Congratulations to Dr. Jaco Hoffman, Olds, AB recipient of the 2024 RhPAP Rhapsody Rural Physician Award.
Nominations for the 2025 Rhapsody Physician Award open in early January
Eligibility Criteria
For the Physician Award, the nominee must meet the following criteria
- Be an individual physician who has lived and practiced in the same rural Alberta Community for at least ten consecutive years
- Has not received an individual Rhapsody Award in the last six years
- The rural Alberta community in which the nominee lives and practises must meet the following:
- It is a community located outside the defined Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) boundaries of Calgary or Edmonton
- Has a population of fewer than 15,000 people – based on the most recent national census
Nomination Requirements
To nominate an individual for the Physician Award, please provide the following:
- Name and contact information for the primary nominator
- If the primary nominator is from outside of the community of the nominee, a secondary nominator from within the community must be included for the nomination to be eligible.
- Name and contact information for the nominee
- Length of time the nominee has lived in the community
- Length of time the nominee has practised in the community
- A description of why the nominee is deserving of the award which could include but is not limited to; involvement in innovative projects, patient experience improvement, or team-building initiatives
- Any relevant media reports, pictures, etc. that help to support your nomination (This information is welcomed, but not required.)
- At least three letters of support that describe the physician’s notable commitment to the community and local service groups including involvement in innovative projects and/ or patient experience improvement or team-building initiatives, the obstacles the physician has overcome to achieve their contributions, and any relevant anecdotes, narratives, or testimonials. These letters of support should demonstrate the following:
- Health care support – a letter from a community organization as evidence of community support and impact, and how that commitment and involvement has improved the community, resident experience, and access to health care
- Community Impact – a letter from a group or individual other than the nominator who can speak to the nominee’s community involvement and/or volunteer work outside of medicine
- Health Practise – a letter from a health professional or health administrator in or near the community who can speak to the physician’s medical background, experience, contributions, and scope of practice
- The nominee’s practice interests and the scope of medical care they provide in their community (e.g. obstetrics, cardiac stress testing, geriatrics, etc.)
- How the nominee has played an active role as a member of a multidisciplinary health-care team and/or as a health-care administrator in their community (e.g. Medical Home Model, facility operations, clinic administration, PCN participation, etc.)
- The nominee’s involvement in training medical students, residents, and colleagues (including other health professionals on the team)
- The attraction and retention of other health professionals to the community
- Any programs, education initiatives, innovations, etc. that the nominee has championed or introduced to the community
- Additional letters of support are welcomed, but not required
Please confirm the following as part of the nomination process:
- The nominee agrees to be nominated and, by agreeing to be nominated, if the nomination is successful, the nominee consents to participate in the recognition event, to appear in a video tribute celebrating the award recipient, and to the use of their image in RhPAP promotions
- The nominator/community is available and prepared to liaise with RhPAP on the award presentation event or integrate an award recognition component into an existing event.