Carole Rhéaume Award
Please note that CFAS will not be awarding any grants or awards in 2020.
Background
Carole Rhéaume RN was an exemplary fertility nurse who worked at Ovo Clinic based in Montreal. Carole was a tireless patient advocate, a caring nurse and a true leader. She was also an active member of CFAS including both its Nursing and Admin Special Interest Groups. Carole spearheaded numerous initiatives to improve patient care and access to care. In that role she actively collaborated with the Association of Infertile Couples of Quebec and helped organize activities to promote infertility awareness. Unfortunately, Carole was tragically killed in the winter of 2015 when she stopped her car on the side of the road to help another motorist who had veered off track. This award seeks to acknowledge and commemorate Carole’s passion for, and contribution to patients with infertility.
Description of the Award
The Carole Rhéaume Award comprises of a sponsorship of up to $2,500 CAD for a registered nurse to attend an international conference in reproductive medicine in the 18 months following receipt of the award.
Eligibility Criteria
The Carole Rhéaume Award is intended to recognize and honour a nurse responsible for a successful project in one of the following areas:
- Enhancing the patient experience: The nominee accomplishes their day-to-day work with the patient in mind and has helped personalize care, maintain an open dialogue, exceed patient expectations, and make the patient’s journey easier and more positive.
- Enhancing clinical practice: The nominee demonstrate expertise in reproductive medicine and has enhanced the working environment by identifying critical clinic needs, being a problem solver, generating new ideas or ways of doing things, and being accountable for the success of their clinic.
- Engaging the general public: The nominee is a strong advocate for patients with infertility and is able to articulate a vision that can inspire and motivate others. The nominee has been a key player in educating the public about infertility, increasing general awareness, and/or improving patient access to care.
Nomination Process
There is a formal call for nominations every year to assist the Evaluation Committee with formulating their recommendations in time for presentation of the awards at the Annual Meeting.
- The nominee must be a registered nurse actively working in a fertility or reproductive endocrinology clinic in Canada and must be a member of the CFAS
- The nominee must have demonstrated an exemplary contribution in at least one of the aforementioned areas: patient, clinic, or public by identifying a need, initiating a project to answer that need, and contributing significantly to the execution and success of that project
- Nominators must be members of the CFAS and must respond by June 30
- The nominator must identify in which area(s) the nominee has made a significant contribution in the previous year and must clearly document what that individual has accomplished and what its impact has been for patients, the clinic or the public
Evaluation Committee
- Chair of the Nursing Special Interest Group
- Chair of Administrative Special Interest Group
- CFAS President
- CFAS Vice President
- Immediate Past CFAS President
- Executive Director
Selection Process
The evaluation committee will review the nominations in accordance with the following criteria:
- Are both the nominee and the nominator CFAS members in good standing?
- Does the project described, answer a real need?
- Is the project innovative?
- Did the project result in a significant positive impact?
- Could this project be relevant to the practice of other reproductive clinics and be replicated in part or in its entirety?
The winner of the Carole Rhéaume Award will be notified by August 15, and the award announced at the AGM by the CFAS President.
Supported by a restricted fund provided by EMD Serono Canada