Acute Care Section award recipients named at CSM 2009.

Mary Sinnott Award for Clinical Excellence in Acute Care

The Mary Sinnott Award for Clinical Excellence in Acute Care was established to honor an outstanding clinician whose major professional involvement and contribution has been in the area of acute care physical therapy. To be eligible for nomination for this award, the individual must be:

* A current member of the Acute Care Section;

* One who has contributed to the Section;

* Engaged full-time in clinical practice for at least 5 years, with service in the acute care setting as a primary focus;

* One who has been involved in mentoring/educational activities to disseminate clinical expertise;

* One who has contributed to the overall development of acute care physical therapy as an effective and scientific profession, through clinical research or case studies; presentation at continuing education lectures or conferences; program development; or publication of articles related to acute care physical therapy.

Elizabeth Warner, PT obtained her physical therapy degree at the University of Connecticut in 1991. She worked as a staff therapist at the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven, Connecticut, at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, and at Bristol Hospital in Brisol, Connecticut before becoming the Manager-Department of Physical Medicine at Bristol Hospital in 1998.

Examples of Elizabeth's accomplishments abound: she was involved in a statewide quality coalition on fall prevention; is a researcher and champion of lavage therapy; and is an innovator of evidence-based orthopedic care pathways and standardized order sets. Elizabeth has always valued research, as a basis for her excellent clinical practice, and as a vehicle to stimulate clinical questions, evaluate practice, and inspire staff. She consistently submits clinical research posters to symposia and has presented both regionally and nationally. Elizabeth and her staff have become the de facto wound care resource at Bristol Hospital, assisting and instructing the nursing staff in complex wound management. She has played a major role in the hospital skin integrity task force, the falls prevention task force, as well as in the development and maintenance of her hospital as a designated stroke care center.

As one colleague put it, "Observing Elizabeth at the bedside is a joy." As an expert physical therapist with highly honed skills, she can quickly assess a patient's physical and psychosocial parameters. In a patient-focused care environment, she actively engages the patient, advocates for appropriate therapies, and seeks referrals across disciplines. "She has a gift for sizing up a situation expertly, concisely articulating the pertinent issues, seeking consensus and then moving ahead with the action plan," remarked another colleague. "Hardly a 'shrinking violet,' Elizabeth's straight forward, ethical style, along with her superior clinical skill set, has earned her a reputation as the clinician you want on your team!" As a result, she is often tapped for numerous quality improvement programs across care settings and geographic areas. Her tireless team-building skills and ongoing mentorship have inspired staff across disciplines and clinical settings. Another colleague summarized, "She not only speaks 'interdisciplinary' and 'across the continuum' and 'evidence-based practice,' she lives by these mantras, consistently assuring communication, education, and resources to attain true patient focus and quality clinical outcomes."

The Acute Care Section was honored to present the 2009 Mary Sinnott Award for Clinical Excellence in Acute Care to Elizabeth Warner, PT.

Fellowship Award

The Acute Care Section Fellowship Award was created to acknowledge and honor an outstanding non-Section member whose contributions to the Section have been of exceptional value. The nominee shall have made substantial contributions to the Section, in one or more of the following areas:

* Demonstrated prominent contributions in advancing the interests, objectives, and strategic plan of the Section;

* Utilized exceptional time and talent to assist the Section and its membership in achieving their goals;

* Advanced public/professional awareness of Acute Care physical therapy.

Jean M. Bryan Coe, PT, DPT, PhD, or "Jeannie" as she is known to many, has been an outstanding facilitator and guide for the Acute Care Section as it moves towards establishing specialty certification. She began her work with the Section's Subject Matter Experts (SME) task force in the summer of 2007, when it began the task of completing an analysis of acute care physical therapy practice. As one of the task force members explained, "Jeannie ran that meeting with speed, efficiency, and a goal-directed manner that I have not seen in all my years of local, state, and national meetings." Another task force member stated, "I have worked on many committees, task forces, groups, etc. over more than 25 years, and Jean by far is the best facilitator I have ever worked with."

At the end of that meeting, Jeannie noted that originally, when she agreed to be the consultant on this project, she was unsure as to whether or not the task force would be moving forward with a practice analysis, as she was unsure if specialized knowledge, skills, and behaviors in acute care physical therapy even existed. After meeting with the SME group, she felt possibly surer than they did that they "were on to something." As a physical therapist with a distinctly more outpatient, orthopedic background, she came away from that meeting convinced that if she was acutely ill and in need of physical therapy, she knew that she wanted to be treated by someone who specialized in acute care physical therapy practice. More importantly, she knew that the Section could show this to others.

Since that summer meeting, Jeannie has been a driving force in getting the SME task force to stay focused on its goal. When the Acute Care Practice Analysis Survey moved from an idea in July 2007 to completion and data analysis in June 2008, she helped the Section realize a dream. It was noted, "No one cheered louder than Jeannie when our four weeks of surveying led to a 48% response rate."

Throughout this process, she has been available, friendly, and helpful. Her attention to detail and professionalism have been greatly appreciated. As the Section continues to move forward towards ABPTS recognition of acute care as a specialty area, we know that Jeannie will be there as a cheerleader, supporter, and excellent mentor.

In recognition of her exceptional talent in helping the Section move forward on such a monumental project, and with a multitude of thanks, the Acute Care Section was pleased to honor Jean "Jeannie" M Bryan Coe, PT, DPT, PhD with the 2009 Fellowship Award.