Major investments at UdeM’s Saint-Hyacinthe campus

The Quebec government grants $101 million for the construction of a veterinary simulation centre, a clinical skills centre and an animal shelter. The Quebec government has granted Université de Montréal $101 million for a veterinary simulation centre, a clinical skills centre and an animal shelter at its Saint-Hyacinthe campus. At the simulation centre, students will be able to practice veterinary techniques on models, simulators and using virtual reality before performing them on live animals. "For example, bandaging a horse's leg isn't a difficult procedure, but you still have to learn the right technique and get feedback to correct your mistakes," explained Christine Theoret, UdeM's dean of veterinary medicine. "If you're doing it for the first time on a horse that's moving because he's nervous, that's not ideal for either the student or the animal. It's better to learn the technique safely in a simulation first to gain confidence and then learn to do it on a live animal, which has its own challenges." According to Theoret, this is a big step forward for her faculty. Other UdeM programs, such as nursing and medicine, are already using simulations.