What is Upper Airway Masterclass Online?

UAM Online is a course developed by SLTs for SLTs looking to develop their upper airway therapy skills. Tor and Jen are upper airway specialist therapists and have created this flexible and thorough course in order to help other therapists gain valuable understanding, skills and knowledge for working with people with laryngeal hypersensitivity, chronic cough, inducible laryngeal obstruction and other laryngeal conditions. 

We want you to feel excited about developing your skills in this area. 

We want you to feel supported whilst you do it. 

We want you to be able to develop over a timeframe that suits you in your workplace. 

We want you to feel confident and armed with exceptional therapy skills as you work with an upper airway caseload. 

This course is specifically linked to the RCSLT Respiratory SLT clinical guidelines and is designed to meet those specific learning outcomes. 

Perhaps you've set your personal development goals for the coming year or perhaps you've got an interest in upper airway. Perhaps you are starting a new job or developing an upper airway service in your workplace. Whatever position you are in at the moment, we have designed this course to help you develop the skills you need to work confidently with an upper airway caseload and work in a developing service with ENT and/or respiratory.

What's included in UAM online?

  • 6 modules; approx 12 hours of learning

  • Content includes the management of laryngeal hypersensitivity, chronic cough, dysfunctional breathing, ILO & EILO and other laryngeal conditions

  • Course access for 12 months from the date of purchase

  • A 1:1 supervision session with one of the course founders

  • Access to a Facebook forum for delegates for extra support

  • Email and telephone support throughout

  • A completion certificate

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome

  • 2

    Course Content & Learning Outcomes

  • 3

    Upper Airway Anatomy and Physiology

    • Airway anatomy and function
  • 4

    Upper Airway Disorders

    • Laryngeal pathologies

    • An introduction to upper airway disorders

    • Treatable traits affecting the upper airway

    • Chronic cough

    • Inducible Laryngeal Obstruction

    • Exercise Induced Laryngeal Obstruction
  • 5

    Assessment of the Patient, their Upper Airway and Presenting Symptoms

    • Assessing the patient

    • MDT diagnostic process

    • Airway investigations

    • Continuous laryngoscopy

    • Continuous laryngoscopy during exercise
  • 6

    Treating Upper Airway Disorders

    • Determining prognosis and setting goals

    • Upper airway education, health and care

    • Treating dysfunctional breathing

    • Treating cough and ILO

    • Treating Exercise Induced Laryngeal Obstruction

    • Managing dysphonia and laryngeal muscle tension

  • 7

    Upper Airway Case Management Planning

    • The patient's therapy journey

    • Supporting people in treatment and change

    • Case studies
  • 8

    Course References & Resources

    • Course references

    • Additional learning suggestions

    • Upper airway resources

    • Facebook support forum

    • How to book your supervision

    • Completion Certificate

Instructor(s)

Speech and Language Therapist

Tor Spence

Tor is a UK based speech and language therapist and specialises in voice and upper airway disorders. She worked in the National Health Service for 16 years before founding VoiceFit, her private practice in 2021. She works with adults and children with voice disorders and other upper airway and laryngeal symptoms. She is involved in teaching and supervising therapists and students. She focuses much of her work on the support and training of developing voice and upper airway therapists and has a passion for helping therapists improve their skills and confidence when working with patients. In 2024 she was nominated for an ASLTIP award for her contribution to teaching specialist voice skills. She is currently website manager and joint membership secretary of the Upper Airway Clinical Excellence Network. She is also a mum and loves cooking and her Labrador dogs.

Speech and Language Therapist

Jen Butler

Jen is the team lead speech and language therapist (SLT) for respiratory disorders in Northumbria. She has specialised in laryngeal disorders for over 12 years, taking a special interest in upper airway disorders (UAD) in 2016. in 2020 Jen completed a master’s degree in public health research, as part of the NIHR PCAF fellowship. Her primary research explored how to support people with UAD to access timely and appropriate health information. Jen works in outpatient SLT clinics, asthma multidisciplinary clinics, and ‘one stop cough’ clinics. She is an expert practitioner in laryngoscopy, supporting the diagnosis and management of breathing, cough, swallowing and voice disorders. Over recent years, Jen has led the expansion of SLT-led endoscopy services in Northumbria, which are now available at four hospital sites. She also supports fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) for acute, and community SLT teams. In 2019, Jen created the RCSLT ‘Upper Airway Disorder Factsheet’, and has since contributed to the RCSLT clinical position paper for Upper Airway Disorders, and several peer reviewed papers. She has also presented at international conferences and lectured at Newcastle University.

PRICE: £449

SAVE 10% by pre-ordering before 16th February 2026. Use 'uamlaunch' at checkout

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If you have any questions about the course or prior to purchase, please email us at [email protected]

FAQ

  • I have an interest in the upper airway respiratory specialty but I don't have a caseload yet. Is this course suitable for me?

    If developing your upper airway and respiratory speech therapy clinical skills is on your development plan then this course is for you. It takes a deep dive into the speech therapy management of laryngeal hypersensitivity, chronic cough, globus, ILO and EILO. There is support and supervision available and it's a flexible and thorough learning opportunity. The course includes case studies throughout to support your learning.

  • How long will I have access to the course for?

    From the date of purchase you will have access to the course materials for 12 months. You will be able to download the handouts to keep. Presentations must not be shared with others and are not downloadable.

  • Will I be able to ask for support and ask questions whilst completing the course?

    Yes, you can email us during your course access and beyond. We are available on email. The course also includes a 1:1 supervision session to be used within your 12 months access time. This will be with Tor or Jen (depending on availability). There is also a Facebook group for all course delegates and you can ask questions and share things there.

  • Can my employer purchase the course for me and pay by invoice?

    Yes, if you are not able to purchase the course directly online via the platform, please contact Tor Spence by emailing [email protected] and she can arrange for an invoice to be sent to you or your employer. Access to the course will be confirmed once payment is received.

Terms and Conditions

No refunds are offered once the course has been purchased. If your situation changes and you need longer than 12 months to complete the course please contact us to discuss this. Course access is for the named person that purchases the course only and presentations and learning materials must not be shared between teams and departments. We thank you for your cooperation with this. If your employer requires an invoice for payment email Tor Spence at [email protected]. When purchasing the course via invoice, the participant’s access is confirmed when payment in full is received. Where a third party is due to pay the invoice, the course participant accepts responsibility to ensure this is paid and is liable to cover the full course fee in the event the third party fails to.