Fondation CHU Sainte-Justine : A first for Canada in mother-child health care training

Press release

February 9 2011
A first for Canada in mother-child health care training

The CHU Sainte-Justine is proud to announce the inauguration of its Clinical Skills and Attitudes Learning Centre (CSALC) and Information Centre. This is the first learning centre in Canada exclusively dedicated to pediatric and obstetric medicine that will offer health care professionals, students as well as families a safe, state-of-the-art, controlled environment for learning.

"This new and advanced place of knowledge will feature the most innovative teaching techniques and cutting-edge technology," said Dr. Fabrice Brunet, Executive Director of the CHUSJ. "Its mission and new learning methods for professionals, interns as well as families are in line with the CHU Sainte-Justine's teaching, patient care and research missions in association with the Université de Montréal."

Simulation-based Learning

Simulation-based learning enables learners to acquire knowledge, clinical skills and therapeutic techniques through virtual reality, patient simulations and computerized mannequins for the betterment of patients.

In more concrete terms, the CSALC will enable users:

to apply their medical skills;
to practice different techniques on mannequins and computers;
to put into practice the best attitudes and modes for communicating with children;
to simulate crisis situations;
to take advantage of on-line training programs;
to evaluate how simulated care can best improve patient care;
to implement standardized processes.

Enhancing Skills through Knowledge Transfer

"The CSALC hopes to host more than 4 000 students every year, organize about ten continuing education activities, provide individual and group training, interdisciplinary training and on-line training, continuing education and skill enhancement programs," added Dr. Josée Dubois, Director of Education. The CSALC will, thus, ensure the deployment of medical excellence across Quebec and will aim:

to meet the different training needs of local, national and international health care professionals;
to continue enhancing the quality of care for mothers, teenagers and children;
to conduct evaluative research to ensure continued improvement;
to foster crisis preparedness.

The Information Centre and the parents-Children's Area: A Place of healing for families

Because families are at the heart of the CHU Sainte-Justine's mission, the Clinical Skills and Attitudes Learning Centre also features a new information centre for parents. Its objective is to provide information that will help them better manage their child's health on a daily basis. Parents will be able to count on friendly staff members to help them find documents they need and access a wide variety of information resources, such as the CHU Sainte-Justine's collection of publications for parents, the Éditions du CHU Sainte-Justine's collection of publications for the general public, and countless other works available in various languages (English, Spanish, Arabic, etc.). A parents-children's area has been added to the centre and set up specifically for our patients' family members, where they will be able to read and play.

Thanks to our partners

According to Pierre Boivin, President of the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation Board of Directors, "Creating the CSALC and the Information Centre, a major investment of $6.5 million, marks a new phase in making the CHU an innovative, creative mother-child knowledge centre and partner of the third millennium." The CHU Sainte-Justine thanks the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation and all its donors, without whom this project would have not been possible: J. Armand Bombardier Foundation, Mouvement Desjardins, Molson Foundation, Fondation Marcel et Rolande Gosselin, Fondation Famille Lemaire, District Centre du Québec d'Optimist International; and all the donors who contributed to the CHU Sainte-Justine's major project gift program and centennial fund.

Video (In french only)