New Pacemaker Simulator Strengthens Emergency Care at BGH
During each meeting of the Quinte Health Board of Directors, we shine a well-deserved spotlight on the great work of a team, or a team member, who brings our Quinte Health values to life—Imagine it’s you, Value everyone, We all make a difference, and Stronger together.
Board member Nancy Evans had the privilege of presenting the Values in Action Award at the June meeting:
“Today’s story is a shining example of what happens when care, collaboration, and commitment intersect.
Thanks to an extraordinary contribution from the ICU physician group, Belleville General Hospital (BGH) is now home to a brand-new pacemaker simulator — a game-changing tool that helps staff build confidence and competence in a critical, life-saving procedure.
Temporary transvenous pacemaker insertion is sometimes needed in medical emergencies when a patient’s heart can no longer beat effectively on its own. It’s a rare procedure, but when it’s needed, there’s no time to spare, and no room for error.
“This is a low-frequency, high-stakes procedure where there’s often no alternative,” explained Dr. Phil Laird, ICU physician at Quinte Health. “It can be difficult to stay sharp without regular practice, but simulation changes that.”
In larger hospitals, physicians have the opportunity to refine their skills through more frequent procedures. But in medium-sized hospitals like BGH, these urgent insertions fall to emergency physicians, ICU doctors, and specially trained nurses — sometimes with little notice and limited hands-on experience.
“For many years, urgent pacemaker insertions involved scrambling to find staff who were familiar with the procedure,” said Dr. Laird. “Many new staff and rotating residents had little or no prior experience with pacemaker insertions, and the volume was too low to guarantee exposure during orientation or training.”
Recognizing the gap — and determined to fill it — the ICU physician group stepped up in a major way, donating $20,000 toward the cost of a high-fidelity pacemaker simulator. While this simulator directly supports patient safety by improving emergency preparedness, it’s classified as an educational tool — which means it often falls outside the scope of traditional hospital operating budgets, where urgent clinical needs take priority. Thanks to the physicians’ generosity and a shared investment from the Professional Practice and ICU budgets, the full $40,000 cost was covered, bringing this vital training tool to life.
This wasn’t just a generous gesture — it was a bold, proactive move to enhance emergency care, ensure staff readiness, and improve patient outcomes.
“Simulation is the perfect way to train for this kind of procedure,” said Dr. Laird. “It lets the team practice together, troubleshoot in real-time, and grow more confident — all in a safe, controlled environment.”
The simulator is already being used to train new ICU nurses and medical residents, offering hands-on practice that could one day mean the difference between life and death for a patient in crisis. Behind the scenes, Krista Nicol, Professional Practice Specialist, and Jessica Price, Clinical Resource Nurse, have been instrumental in setting up the space and keeping the equipment ready for use.
Thanks to the foresight, generosity, and dedication of our ICU physicians, and the collaborative efforts of the entire team, patients at Quinte Health now have access to even stronger emergency care, exactly when they need it most.”
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