The second day of advanced training in transcranial magnetic stimulation is complete.
It was another challenging day because there is so much to learn about this field, but it was also a blast hearing experts expound on topics about which they are so excited.
Our first speaker this morning was Colleen A. Hanlon Ph.D. She spoke on various aspects of TMS, mostly as related to her research which involves magnetic stimulation and the treatment of addiction.
Dr. Hanlon was followed by Dr. Mark George. He discussed all manner of TMS related topics. His talk was enhanced by audience participation, especially questions from various doctors eager to pick his brain.
This was perhaps the most important of the course’s lectures as it covered numerous clinical matters related to using TMS for the treatment of depression in Augusta, Georgia.
During the afternoon our group trained on one of the oldest, and perhaps the most basic magnetic stimulation machine. It would not be suitable for use in treating our patients, but it is a great machine for learning the fine points of brain mapping. One of the participants, Alicia Davenport, RN, APRN, made it look very easy. Mark George made it easier for everyone by being incredibly patient and good humored.
It was very interesting to compare this machine with the somewhat newer machine we used yesterday. Most of us liked this one a lot better, but we all like our NeuroStar TMS Therapy System a lot more.
Of course, some of the doctors don’t yet have a magnetic stimulation machine. Some of them are planning to buy a NeuroStar, and some are confused about which of the current machines to get, or whether to wait for newer ones to hit the market. We advised them to make the smart choice, and go with the industry leader.
We enjoyed talking with our colleague from Istanbul. Coming from a city of 15,000,000 people she considers Charleston a village. She speaks about five or six languages, and will be the first TMS provider in her country if she can convince her hospital to acquire a treatment machine. She’s an interesting person, and brave to come all the way to our backyard for this training course.
Several participants are scheduled to leave town tomorrow, but a number of us are staying all week, and getting as much as possible out of this opportunity to advance our knowledge and understanding of TMS.