2020-2021
The inaugural Multi-Disciplinary Pediatric Point-of Care-Ultrasound (POCUS) Bootcamp, led by Dr. Jade Seguin, was held in November 2020 and was a great success! This was the result of a collaboration of POCUS champions from various areas including Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Pediatric Critical Care, Neonatology, Anesthesia and Trauma to offer a high-level course where core POCUS applications (FAST, Lung, Cardiac, Vascular Access) were taught. The next bootcamp will be held in September 2021.
Helen Karounis Agora Program (H-KAP), launched in the 2018-2019, has now appointed twelve H-KAP Fellows who have volunteered over 600 hours to academic activities in the Department of Pediatrics as of summer 2021! The program is now also being implemented in the Department of Medicine, at McGill University. Learn more.
The Centre for Pediatric Simulation developed the Virtual Resuscitation Room (VRR), a new initiative which enables trainees to participate in simulation in a virtual resuscitation room. This innovation was successfully piloted by Pediatric Emergency Medicine staff and trainees. Learn more.
Competence By Design (CBD) will be implemented for the Core General Pediatrics in July, 2021. Rotation coordinators have been modifying the rotation ITERs to align with the first CBD cohort of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs). Curriculum maps are also now available online for General Pediatrics rotations, as well as tips for faculty and trainees. Learn more.
Continuing Professional Development - In the winter of 2021, we hosted our first virtual Practical Problems of Pediatrics course which was very successful.
Updating and enhancement for the CPD website is underway, which will include upcoming conferences, uploaded videos of Grand Rounds 2020-2021, access to our Evidence-based Pediatric Rounds by zoom and a new toolbox of resources for pediatricians and family doctors. The updated website should be complete by the end of Summer 2021. Learn more.
2019-2020
Redesigned Department of Pediatrics Website – The launch of phase 1 of the redesigned Department of Pediatrics website. Significant advances in improving the website were made to optimally showcase the Departments members, initiatives and successes. The revamped website will be a critical element in our enhanced strategy for trainee recruitment. Changes include the creation of program pages and enhanced content for trainees and faculty under the Education and Training section.
Continuing Professional Development Website – The CPD website (on the MCH website is now active https://www.thechildren.com/healthprofessionals/continuing-professional-development was launcged in Fall 2019. The website provides information related to departmental and divisional CPD activities. The initial focus will be on providing on-line access to previously recorded Department of Pediatrics Medical Grand Rounds with eligibility for CME credits. One of the future goals will be to offer other CME-credited educational activities.
Institute for Pediatric Simulation - The IPS successfully launched new simulation-based educational format using on-line resources. Multiple tabletop and in-situ simulations were carried out during the COVID pandemic including Neonatal simulations, Pediatric Code White, Pediatric Trauma, Pediatric Resuscitation, Pediatric In-hospital Transport, PPE training and more. More simulation-based education to come including in the ED, PICU, Wards, OR and PACU. An innovative simulation-based training for 2nd year TCP McGill medical students was developed and implemented by the Institute for Pediatric Simulation, Dr. Preetha Krishnamoorthy, and Dr. Jenn Ladd and received rave reviews by the students.
2018-2019
The Helen Karounis Agora Program (H-KAP), launched in the 2018-19 academic year, is designed to engage retired members of the McGill Department of Pediatrics to participate in teaching within the Department. These H-KAP Fellows will receive hospital privileges and an appointment from the McGill Faculty of Medicine, will be invited to attend an annual McGill Faculty Development workshop related to their role in the program and will be recognized at the annual resident graduation ceremony. Learn more.
Institute for Pediatric Simulation - Dr. Ilana Bank, as Director of Simulation for the Department of Pediatrics, in collaboration with the Pediatric Simulation Team has been making great strides in establishing the Institute for Pediatric Simulation (IPS). The IPS will, for now, be housed on the 8th floor of the Montreal Children Hospital and will include a procedural skills simulation room, storage for the simulation equipment and an administrative area. Funding from the Wendy MacDonald Chair Fund has enabled the purchase of the following equipment to enhance this initiative: SimCapture which will enhance and automate simulations using video capture, simulator data integration and reporting (https://www.blinemedical.com/pdf/simcapture.pdf), Trauma Man with Sono Skin enabling Point of Care UltraSound to be integrated into simulated trauma cases, and additional iPads to convert low fidelity mannequins into medium fidelity.
Installation of high resolution cameras permitted observation of residents remotely which increased faculty participation and improved the authenticity of assessments. In 2018, non-R3 H&Ps were run at the SIM Centre using Standardized Patients to optimize faculty participation & avoid challenges of patient “no-shows”.
The IPS webpage has been updated to include information related to the IPS consultation service and to booking a space for a simulation activity. https://www.mcgill.ca/peds/education-training/institute-pediatric-simulation
Cross-Divisional Orientation for Sub-Specialty Trainees – Drs. Tiscar Cavalle and Najma Ahmed, in collaboration with the AEC, coordinated the inaugural Orientation Bootcamp in July 2019 that included a hospital tour, pharmacy session, charting at the Montreal Children's Hospital, and communication skills. A cross-divisional orientation was created for based on an identified need by Program Directors.
Combined Sub-Specialty Resident/Fellow Learning Activities – As a result of the Pediatric Program Directors’ meetings, subspecialty program directors have collaborated to create a two-year curriculum for subspecialty residents and fellows related to non-medical expert CanMEDS roles (i.e. Health Advocate, Scholar, Leader, Collaborator, Communicator and Professional).
Department of Pediatrics Grand Rounds Live-Streaming – Pediatrics Grand Rounds’ sessions are now being live-streamed on the Department’s new private Twitter account. Followers must be approved before being able to access live-streaming or recordings.
McGill Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) Program – The first cohort of PNP students in Quebec will begin their clinical rotations in June 2019 and will participate in complex care, general medical in-patient ward, PICU, cardiology, respirology, gastroenterology, nephrology, infectious disease, neurology, and hematologyoncology. Linda Masse is the nursing lead and Dr. Tanya Di Genova is the medical director for this program and the department’s Resident Rotation Coordinators will act as liaisons.
Airway/Respiratory Management Simulation Program (ARMSP) – Dr. Ron Gottesman, in his role as the Wendy MacDonald Chair, is launching the ARMSP Simulation Program in conjunction with the Department of Respiratory Therapy. This program will build on the already established advanced airway skills hands-on simulation and will now include invasive and non-invasive ventilation strategies using a lung simulator. The case based curriculum is geared towards all healthcare professionals working in acute care (interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary).
2017-2018
Division Education Leaders (DEL) – This new leadership role has been created for each Division to allow streamlined educational liaison between the divisions as well as between the Departmental education leaders and the Divisions. DELs will communicate with their Divisions regarding important educational information and updates. For a list of DELs please visit Leadership and Administration.
Pediatric Program Directors’ meetings - To optimize PGME-related activities for all divisions and at the request of all the Pediatrics program directors, Laurie Plotnick (in her role as Associate Chair of Education) has begun Pediatric Program Directors’ meetings three times per year. These meetings have already resulted in:
- A process for regular bidirectional communication between our Department and the PGME Office,
- A forum to highlight opportunities on which programs can capitalize and challenges which can be addressed by the Associate Chair of Education
- Increased collaboration between the pediatric programs, such as an orientation bootcamp for all subspecialty residents and fellows, and a unified approach to addressing common accreditation requirements.
Revision of Alan Ross Academic Bursary Award and Clinical Bursary Awards – The Departmental Education Leadership Committee (DELC) is currently revising the application forms and selection process for the Alan Ross and Clinical bursaries to be more objective, to align with Department of Pediatrics CaRMS selection criteria and to be more transparent. In addition, Dr. Patricia Fontela (in her role as Associate Director of Research) will now be responsible for the Alan Ross Academic Bursary Award.
Institute of Pediatric Simulation (IPS) – The Pediatric Simulation Committee, led by Dr. Ilana Bank, has been actively developing the Department’s simulation program, now named the Institute of Pediatric Simulation. The IPS will have a home base on the 8th floor to provide procedural-based simulation and to house simulation material and equipment. The IPS team launched the Pediatric Simulation Team Consultation service January 2018. For more details, the IPS webpage.