Who may apply for the Schueler Patient Advocacy Compass Award?
Any patient or health advocate or navigator who is a member in-good-standing of The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates (APHA), and has worked as a paid advocate for at least one full year may apply for the H. Kenneth Schueler Patient Advocacy Compass Award.
The award can be granted to any APHA member who qualifies for Premium membership, meaning he or she is already active and earning a living as a private patient advocate. APHA PACE members may apply at the point they are ready to become Premium members or later. The award will be a Premium membership even if the member was not previously a Premium member.
Awardees may come from both clinical (medical) and non-clinical backgrounds. There is no benefit to applicants of coming from one background or the other. You’ll see from previous years’ winners that some have had previous medical experience. Others, like Ken himself, did not have a clinical background earlier in their careers.
Two advocates working in the same organization may be granted the award in different years.
Advocates may nominate themselves, or they may nominate another advocate. Both must be eligible to be members of The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates.
What are the selection criteria used to determine the winners?
Each year, one or two individuals will be chosen for the award based on their track record as it reflects Ken’s career and ideals:
- personalized approach
- integrative choices
- evidence-based proof
- ethical performance and
- leadership
Judges for each year’s award are previous award winners, all highly regarded advocates and leaders in the advocacy profession, plus Ken’s daughter, Alexandra, and the director of The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates.
Meet the Schueler Compass Award Judges here.
What is the award format?
Specifically, the award is comprised of one year of Premium membership in The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates, and the recognition that goes with the award. Recognition will take place through the appearance of the award’s logo on the winner’s AdvoConnection Directory listing, permission to use the logo on the advocate’s own website and print materials, the issuance of press releases about the advocate’s receipt of the award, and recognition on the APHA blog, here on the Schueler Award website, and in other places where it makes sense.
The membership part of the award will be made by adding 12 months to a Premium Member’s current membership, or by upgrading a PACE member to Premium Membership from March 1 for one year. The award logo will be applied to the advocate’s AdvoConnection listing immediately upon granting the award and will stay in place for the remainder of the time the advocate maintains his or her membership.
Total value is approximately (up to) $750.
Awardees will come from both clinical (medical) and non-clinical backgrounds. There is no benefit to applicants of coming from one background or the other. You’ll see from previous years’ winners that some have had previous medical experience. Others, like Ken, did not have a clinical background earlier in their careers.