The PEP Jobs Program was started by physicians of the Pacific Epilepsy Program (PEP) at California Pacific Medical Center to help people with epilepsy find employment. It helps a wide range of clients, from those who are developmentally disabled to others who have masters degrees. Kenneth D. Laxer, MD, Medical Director of PEP, and one of the founders, said, “This is not a particularly novel idea. When the original Epilepsy Contract centers were established by the National Institutes of Health, the centers included TAPS programs; that is, training and placement services. Unfortunately we seem to have forgotten about this important component to the well being of our epilepsy patients.”

He noted, “We launched our PEP Jobs Program in April 2006 to give our epilepsy clients life-changing support beyond control of their seizures. While superior medical service is our immediate objective, our patients also want and deserve a way to improve their quality of life by becoming fully engaged and productive citizens. Securing meaningful employment is one such vital element towards achieving that goal,” he continued.

“The CPMC PEP program provides advice and assistance through counseling, job referrals and job search support to help our epilepsy clients become fully participating, working members of our communities. While there are a few similar programs, ideally, we would like to see additional programs like ours available to people with epilepsy throughout the country,” he concluded.

In addition to Dr. Laxer, other founding members include: David King-Stephens, MD, Director of Clinical Neurophysiology, Peter B. Weber, MD, Surgical Director of the Epilepsy Program and William J. McMullen, Jr., PhD, Neurophysiologist.

According to Matthew Poland, Employment Coordinator, they found “a huge need for employment assistance.” He said, “One of the issues that seemed to surface came about when people had successful surgery to correct seizures. As a result, they found that they could work again, but were unsure how to approach a new job search.”

He pointed out: “Our Mission is to offer expert assistance to people with epilepsy in finding and keeping a job or developing a career path suitable for their needs and goals." Poland talked to epilepsy.com about some of the challenges that people with epilepsy face. These include workplace challenges and job training issues.

Workplace challenges

• Trying to find employment
• Determining how to keep a job despite having seizures
• Wishing to change a job but not knowing where to begin
• Determining at what stage of epilepsy treatment one might consider working.

Job training geared for people with epilepsy

The PEP program works in ways that Poland believes can be replicated:

• There is a physician referral, a referral from social services, or the Epilepsy Foundation.
• A personal interview to discuss needs and interests.
• After the interview the person is referred to the Department of Rehabilitation. because they provide additional services that might include assistance with the job search, transportation, interview clothing, and referrals to training programs.

To be certain that each person looking for a job has the right tools, PEP will help with:

• Creating or updating a resume
• Preparing cover letters
• Designing a strategy plan for the job search which might include the Internet, job fairs, or other types of referrals
• Teaching interview techniques through role play -- for example, how to talk with a manager if you are meeting with one; or what you should say and shouldn’t say.
• Setting up mock interviews at other agencies
• Going through a debriefing after an interview to evaluate and see what clients might need to practice and improve upon.

Poland said, “All this time, a parallel process is taking place between PEP and the Department of Rehabilitation. When it comes time to let someone go out and actually secure a position, we will help them find leads, follow-through, and advocate for interviews. But we make it clear that they must actively participate in the process.”

He added, “Clients are generally retained for 90 days and given full support. Once they have a position, we follow up to be certain it is going all right. Generally speaking they are out of the system in 90 days. However, if they need more time with us, they can come back. But generally after that time, the case closes. Nonetheless we do follow them and if there are some difficulties, we will talk with their boss and try to help make the process a success.”

Poland pointed out that people with epilepsy can access vocational rehabilitation in every state. A partial list can be found at http://www.parac.org/svrp.html

He also expressed concern about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). “Due to court rulings, the ADA has not been too useful for people with disabilities in employment matters. They make it so difficult to qualify for a disability that if you are able to qualify, you probably wouldn’t be able to work. So while other parts of the ADA are good for building codes, Title I is not very useful for people with epilepsy in its current state. We know that Tony Coehlo is out there advocating. We want people to get involved and talk to their Congressional representatives.”

For more information please go to: www.cpmc.org/PEPjobs

Edited by Steven C. Schachter, MD, on 1/30/08