I am a clinical assistant professor at the University at Buffalo’s School of Nursing in the Family Nurse Practitioner Program. I was extremely fortunate to be chosen to be an attendee at the Edmond J. Safra Nurse Educator at Parkinson’s Foundation Fellowship in 2025 at the Parkinson Disease and Movement Disorders Center at the University of Pennsylvania, a Center of Excellence.
The process of acceptance started six months before the fellowship. Once notified, I completed highly informative and eye-opening learning modules including the Fundamentals of Parkinson’s for Professionals, Expert Care Experience: The Role of Nurses in Caring for Patients with Parkinson’s, and Hospitalization in Parkinson’s Disease through the Parkinson’s Foundation Learning Lab.
Why was I interested in this fellowship? We are all, in one way or another, affected by Parkinson’s disease (PD). We all know or will know someone in the future who has the disease.
Throughout the many years of my nursing education, I learned about the pathophysiology of PD and the pharmacology of the few medications that exist. Given all that we had to learn about the neurological system, it was a brief and cursory introduction to the disease. As a lifelong learner, I wanted to obtain as much information about PD as possible because, as a committed nursing educator, I wanted to broaden my students’ knowledge base about providing care for their patients affected by this disease.
I traveled with a colleague to Philadelphia, and the weather was warm — an autumnal gift. We explored the city and familiarized ourselves with the local attractions and cuisine. We arrived at the center Monday morning, eager to go with a good cup of local coffee in hand.
We had a full day of didactics from the clinic’s top specialists in PD and Movement Disorders. To say that we were overwhelmed, even as educators ourselves, was an understatement. We delved into all things Parkinson’s: alpha synuclein, DaTscans, bradykinesia and tremors, “on time” and “off time,” movement vs. non-movement symptoms, Sinemet, dopamine agonists, and catechol-o-methyltransferase inhibitors.
We experienced firsthand the high demand on our nursing students’ bodies and brains that learning imposed. We were full of information and questions by the end of the day, all of which were addressed and answered during the immersion as observant clinicians into the everyday functioning of the clinic for the next two days.
Tuesday arrived, and we arrived with extra coffee on board. The hospitality of Penn Medicine and the welcoming nature of the patients and families embraced us as though we were employees, not just observers into the very private nature of life with PD. We were assigned to movement disorders physicians who were hosting medical school students, residents and fellows.
We attended patient appointments. We listened, observed and learned all the things that we could not or would ever learn about PD in nursing school. Even the neurologists said their experiences were similar in medical school — just too much to learn about the neurological system, too many conditions, and so little time.
During the two days in the clinic, I observed how Botox injections helped with severe foot cramps, adjustments of carbidopa-levodopa, introduction of adjunctive therapies, some pharmacological and some therapeutic and deep brain stimulation (DBS) adjustments. I watched in awe of the impact that the tiniest micro-adjustment of the DBS had on symptoms — a worsening of speech but an improvement in tremors, and then the sweet spot that instantly improved the patient’s symptoms and, thus, quality of life. I attended physical therapy sessions where patients and their families were educated about the importance and impact of exercise on slowing the progression of PD.
After returning home to digest everything, I had the opportunity to attend a support group, also hosted by Penn Medicine, for those new to PD. All the supportive resources (social work, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, clinical trial opportunities, and treatment options) that were highlighted made me aware of the incredible advances that support and treat people with PD.
It became a mission to extend our nursing curriculum to include some of the most important things our nursing students and healthcare providers can learn — the importance of maintaining PD patients’ medication schedules, the promotion of mobility and exercise, and fall prevention during hospitalization.
Since attending the fellowship, my colleague and I presented this information to our entire nursing faculty. Our educators were amazed at how little they had learned in their education and how this had been perpetuated in nursing education. In addition, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing was contacted, provided with some of the information we obtained during our fellowship, and was asked to consider including even two of the NCLEX Board questions on caring for PD patients while in the hospital.
It is my hope that, by sharing this incredible eye-opening experience, other nurse educators will apply for these fellowships that are held throughout the year and throughout the U.S. It is an amazing opportunity!
I promise that you will not return without the desire to broaden the knowledgebase of your students with the goal of improving the lives of people with PD.
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