On Wednesday May 14, 2025, Sheri Lang, RBC Community Manager, and RBC staff from Dryden and Kenora, visited the Lake of the Woods District Hospital Training Classroom.
This wasn’t a training session, but a celebration – the RBC Foundation generously granted $10,000 to the Lake of the Woods District Hospital to purchase four new Intravenous training devices and a Pediatric MATT Auscultation Trainer.
“[IV insertion] is a very difficult skill that requires lots of practice,” explained Jennifer Young, LWDH Clinical Nurse Educator and RN. “Staff must be trained to start IVs effectively and safely in a variety of often unpredictable situations. This replaces a worn-out, 12 year old trainer.”
The new IV trainers simulate a variety of patient skin types and situations; they can provide ultrasound-guided vascular access with realistic tactile feedback. Easy to clean and refill, they can be used thousands of times for practice. Ultrasound-guided IV insertion is now the standard recommended by groups like the Canadian Vascular Association and Infusion Nurses Society.
The new Pediatric MATT Auscultation Trainer was made possible by the RBC Education grant along with additional funds from LWDHF donors. It allows staff and students to practice listening to realistic heart, lung, and bowel sounds in real-time simulations.
Gillian Nattress, Vice President of Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer (LWDH), emphasized, “In Kenora, nurses need to practice skills with specialized equipment due to our remote location and the need to help people of all ages. Proper equipment is essential for maintaining competencies in IV access and respiratory assessments.”
Sheri Lang, RBC Community Manager stated, “It’s a priority to support education and training at the hospital in order to have the best health care possible”.
The LWDH Foundation is deeply grateful for the RBC Foundation Education Grants received over the past few years and in 2025. RBC Foundation’s ongoing support is enhancing healthcare in Kenora and the Northwestern Ontario region.
Thank you!