Claire Jennings receives University of Sydney Student’s Choice Clinical Educator Award.

Physiotherapist Claire Jennings is passionate about her work in pelvic exenteration surgery and sharing her knowledge with the next generation.

She was awarded the University of Sydney School of Health Sciences Student’s Choice Clinical Educator Award in the Physiotherapy category for providing outstanding clinical supervision and support in 2022.

“I have enjoyed introducing students to the world of cardiorespiratory physiotherapy in the acute hospital setting and my own specialised area of pelvic exenteration surgery,” she said.

Claire works in the advanced gastrointestinal surgical services at RPA, the first hospital in the world to perform over 1000 cases of Pelvic Exenteration surgery.

Pelvic exenteration is a surgery performed to remove cancer that has involved part, or all of, the contents of the pelvis. Surgery can differ from patient to patient and requires tailored recovery pathways.

Balance and walking are important aspects of recovery to help improve breathing and to prevent respiratory complications such as lung collapse and pneumonia.

Physiotherapists are involved right after the operation to help with rehabilitation and meet with patients regularly to review their progress.

Claire was nominated by fourth year undergraduate physiotherapy student, Elia Parsanejad, and she humbled by the award and is proud that she made a difference.

“Thank you to the University of Sydney for this award. Recognising the hard work of all student educators is so important,” Claire said.

“It is great to get the feedback through receiving this student's choice award that my students have enjoyed the experience too.”

Ruth Perrot, District Director Physiotherapy, said Claire was an outstanding example of the future of physiotherapy in our District.

“I am delighted to have her in our workforce,” she said.

“Her clinical knowledge and skills provide a terrific role model for our physiotherapy students.

“The impression she made on students is a great achievement, and the teaching and guidance she provided will lead to more physios working in our hospitals and expanding their opportunities into specialised services in the future.”

Physiotherapists across Sydney Local Health District work in multidisciplinary teams in many departments and use evidence-based care to assess, diagnose, treat and prevent a wide range of health conditions and movement disorders. They are also involved in research to improve patient care and quality of life.