Cooke receives Nurse Faculty Grant from the Parkinson's Foundation

Last summer, Lori Cooke, clinical instructor of nursing, was accepted to the Edmond J. Safra Visiting Nurse Faculty Program at the Parkinson’s Foundation. The highly prestigious, accredited, “train the trainer” program improves Parkinson’s disease nursing care by training the faculty leaders across the United States who educate nursing students. The rigorous coursework included didactics, clinical time with patients, participation in Parkinson’s disease support groups, and an opportunity to develop an independent project. Cooke was one of 35 faculty participants in the 2018-19 program class.

The Parkinson’s Foundation recently announced that it has awarded its second Nurse Faculty Award to three nurse scholars, and one of those recipients is Cooke. The nurses, all graduates of the Visiting Nurse Faculty Program, will receive $10,000 in grant funding from the Foundation to implement their independent projects in an effort to help improve quality of life for people with Parkinson’s disease.
 
“Nurses are on the front lines of the care team when it comes to Parkinson’s,” said John Lehr, Parkinson’s Foundation president and chief executive officer. “For that reason, it’s essential that we provide the best educational tools for nurses, beginning with our incredible Edmond J. Safra Visiting Nurse Faculty scholars. We’re excited to provide this award to three practitioners this year and increase learning opportunities at their universities by supporting their unique projects.”

Cooke’s project will enhance Parkinson’s education for baccalaureate nursing students through virtual reality (VR) simulation. Utilizing VR, students will apply theoretical concepts to patient scenarios as a way to develop clinical decision-making skills and improve patient outcomes in a safe environment.

“This grant will make it possible for Malone students to gain experience with advanced technology as they develop clinical decision-making skills to deliver the best patient outcomes,” said Cooke. “VR simulation will enable students to see various scenarios that demonstrate the importance of administering medication on time, every time. They will also be able to recognize the adverse effects of medication withdrawal and identify contradicting medications with Parkinson’s disease.”