Nurses Specializing in Parkinson's Disease

As a nurse who has spent her career specializing in Parkinson’s, I am excited to tell you about the expansion of The Edmond J. Safra Visiting Nurse Faculty Program at PDF. This collaboration is designed to prepare the next generation of nurses to fight the disease on the front lines. http://www.pdf.org/edmondjsafranursingDear Friend of PDF: Has a nurse made a difference in your life or the lives of those you know who are touched by Parkinson’s disease? As a nurse who has spent my career working with people with Parkinson’s and their families, I know the critical role that we can play. But, as a nursing educator, I found that not much had changed from my own undergraduate days, when my textbook included exactly one sentence on Parkinson’s disease. But now, we can be hopeful for a different kind of future for nursing care in PD. Today, the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation and the Edmond J. Safra Foundation announced their collaboration on expanding and enhancing The Edmond J. Safra Visiting Nurse Faculty Program to improve care for the nearly one million people in the United States living with Parkinson’s. The Edmond J. Safra Visiting Nurse Faculty Program allows nurses like me, who have spent our careers specializing in Parkinson’s, to share our knowledge with nursing faculty, who can in turn teach their students to meet the needs of this community.  And in the upcoming year, we’re offering up to eight trainings around the US for nurse faculty (see below). Established by the Edmond J. Safra Foundation in 2009, the program offers faculty members from undergraduate nursing programs a 40-hour curriculum that includes: academic instruction hands-on experience with people with Parkinson’s disease independent study, and mentorship from nurse specialists at nationally recognized movement disorder centers. More than 120 nurse faculty have completed the program, returning to their classrooms better able to train the next generation. They have gone on to become local and national leaders in PD care and nursing education. I am thrilled that the program is now housed at PDF, as part of the organization’s commitment to training health care professionals. Keep in mind that PDF offers free patient education materials and continuing education opportunities for other professionals. I hope you’ll visit our website to learn more about The Edmond J. Safra Visiting Nurse Faculty Program at PDF. Sincerely, Gwyn Vernon, M.S.N., R.N., C.R.N.P. Co-Founder and National Director of The Edmond J. Safra Visiting Nurse Faculty Program at the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation & Nurse Practitioner in the Department of Neurology/Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center of the University of Pennsylvania at the Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA http://www.pdf.org/edmondjsafranursing