St. Joseph’s rehabilitation programs receive the WeRPN Employer Award of Excellence

St. Joseph’s Parkwood Institute Rehabilitation Program is the proud recipient of the 2022 Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario (WeRPN) Employer Award of Excellence.

The WeRPN Employer Award of Excellence recognizes an employer that has demonstrated outstanding achievement in improving the utilization of registered practical nurses (RPNs) and fostering a safe, respectful and empowering work environment where RPNs can work to the fullest of their knowledge, skill and judgment.

“Parkwood Institute has been a strong partner in our health science community and we want to continue to collaborate, seek and provide these exceptional opportunities for our frontline RPNs, “says Rehabilitation Program Coordinator Manny Paiva, who accepted the award on behalf of the team. “We want them to grow, develop and continue to achieve excellence in their clinical practice and to feel proud in promoting their invaluable rehabilitation nursing role."

Christina Khan is one of many RPNs within Parkwood Institute’s Rehabilitation Program who has demonstrated excellence in supporting and advancing patient care and research.

Supported by a grant from WeRPN, Christina Khan, RPN on the inpatient stroke rehabilitation unit at Parkwood Institute Main Building, stepped into a research fellowship role in 2022 – joining a research team led by Dr. Denise Connelly of Western University, in partnership with Lawson Health Research Institute, WeRPN, University of Windsor and three Ontario Hospitals.

The research team initiated a study called, “Building Capacity in Rehabilitation Services: Mapping Rehabilitation Nursing Care Practices of Registered Practical Nurses in Stroke and Geriatric Rehabilitation Units”, to examine the contributions of RPNs to the care of stroke and geriatric rehabilitation patients.

Recognizing nursing contributions to inpatient rehabilitation will provide evidence to build standardized capacity in rehabilitation services, inform gaps in nursing academic programs and professional development resources about rehabilitation nursing practice, and help facilitate the creation of a national rehabilitation nursing competency model.

“Christina was selected to participate, based on her engagement and dedication to providing high quality rehabilitation nursing care,” adds Manny.

The rehabilitation program both encouraged and helped Christina to pursue this innovative research fellowship that could potentially influence rehabilitation nursing care in the future.

 “When I was asked to participate in this amazing research project, I immediately felt enthusiastic and excited,” says Christina. “I felt honoured to be invited into this amazing research team because it will allowed me to advance my nursing career through knowledge and understanding of what research means in nursing practice.” 

“Our RPNS, Christina Khan being one shining example, have worked to their fullest potential and have contributed to the work of our interdisciplinary teams by supporting our patients to reach their optimal function throughout their rehab journey,” add Manny. “This amazing award will be always be treasured and appreciated by our team.”