20 years… have we had an impact?
NewsWe know that, across the 2,706 healthcare professionals who have attended one of our 113 educational events* 92% say they are likely or highly likely to modify their practice as a result of that education. We also know that the 500-plus workplace projects over the years have impacted local services as a result of our education. But we have never asked about how the Academy in general has impacted local services.
As part of our reflection on 20 years of activity, we sent out a simple, short survey asking you to tell us a bit about how your relationship with the Academy has impacted your service.
'Attending the MasterClass had a positive impact on my work and benefited the patients in my care. It also allowed me to meet other professionals to support me in my role and ultimately improve my practice.'
Hoping for a handful of responses, we were overwhelmed by the 189 of you who took the time to share your thoughts - and amazed at the positivity of the impact you feel the Academy has had on your practice and professional development.
Our mission is to deliver education which leads to service transformation and positively impacts people with Parkinson's, so we are thrilled that 94% of responders say Parkinson's Academy has improved their personal practice.
'I have attended one MasterClass and the impact that had on my practice was amazing; as a result I am doing a second in November. Always well organised but small enough to be friendly and allow for networking.'
Of 189 responders…
'Thanks; you’ve made my practice more consistent and evidence based.'
That 94% feel the Academy has impacted their personal practice when 41% of responders have not attended a MasterClass is an incredible testament to the quality of our webinars, virtual courses and other online resources.
A huge number of responders chose to send a message of gratitude or encouragement to the Academy and many shared some of the ways Parkinson's Academy had impacted them, their work or their service.
'The Academy is a terrific resource and a great learning and educational support structure for all healthcare staff looking after those with neurological conditions.'
'The Parkinson's Academy has improved the care I give and took my knowledge to a higher level than I expected for my nursing/caring career. Well done and congratulations. You have helped so much.'
'Thank you for the fantastic work you have done over the years. I hope the following 20 years bring even more achievements.'
We gave respondents a list of offerings from Parkinson's Academy and asked them to select every option that they had accessed and found useful. Of these responses, a wide range of education had been both accessed and found useful.
*percentages here are of the proportion of respondents who selected each option in this question. Slightly fewer people responded to this question than the initial question around what education had been accessed thus the discrepancy in MasterClass attendance percentages.
'We have added the FRAX tool to our Parkinson's assessment following the bone health webinar. It's a simple change that may make a big difference in reducing fragility fractures in our PD patients.'
'Attending webinars allowed me to improve my knowledge from various expert consultants which helped me a lot as a developing PD nurse specialist.'
'An excellent resource for a registrar training in geriatric medicine who wants to specialise in movement disorders. Especially the webinars which can be joined live or retrospectively.'
These positive messages have shown us that, in addition to the transformative impact that the workplace projects can have, our education is supporting, influencing and encouraging improvements in personal practice, local services, and patient experiences.
*'Events' where an * shows, refers to courses, conferences, roadshows and webinars
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'The things you can't get from the books'
Parkinson's Academy, our original and longest running Academy, houses 20 years of inspirational projects, resources, and evidence for improving outcomes for people with Parkinson's. Led by co-founder and educational director Dr Peter Fletcher, the Academy has a truly collegiate feel and prides itself on delivering 'the things you can't get from books' - a practical learning model which inspires all Neurology Academy courses.