Montreal Children’s hospital opens Centre for Pediatric Simulation
Posted May 10, 2023 11:02 am.
Last Updated May 10, 2023 7:09 pm.
The Montreal Children’s hospital has opened its Centre for Pediatric Simulation.
It’s an initiative within the hospital where medical professionals can simulate real examples of medical emergencies involving children for training.
“This mobile unit allows us to enter each of the different operating rooms and really do scenarios that are specific to the different types of surgery,” said Lily Nguyen, a pediatric ears-nose-throat surgeon at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.
“It just allows for a much better, all encompassing care of patients.”
The hospital had performed simulations in the past, but the centre has now established a dedicated full-time team.
The Montreal Children’s hospital unveils its Centre for Pediatric Simulation on May 10, 2023. (Gareth Madoc-Jones/CityNews)
Some examples of simulations include resuscitation drills, disaster preparedness, surgical care, medical care and trauma situations.
“So we can really simulate anything that happens with a child and a family,” said Maia Siedlikowski, a nurse educator for the Centre for Pediatric Simulation. “So we can simulate things like resuscitation codes, but also difficult conversations with families. And they can be particular technical skills, but also how to talk to one another. So really anything that goes on at the hospital here at the Children’s can be simulated.
“We’re pediatric, so we’re specialized. We have mannequins from premature baby size all the way to 18 year old, almost adult size. And so we have this wide variety of equipment that we’re able to bring across the hospital to all teams at the Montreal Children’s.”
#WATCH: "I think we can simulate almost anything here,” said Maia Siedlikowski, a nurse manager at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, about the new simulation centre aimed at training medical professionals to improve health outcomes.
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— CityNews Montreal (@CityNewsMTL) May 10, 2023
The goal is to provide both medical professionals and students an opportunity to improve patient, family and staff safety, as well as to generate research topics and strengthen simulation training within the hospital.
“It’s very important to simulate because it allows us an opportunity to practice with one another,” added Siedlikowski. “Nurses don’t just work with nurses, and doctors don’t just work with doctors. Allied health doesn’t just work with allied health. We work as a team. And so it’s very important to train as a team. And so that’s what simulations are able to offer.”
The Montreal Children’s hospital unveils its Centre for Pediatric Simulation on May 10, 2023. (Gareth Madoc-Jones/CityNews)
According to the hospital, the Centre for Pediatric Simulation is entirely funded by donors that includes at $1M gift from the Thistledown Foundation last year.
