They are also required to work regular shifts in the pediatric critical care unit and NICU during and after their training to keep their skills honed. Team members also regularly receive continuing education after certification. Over the course of one to two years the RN and RT will receive hands-on clinical training, observe experienced team members during transports and finally participate in peer certification. Training to be a member of the neonatal pediatric transport team is intense. “Other transport teams use an RN/RRT, RN/RN, or physician model, but it can be difficult to pull a physician away from the bedside in a timely manner.” “We were the first hospital in Ontario using an RN and RT model for our transport team,” says Matchett. The registered therapist is responsible for the airway and breathing of the child and the registered nurse is responsible for ensuring blood circulation. During a transport, the RN and RT are joined by two paramedics and either two pilots or drivers. There are 27 team members, but only two, a registered nurse (RN) and respiratory therapist (RT) are responsible for successfully transporting a child at a time. Parents also have the option of staying at the Ronald McDonald House if their child will be in hospital for an extended period.

Once the parent and child arrive at LHSC, they are given access to a “parent room” where they, and other family members, can rest. “A majority of the time we are able to bring a parent or guardian with us during the transport of their child.”

“We strive to focus on the patient as well as the family during what is often a very difficult time,” says Ernie Matchett, registered respiratory therapist, LHSC. The team helps transport approximately 200 patients a year from northwestern and southwestern Ontario to LHSC’s paediatric critical care unit, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and Children’s Hospital. The neonatal paediatric transport team is on call 24-hours a day to assist provincial emergency air and ground transport teams with the transport of patients who have highly complex medical situations.

Since 1990, the neonatal paediatric transport team at London Health Sciences Centre has been helping transport a family’s most precious cargo during a very vulnerable time.

Precious cargo transportation