3rd Annual
Therapy Assistant Association of
Alberta Awards
Categories
• Long-Term Service Award
• Student Award
• Student Mentor Award
• Leadership Award
• Outstanding Practitioner Award
• Outstanding Team Practice Award
Long-Term Service Award
• Must be a member of the Association for at
least five consecutive years
• Has been promoting the Association
Long-Term Service Award nominees
Helen Tanton
Long-Term Service Award recipient
Helen Tanton
• Has been working for Alberta Health Services
for 25 years.
• Works as a Rehab Assistant at Daysland Hospital
• Considered a valuable team member
• Brings a positive presence and is happy &
upbeat all the time
• Helps students, teaches them
• Demonstrates a positive role model at all times
Student Award
• Registered in one of the 4 post-secondary
institutions in Alberta
• Must possess outstanding clinical and
academic skills
• Inspires fellow students
• Demonstrates a passion for learning
Student Award nominees
Kuljeet Sidhu
Elise Packet
Student Award recipient
Elise Packet
• 2nd year OTA/PTA student at Medicine Hat College
• Volunteered with Student Ambassador program
• Student representative to MHC Therapist Assistant
Advisory Committee
• Quiet steady student learner
• Assists others with their learning
• Strong work ethic: assists with set up & clean up of
lab activities
Student Mentor Award
• Has mentored Therapy Assistant students
by providing coaching, support and/or
feedback during student’s placement
• Encourages others to mentor students
• Has made mentoring students a continuing
goal in their professional life
Student Mentor Award nominees
Raeann Sharland
Andrea Dahmer
Student Mentor Award recipient
Raeann Sharland
• Works with Alberta Health Services at Medicine Hat Regional
Hospital as a PTA
• Graduated from the 1st PTA class at Medicine Hat College &
continually supports the PTA role at AHS & MHC
• Assists MHC as a lab instructor
• Takes students on fieldwork placements
• Provides guidance & encouragement to students while
monitoring student electronic discussion boards during
fieldwork placements
• Always ready to lend a helping hand, ear or provide input and
as a result, students gravitate to her
Leadership Award
• Promotes the role of the Therapy Assistant
• Promotes the discipline(s) and/or
specialties in which they work
• Encourages others to participate in
Professional Development and does so
themselves
• Is an integral member of their rehabilitation
team
Leadership Award Nominees
Annette Waayenberg
Boris Jeftic
Carolyn Onusko
Nicole Berlinguette
Rick Peters
Sheila Free
Leadership Award Recipient
Boris Jeftic
• Works as a TA in the Wounds/Medicine area
• Constantly supports team members – mentors & gives advice
• Is supportive to ALL team members: non-judgmental & a strong advocate
who will support the members to a Clinical Leader if appropriate
• Always mentors students & has been student coordinator for many years
• Entire team looks to him for advice: Therapists & TAs
• Supportive to patients: They love him!
• Runs the “behind the scenes” operations because he is organized &
thorough
• Attends TA workshops and webinars
• Self starter: first to arrive, gets the department up and running
Outstanding Practitioner Award
• Has contributed to the rehabilitation team
• Must possess outstanding clinical and
interpersonal skills
• Participates in professional development
opportunities
• Shares with or teaches other team
members knowledge acquired through
practice or education opportunities
Outstanding Practitioner Award
nominees
Andrea Dahmer
Clarence Iglesias
Danielle Bromley
Haley Zielinski
Jennifer Bornstein
Jessica Seutter
Joanne Enns
Jocelyn Bal
Karma Stewart
Kendra Barthalow
Krista Schell
Linda Krankowsky
Lori Wolfe
Madison Littman
Marian Bryan
Simon Shapiro
Outstanding Practitioner Award recipient
Jocelyn Bal
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Works as SLPA on Neuro Rehab Unit at Dr Vernon Fanning Center in Calgary
working with clients with acquired brain injury or who suffered a stroke
Has demonstrated outstanding clinical skills & knowledge of Neurogenic
Communication Disorders
Incorporates creative individualized therapy ideas for clients: Adapts &
modifies activities & is sensitive to client’s cultural background – searches out
materials in the client’s primary language
Facilitates individual and group sessions for Aphasia, Dysarthria & Cognitive
Communication
Acts as key clinician to program applications & troubleshoots client IPad issues
Constantly advances her clinical skills: trained in Supportive Conversation for
Adults with Aphasia (SCA tm).
Possesses exceptional interpersonal skills & builds strong rapport with clients &
their families
Contributes daily to the team & is a passionate mentor: orients new TAs
Her co-workers regard her as a fellow Speech Language Pathologist Clinician
first, and a Therapy Assistant second
Outstanding Team Practice Award
• Has impacted their organization by
demonstrating outstanding clinical and
interpersonal skills
• The team members must have made
contributions towards increased knowledge,
skills and outstanding client service
• The TA team’s success is a result of the
nominees working in a collaborative and
engaging manner
Outstanding Team Practice Award
nominees
Carol Thompson & Kathy Koehler
Krystyna Lang, Dell Yaghi & Amanda Petrie
Donna Hackborn, Lisa Booth, Kezia Mensah &
Denise Wigmore
Outstanding Team Practice Award
recipients
Krystyna Lang, Dell Yaghi & Amanda Petrie
• TA’s at Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital on musculoskeletal
physical therapy team
• All extremely well trained & bring a variety of clinical &
interpersonal skills
• Constantly seeking out courses & mentorship opportunities
• Share their knowledge with TA students that they supervise
• Consistently anticipating therapist & patient needs
• Function well independently, but strongly collaborative
• Adaptable, flexible, & jump right in without hesitation
• Compassionate and understanding
• Go above and beyond every day; often without recognition!
Congratulations to all our
winners and nominees!
We are proud to recognize the outstanding work
you do in your respective roles and hope we
can all follow the example set by you.
Thank you for letting your passion shine
through!