On Saturday, September 8, 6 teens, their parents, and my mom and I gathered in Bridgewater, N.J., for the New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome & Associated Disorders’ Patient-Centered Medical Education Program (PCME) training.
PCME is a program in which children/teens and their families help educate pediatric and family practice physicians, residents and staff at hospitals across New Jersey about Tourette Syndrome. At the training, we reviewed a typical PCME program session.
Now that I have been through the training process, I will have the opportunity to speak at hospitals and medical centers throughout New Jersey. So far, PCMEs have taken place at:
- Jersey Shore Medical Center
- Goryeb Children’s Hospital
- JFK Medical Center
- Saint Peter’s University Hospital
- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
- Overlook Medical Center
New ones are planned for Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Cooper University Hospital. Hopefully, I get to do one of those!
I really think PCME is a positive way to educate physicians. The best way for us to help doctors help us is by sharing our real and personal experiences with them. When I participate in PCME, I want to share the story of my diagnosis and treatments. For example, I will explain what I especially like about how certain doctors treated me. I really love how my current psychiatrist texts me often when I have been put on a new medication to check how I am doing.
The PCME training was a great experience, and I cannot wait to use the skills that I learned when speaking at hospitals. I strongly suggest reaching out to NJCTS and attend a training session. Speaking to doctors about our TS experiences is a great way to spread awareness and real understanding about our disorder, which affects 1 in 100 children!
Here are links that take you to the 5 most recent examples of PCME trainings:
- JFK Medical Center (8-30-12)
- Jersey Shore Medical Center (8-30-12)
- Goryeb Children’s Hospital (8-15-12)
- Goryeb Children’s Hospital (4-9-12)
- Saint Peter’s University Hospital (10-20-11)