pain. Here’s how we’re making it happen. 

Why It Matters 

Chronic pain affects more than 50 million U.S. adults and is one of the most common reasons people seek medical care. Yet, pain education remains a blind spot across many health professions. In fact, some medical schools offer less than 10 hours of dedicated pain education across the entire curriculum. 

We believe patients and clinicians deserve better.  

How We’re Changing That 

Through our academic partnerships and leadership at Evidence in Motion, Confluent Health is integrating PNE into PT, OT, and medical programs nationwide.  

For practicing clinicians, we’re turning awareness into action through Pain, Misunderstood, a 34-minute educational documentary available for CE credit.

How to Earn CE Credit for Watching the Film 

Whether you’re a seasoned provider or a student preparing for your first clinical rotation, you can watch Pain, Misunderstood and earn CE credit. Here’s how: 

Course Title: Pain, Misunderstood 
Format: Online, asynchronous (watch on your own time) 
Duration: 34 minutes 
Credit: Approved for 0.5 Contact Hours by the Texas Physical Therapy Association (TPTA) for PTs and PTAs. More states are coming soon. AOTA/BOCATC/AMA Category 1 

Quiz: Completion includes an end-of-film quiz (10 questions) and a course survey 

Enrollment:  Evidence in Motion’s Learning Management System (URL: https://access.evidenceinmotion.com/p/pain-misunderstood-documentary) 

Who Should Enroll: 
This course is designed for any healthcare professional looking to improve their understanding of pain and enhance patient communication, including: 

  • Physical Therapists (PT) 
  • Physical Therapist Assistants (PTA) 
  • Athletic Trainers (ATC) 
  • Sports Medicine Physicians 
  • Physicians (MD/DO) 
  • Physician Assistants (PA) 
  • Nurse Practitioners (NP) 
  • Occupational Therapists (OT) 
  • Chiropractors (DC) 
  • Behavioral Health Providers 
  • Students and Faculty in Healthcare Education 
  • Any clinician interested in strengthening their understanding of pain and patient communication 

If you’re passionate about delivering compassionate, evidence-based care and ready to rethink how we talk about pain, this course is for you. 

Learning Outcomes 

After completing the course, you’ll be able to: 

  1. Analyze the complex relationship between tissue health and pain 
  2. Evaluate non-pharmacological strategies to calm a sensitive nervous system 
  3. Apply insights from leading clinicians and patients to pain management 
  4. Empathize with real-world patient stories—from elite athletes to gunshot survivors 
  5. Advocate for a biopsychosocial, whole-person approach to pain care 

What You’ll Receive 

  • 6 months of course access 
  • A downloadable CE certificate upon completion 
  • New tools for your clinical reasoning toolkit 
  • Deeper understanding of the neuroscience behind persistent pain 

For Faculty & Academic Partners 

We also offer: 

  • Plug-and-play lesson plans 
  • Classroom discussion guides 
  • Institution-based screenings and Q&A facilitation 

Interested in bringing the film to your students? Contact our Academic Partnerships team at [email protected] to learn how to embed Pain, Misunderstood into your curriculum. 

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