Team Training

The Parkinson's Foundation Team Training program improves the lives of people living with Parkinson's disease (PD) by increasing knowledge, communication, and collaboration among healthcare professionals working in the PD community.  The program incorporates the latest research and treatments to strengthen comprehensive, interprofessional, and patient-centered care throughout the continuum of the disease.

Training Dates & Location

Team Training LIVE

• 3 day in-person program offered each fall season
• Includes approximately 3 hours of required online pre-program work

ADVANCED Team Training

Completion of a previous Parkinson’s Foundation Team Training (formerly ATTP) training is required to apply.

Team Training alumni have exclusive access to annual Advanced Team Training Programs which are intensive trainings looking through the lens of the team on specific topics affecting the Parkinson’s community and the challenges in the treatment of PD. The focused topic changes annually.

Advanced Team Training 2024 Topic:

The Parkinson’s Foundation is partnering with CurePSP for an in-person training focused on the interprofessional care of the atypical Parkinsonian syndromes of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD) and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). 

All Team Training programs include:

• Continuing Education credit for physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, PTs, OTs, SLPs, social workers, and psychologists
• Individual and team planning tools for immediate implementation (team discounts are offered)
• Opportunity to network with regional, national, and international health professionals
• Having your name added to the Parkinson's Foundation Helpline database so our counselors can direct callers to you when looking for Parkinson’s trained health care specialists close to home

Who Can Benefit

The program currently caters to the following professions for training:

• Physicians
• Nurse Practitioners
• Nurses
• Physician Assistants
• Occupational Therapists
• Speech Language Pathologists
• Physical Therapists
• Social Workers
• Psychologists

Background & Goals

Parkinson’s Foundation Team Training has been developed to increase knowledge of Parkinson’s disease and build capacity for comprehensive inter-professional care in the treatment of Parkinson’s.

The program is intended for nurses, nurse practitioners, occupational therapists, physician assistants, physical therapists, speech language pathologists, psychologists, social workers and physicians who are interested in education about the management of medications and care challenges in Parkinson’s.

The Parkinson’s Foundation believes that inter-professional care can make the difference between satisfaction and despair for patients, caregivers and the staff providing the care. While Team Training is designed to bring teams together to learn how to better collaborate and plan for better care and treatment of patients, it’s open to all health professionals, even those working in settings that don’t have team care models.

Prior to the program, each registrant will complete approximately 3-4 hours of online preparatory modules that include an overview of Parkinson’s, interprofessional Team Trainings, and neuropsychiatric symptoms and management.

The faculty consists of an interdisciplinary team of senior movement disorder specialists.

Learning Objectives

Learning objectives apply to all professions:

• Identify key strategies for challenges associated with Parkinson’s and side effects of PD medications.
• Establish skills to support a person with Parkinson’s and their care partners in improving self-management.
• Discuss key characteristics of early, middle, and late-stage Parkinson’s disease.
• Explain interprofessional healthcare team members’ care coordination in the management in Parkinson's disease and potential impact on quality of life of people with Parkinson's and care partners.
• Describe the unique and complementary roles of each profession in the interprofessional team and how to work collaboratively to improve patient care.

Training Dates & Locations

Leadership

Team Training is not simply a program in Parkinson's disease. This is an intensive integrated curriculum, developed jointly by the faculty team and taught in a collaborative way. Faculty are committed to its mission of person-centered interprofessional care in Parkinson's and serve as a faculty team modeling effective integrated care planning in the training itself.

Whether addressing cognition, mobility, communication or emotional issues, Team Training faculty values the contribution of each discipline to assessment and care of the person with Parkinson's disease and their caregiver.

Accomplishments

The Team Training program has had a steady growth trajectory and is increasingly in demand across the country. With an impressive list of accomplishments, Team Training has delivered on its promise and has, to date:

• Completed 44 trainings, enrolling over 2,800 practitioners and students across multiple disciplines.
• Enrolled over 400 interdisciplinary teams to date throughout the U.S., Canada and now reaching global participation.
• Significantly impacted participants, many of whom left the training with plans to start a Parkinson's program or revive their interdisciplinary Parkinson's team.
• Changed their understanding of the impact of Parkinson's disease on family care partners.

Sponsoring Team Training

The Parkinson's Foundation seeks private funding to support the program. If you or your organization is interested in sponsoring this program in your area or would like to make a contribution, please contact TeamTraining@Parkinson.org or call 1-800-473-4636.

To find a professional who has completed Team Training in your area, call our Helpline at 800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636).

Payment

Payment will not be accepted without first applying to attend the training(s) and receiving an acceptance confirmation via email.

Electronic payment (via credit card) is due immediately after receiving an acceptance email to enroll in the program. A payment link will be provided in your acceptance email to pay for the program.

• Registration fee for a single program (Team Training or Advanced Team Training): $550 USD (per person)

• Teams of 3 or more: $500 USD (per person)

• Registration fee to attend both programs back-to-back 2024: $950 USD (per person)

• Teams of 3 or more to attend both programs back-to-back 2024: $850 USD (per person)

• VA facilities: The Parkinson’s Foundation provides special discount pricing via email to VA employees.

• MD Fellows: Complimentary (limited to 2 MD fellows per training)

• Students: Complimentary limited*

*Complimentary student access is limited to two students per each listed discipline track. You must be a full-time student and unlicensed in the discipline track for which you are applying.

Please email any questions to TeamTraining@parkinson.org.

Publications

Interprofessional education increases knowledge, promotes team building, and changes practice in the care of Parkinson's disease, Parkinsonism and Related Disorders 22 (2016). Download to read.

Development and Evolution of a Model Interprofessional Education Program in Parkinson’ s disease: A Ten-year Experience (May 2018). Download to read.