Lynn Chapman Clinical Mentorship Award

Background

Mentoring is defined as a special relationship that develops between two people in which the mentor plays an active role in the development of another individual, the mentee, by demonstrating a personal interest in that individual and their career. The mentor may assume many roles including that of teacher, sponsor, advisor, role model, coach, and confidant. An ideal mentor also provides counsel, vision, support, and a belief in others’ capabilities while demonstrating excellent interpersonal skills, which facilitate the mentoring relationship. The establishment of a successful mentor-mentee relationship, that applies these components to their relationship is a critical element in the development of a physiotherapist’s advanced musculoskeletal skills and subsequent high-quality patient care. Lyn Chapman was a model mentor, who strived for excellence in each mentee relationship as she contributed to the future development of Musculoskeletal Orthopaedic Physiotherapy in Canada. This award is established in her name.

History

The Orthopaedic Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) Lynn Chapman Clinical Mentorship Award was initiated in 2016 to honor the late Lynn Chapman, an outstanding physiotherapist who passed away in 2015. It was realized by her peers, and the Orthopaedic Division, acknowledging that she was an outstanding mentor who made significant contributions to the profession locally and nationally, with little regard for direct name recognition.

Her main professional motivation was to promote and facilitate quality physiotherapy practice, which translated into safe and effective patient care. She never needed to be recognized on a center stage, yet there are few orthopaedic musculoskeletal physiotherapists in the country that have not been directly or indirectly influenced in a positive way by her tireless and passionate acts of dedication to the profession.

The Orthopaedic Division recommended, with consent from her family, the creation of the Lyn Chapman Clinical Mentorship award in honour of the important mentorship that Lyn provided in both her clinical work and education. Lyn had an enthusiasm to share her expertise and knowledge and an eagerness to invest in others. She did this with respect, empathy, and reflective listening. This award recognizes colleagues who exemplify the attributes of an excellent mentor and have demonstrated pioneerism of the profession, have been a pillar of the profession, and have provided support for physiotherapists to continually improve their knowledge and skills to advance the practice of musculoskeletal orthopaedic physiotherapy.

Philosophy

Members of the profession believe that:

  • Through a mentorship model, physiotherapists can advance patient care through policy development, clinical research, and course/curricula expansion.
  • An individual can provide inspirational mentorship in a variety of ways at any stage of their career.
  • Physiotherapists who mentor colleagues benefit both the individual and the profession.
  • An individual can work diligently and passionately “under the radar” to progress the physiotherapy profession.
  • Physiotherapists, who role-model professionalism and volunteerism are often as inspiring to their colleagues and peers as the established, identified leaders of the profession.

Purpose

A mentor supports you through your professional development. A mentor is someone you can share ideas with, turn to for advice and understand the complexities associated with patient care. The Orthopaedic Division Lynn Chapman Clinical Mentorship Award aims to recognize physiotherapists who, through their inspiration and support, actively engaged in the mentorship of other physiotherapists and have supported the development of others in the advancement of musculoskeletal/orthopaedic physiotherapy.

Criteria For Selection

The nominated individual must be recognized by their peers as having provided musculoskeletal/orthopaedic physiotherapy related mentorship for several physiotherapists while acting as a role model and inspiration for others. A preference will be given to individuals who are involved in musculoskeletal/orthopaedic physiotherapy related leadership and/or volunteer activities that encourage the participation of others in professional activities. The nominee must have at least five years of Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) Orthopaedic Division membership.

Activities that will be considered include:

  • Mentoring at least two physiotherapists in the areas of musculoskeletal/orthopaedic clinical practice, education, research, advocacy, or professional activities, thereby making a significant contribution to the productive development of the professional life of those physiotherapists over the course of their career.
  • Acting as an exceptional role model for others through involvement in professional voluntary activities that contribute to the profession and the CPA Orthopaedic Division.

Eligibility

The individual must be a physiotherapist with current CPA Orthopaedic Division membership.

Selection Of Candidate

The Orthopaedic Division Awards Committee will select the recipient(s).

Presentation

Award(s) will be presented annually at the Orthopaedic Division Annual Symposium.

Form Of Award

  • Recognition at the Orthopaedic Division Annual Symposium
  • A certificate recognizing the recipient

Nomination Procedure

Nominations may be made by a member of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association. All nominations are confidential between the nominator(s) and the Awards Committee.

The nomination must include:

  1. Three letters of recommendation, none of which shall exceed 1200 word-count. At least two letters of recommendation will be from physiotherapists who have been mentored by the individual being nominated.
  2. One of the nominators must be identified as the primary nominator.
  3. In order for the Candidate to be successful in the nomination process, the letters must outline the individual qualities that align with mentorship, how they meet the criteria for the award and must provide supporting evidence for all the qualities of a mentor, experienced in the mentor-mentee relationship.
  4. Curriculum Vitae of the candidate.

Guiding Questions

  1. How has the nominee inspired you?
  2. How has the nominee contributed to your body of knowledge and clinical experience in musculoskeletal/orthopaedic physiotherapy?
  3. How has the nominee’s support provided opportunities that you may not have otherwise explored?
  4. Describe the nominee’s mentorship attributes that influence your community of practice.

Download the Nomination Form

 

Lynn Chapman Award Recipients: