Celebrating Critical Care Transport Nurses Day - February 18

On February 18, we celebrate the exceptional work of our Critical Care Transport Nurses – who bring specialized care to our tiniest patients. At the MUHC, we have two specialized teams: one dedicated to pediatric patients and the other to the NICU. While the pediatric transport team is relatively new, it has already begun to make a difference.

The neonatal transport team has been caring for newborns in critical condition for over two decades. They are responsible for managing and transporting these fragile patients. A nurse and a respiratory therapist travel to referring hospitals to assess, provide urgent care, and transport the baby in an incubator, supported by a neonatologist over the phone. They collaborate closely with the referring hospital to initiate treatment as quickly as possible, ensuring the baby is stable enough for transport to a neonatal intensive care unit. For babies over five kilograms (11 lbs), the pediatric transport team takes over and provides transport on a stretcher.

“Our neonatal transport team handles a range of conditions, including birth asphyxia, cardiac conditions, and abnormal physical or neurological exams,” says Marie-Claude Proulx, Sector Manager, NICU Support Services.  “We are one of four neonatal transport teams in Quebec, working in close collaboration with other centres in Quebec City, Sherbrooke, and Ste-Justine to provide specialized neonatal care across the province.”

We thank all our Critical Care Transport Nurses for their hard work, dedication, and commitment to saving lives every day.