Testimonials

What was the most useful part of your UW PPC training experience?

The most useful part of my UW PPC experience was being able to work in training as a part of an interdisciplinary team. This has helped me so much as junior faculty now.

Graduating from the UW PPC has allowed me to experience caring for children with complex medical issues, which has made me a better physician.

What was the most useful part of your UW PPC training experience?

The most useful part of UW PPC training is the clinical experience that I gained. UW attracts many pediatric pulmonary patients not only because of its expertise in nutrition, but also because of the excellent teamwork among the doctors, nurses, and dietitians.

How has participating in the UW PPC training benefited you?

I benefited most from the well-planned curriculum, ranging from leadership to culture competency.

How has participating in the UW PPC training positively impacted your career?

When I practice nowadays, I always think back to the training I had with UW PPC. It helps me daily and also helps me as a leader in the area of pediatric nutrition. No doubt, my experience at UW PPC had a tremendous affect on me.

Prior to entering the UW PPC interdisciplinary training, I had practiced as an RN in various Children's Hospitals for over 20 years. I have never been as impressed with the value and dedication to interdisciplinary team training and practice than I was during my Fellowship with the PPC at UW-Madison.

Everything was useful in the training. I think the one aspect that heightened my awareness of how various disciplines work in coordination to serve the needs of the child and family included the team rounds and the experience I had in the Ambulatory Clinic. Treatment plans, acquiring tools needed by families and children, transition planning, advocacy (political & clinical), and adherence were all areas where I learned a great deal. The group work was invaluable, as it exposed you to a number of people from a variety of disciplines. As nursing faculty, I was also able to share this experience with nursing students I had in the pediatric clinical site.

The PPC Training was invaluable for me as a researcher as well as a practitioner. My passion in clinical care has always been for Children with Special Healthcare Needs (CSHCN). The PPC training experience has also informed my program of research. For example, I am currently working on my dissertation project entitled "Clinical and Fiscal Outcomes of an Interdisciplinary Care Model for Children with Cystic Fibrosis". I would not be on this path if it weren't for my PPC training.

In addition to all the gifts above, one additional opportunity for me was networking with other faculty from other PPCs in the US. I was able to attend the National Meeting in Washington, DC, and work on a journal article with members of other disciplines in other PPCs. In addition, I have been able to participate on the "team" teaching in the on-line course entitled "Interdisciplinary Coordinated Care of the Child with Chronic Illness".

The best description I can provide is the PPC training involves you in an interdisciplinary family, preparing you to improve your care for families of CSHCN. It is something I will carry with me for my entire career.

What was the most useful part of your UW PPC training experience?

The mentorship that the PPC staff provided was extremely useful. Being able to easily ask questions and learn from the staff greatly aided in the learning process. Technically speaking, the learning contract was helpful to keep myself on track and make sure that I complete the competencies of the traineeship. Also, coming from a non-clinical background, the interdisciplinary course was an excellent introduction to the philosophy of care that the PPC embodies and laid the foundation for the issues and barriers to providing family-centered, interdisciplinary care for children with special healthcare needs.

How has participating in the UW PPC training benefited you?

Participating in the UW PPC training gave me the skills and self-efficacy to be a leader in public health and provide clinical nutrition care in a hospital setting (something I had not done prior to this experience). I was honestly very nervous to provide nutrition counseling, but with the great leadership and mentorship that the PPC provided the task is less daunting and I realized that I can do it and do it well. By the end of my traineeship I felt very confident to provide nutrition assessment and counseling and to learn from patients as much as they could learn from me.

How has participating in the UW PPC training positively impacted your career?

My future goals have been greatly shaped by this experience. Since participating as a nutrition trainee, I have applied to a dietetic internship that focuses on special needs and rural populations and have applied for a LEND fellowship (another MCH traineeship) that focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders. This traineeship has molded the direction to which I want my future to go. I want to focus my efforts in public health nutrition on children with special needs and rural health disparities. I want to advocate for better care and quality of life for those in need, which can be particularly challenging for rural populations; the PPC gave me this direction and I am so grateful! I am really excited to seek out a job that can fulfill these goals and to which I can apply the leadership skills I gained and make lasting improvements and impact for these populations.

What was the most useful part of your UW PPC training experience?

Participating in the PPC training helped me to understand all of the effort that is needed to provide family-centered care. I learned much about the services available (and sometimes, not available) to patients and families with special needs. The course has really helped me as an attending physician who continues to provide care for children with chronic lung disease.

How has participating in the UW PPC training positively impacted your career?

I gained a better perspective of what families encounter on a daily basis taking care of children with chronic disease. The course opened my eyes to a lot of the work that is done outside of the clinic and hospital and I gained a greater appreciation for the work that families do on a daily basis.

What was the most useful part of your UW PPC training experience?

Actually working on the multidisciplinary team and learning about the different facets of providing care for a child with special health needs.

How has participating in the UW PPC training benefited you?

I have a better understanding of how to be an effective team member in taking care of children with special needs. I use my PPC training everyday in my current job. My PPC experience also solidified my interest in public health and being an advocate for children with special healthcare needs.

How has participating in the UW PPC training positively impacted your career?

As I was interviewing for my first job, my PPC experience set me apart from other applicants. Perspective employers knew that I had specialized experience and training in working on a team and with issues affecting children with special needs. Employers knew that I would not be overwhelmed in a fast paced clinic because of my PPC experience.