CAE donates $500,000 to MUHC’s new network for skills simulation

MONTREAL – CAE, a Montreal-based provider of aviation and healthcare training systems, is donating $500,000 to the McGill University Health Centre’s new Interprofessional Skills & Simulation Network. The contribution includes state-of-the-art training simulation equipment and curriculum systems.

The hospital is currently raising $10 million to build the simulation network, with centres at the Glen “super-hospital” site and the Montreal General. They’re being designed to continually refresh and upgrade the skills of clinicians to improve quality and reduce medical errors.

Medical simulation is now assisted by new technologies, including more life-like mannikins, as well as virtual reality and mixed reality hardware and software. Clinicians can wear specialized headsets to help visualize scenarios that may occur in hospital settings and learn the best methods of handling these situations.

CAE Healthcare has also devised analytics systems that can monitor and assess entire classrooms of trainees, showing how learners are performing and where more practice may be needed.

“New technology is disrupting medicine and the MUHC wants to take full advantage of it. We are transforming the way we teach using simulation as well as virtual and augmented reality, and AI-enhanced technologies to elevate lifesaving skills and teamwork,” said Dr. Elene Khalil, Director of Education and Medical Co-Director Emergency Preparedness at the MUHC.

She added, “The MUHC is seizing the lead in developing tomorrow’s essential healthcare skills, and in so doing we’ll improve care not just for MUHC patients, we’ll help to advance skills acquisition across Canada and beyond.”

Recognized internationally as a leading teaching hospital, the MUHC trains thousands of medical students, residents, nurses, allied health professionals and researchers the essential skills to serve patients across Quebec, Canada and around the world. With the Interprofessional Skills and Simulation Network, all of these medical professionals will train together in their own clinical environment to create effective interprofessional healthcare teams.

The MUHC Foundation is raising $10 million to create the MUHC Interprofessional Skills & Simulation Network as part of its Dream Big Campaign, co-chaired by Marc Parent, Suzanne Legge Orr and Jean Charest.

“This generous donation will allow the MUHC and Montreal to take the lead in transforming the education model to better respond to the new hospitals of the future,” says Jean Charest, a former premier of Quebec. “With CAE’s training expertise, the hospital will be able to set benchmarks, test emerging tools, and ultimately improve patient care.”

The donation marks a unique partnership between industry and healthcare that represents a trend in hospital innovation.

“CAE Healthcare’s commitment to improving the safety of patients through simulation-based training is evidenced in this partnership,” said Suzanne Legge Orr. “Our hospital, our patients, and our community are going to be the first to see the impact.”

CAE’s President and Chief Executive Officer Marc Parent, said, “At CAE, we are driven by our mission to make healthcare safer and are committed to improving clinical education and patient safety through simulation-based training solutions.” Parent sits on the MUHC Foundation’s Board of Directors and is Co-Chair of the MUHC Foundation’s Dream Big Campaign.

“We are honoured to help equip the MUHC with the best technology and tools they need so they can practice the most advanced forms of medicine and provide the best patient care in the country.”

Norman Steinberg, Chairman of the Board of the MUHC Foundation, thanked CAE and Marc Parent for taking a leadership role in the Dream Big Campaign, which has already raised more than $52 million to support clinical research at the hospital.