Celebrating nursing innovation in September at the MUHC

The fifth edition of the Professional Days Campaign is here! Throughout the year, the campaign recognizes the many professions that help make the MUHC what it is, from providing care to supporting the many services and activities that keep our organization running. This September, we’re putting the spotlight on two groups of nurses whose professional weeks take place this month: advanced practice nurses (APNs) and neonatal nurses.

Advanced practice nurses: Leading innovation in care

September 1 to 7 is National Clinical Nurse Specialist Week. The MUHC is honoured to have more than 20 advanced practice nurses (APNs), all of whom hold a master’s degree in nursing.

APNs bring specialized expertise to patients who often have complex needs. Whether at the bedside, in an outpatient clinic or supporting clinical teams, they assess each patient’s needs, develop individualized care plans, coordinate interventions, and bring together the expertise needed to provide the best possible care. 

“Not only are advanced practice nurses' leaders, but they are also agents of change,” says Nancy Turner, Associate Director of Nursing. “Through their clinical expertise, collaboration and quality-improvement work, they help find new ways to improve care for our patients and their families.”

Here are a few examples of how APNs at the MUHC are using their expertise to improve care, strengthen clinical practices, and support better outcomes for patients and families.

• Cancer Care Transition of Care Program : By strengthening collaboration between the MUHC and community healthcare providers, this program, co-led by an APN and a physician with a nurse as project coordinator, enables eligible patients to receive high-quality follow-up care closer to home while ensuring seamless continuity of care throughout their journey. This collaborative approach improves access to care and helps create a smoother, more patient-centred experience.
• Peer support program : connects people living with chronic kidney disease with individuals who have personally experienced kidney donation or transplantation. Through shared lived experience, these peer mentors offer support, practical advice, and reassurance, helping patients make informed decisions and approach their transplant journey with greater confidence.

Celebrating our neonatal nurses

During Neonatal Nurses Week (September 12 to 18), we’re also celebrating our nurses in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and their commitment to innovation in care.

Over the past year, the NICU team has implemented a quality-improvement project to standardize care for the most vulnerable patients in the NICU: extremely premature babies born as early as 23 weeks of gestation. The project grew from a shared goal among the multidisciplinary team to provide high-quality, evidence-based care in a consistent way for these particularly fragile patients.

This continuum of care begins in the delivery room, through close collaboration with the Birthing Centre and the presence of a specialized NICU neonatal resuscitation team. It continues through transfer, admission, and the entire hospital stay in the NICU, ensuring continuity of care from the first minutes of life.

By aligning clinical approaches and interventions among all the professionals involved, the initiative helps provide safe, consistent care adapted to the specific needs of these newborns. It also aims to reduce the morbidity associated with extreme prematurity, as these babies face an increased risk of complications in both the short and long term.

The goal is to improve clinical outcomes and the long-term health of these children while providing optimal support to their families.

“Thank you to the entire NICU team for your commitment to continuously improving the care provided to our smallest patients and their families,” says NICU Nurse Manager, Jessica Girard Landry.

Celebrate nurses

The photos featured here highlight some of the nurses and teams being celebrated this September. They represent just a few of the many nurses across the MUHC whose expertise, dedication and innovative work make a difference every day.

When you see an APN or neonatal nurse in the halls this September, take a moment to congratulate them.