Before a staff member at Kingston’s Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) ever responds to a cardiac arrest, they may soon have the opportunity to experience the pressure and chaos first without real-life implications.
Kingston health-care workers will soon have their own space to rehearse high-pressure medical emergencies before it becomes life or death. A $500,000 donation from the RBC Foundation, made through the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation (UHKF), will fund KHSC’s simulation training program, providing staff with stronger equipment and more advanced technology.
This donation marks the latest update in a nearly two-decade relationship between RBC Foundation and UHKF. Earlier contributions dating back to 2007 supported children’s mental health programs and resources for children with learning disabilities, with this latest donation surpassing $1 million donated in total to Kingston health care.
The permanent lab is set to open at the Hotel Dieu Hospital site before the end of the year, which will allow for staff to grow their confidence and familiarity with procedures when dealing with emergency situations. Since the program began in 2023 in the critical care department, it has been expanding across all units and reaching teams who have not yet had access to this kind of preparation.
Unlike offsite facilities and workshops, this investment will allow staff to perform simulated training exercises using the same equipment, technology, and surroundings they will be exposed to during a real emergency and alongside the coworkers they have built relationships with.
“By participating in simulations, teams build confidence, reduce variables in clinical practice, and improve response times,” KHSC’s Interim Director of Professional Practice Heather Mackulin stated in a May 14 press release.
The scenarios staff will work through include cardiac arrests and adolescent medical emergencies as well as medication errors and patient handovers.
The UHKF raises funds which benefit more than 650,000 people across Kingston and southeastern Ontario, including thousands of Queen’s students who rely on the foundation for medical emergencies during the school year.
Tags
donation, Health, heart, KGH, Kingston, RBC
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.