Professionnels canadiens en santé respiratoire (PCSR)

Les Professionnels canadiens en santé respiratoire (PCSR) est l’assemblée multidisciplinaire des professionnels de la santé de la Société canadienne de thoracologie (SCT). Les PCSR accueillent les infirmier(ère)s, les inhalothérapeutes, les physiothérapeutes cardiopulmonaires, les pharmaciens et d’autres professionnels alliés au domaine de la santé respiratoire. Les membres des PCSR profitent de plusieurs avantages!

La mission des PCSR est d’impliquer les professionnels de la santé et offrir un leadership national en matière de:

  • promotion de la santé pulmonaire
  • prévention des maladies pulmonaires
  • gestion des maladies pulmonaires

par les moyens suivants:

  • la facilitation de la collaboration entre professions;
  • l’avancement des connaissances (recherche); et
  • la transposition des connaissances (éducation et dissémination).

Les membres du conseil de leadership 2024-25:

  • Président : Lauren Singh, MSc, PT
  • Président désigné : Sophie Vallee-Smejda
  • Secrétaire : Jaimie Peters, MN, RN, CRE
  • Représentant auprès du Conseil d’administration de la SCT : Gail Dechman, PhD, BScPT, PT
  • Présidente sortant : Shirley Quach, MHSc, RRT, CRE, HBSc
  • Tracy Cushing, RRT, CRE, Special Appointee
  • Celina MacLeod, RRT, Special Appointee

Pleins feux sur les membres du Mois de la physiothérapie

Mai est le Mois national de la physiothérapie au Canada. En cette période bien spéciale, nous célébrons les contributions formidables des physiothérapeutes des quatre coins du pays. Nos physiothérapeutes compétent-es et compatissant-es jouent un rôle essentiel dans l’amélioration de la qualité de vie des Canadien-nes. La SCT s’est entretenue avec quatre de ses physiothérapeutes pour mieux connaître leurs antécédents, la façon dont ils/elles se tiennent au courant de la recherche et les conseils qu’ils/elles offrent aux aspirant-es physiothérapeutes. 


#MemberMonday: Meet Margot Sondermann!

We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Margot Sondermann, a dedicated cardiopulmonary physiotherapist specializing in acute care. Read on to learn more about her remarkable career and her involvement with the CRHP Assembly of the CTS.

Q. How long have you been a Canadian Respiratory Health Professional Member with the CTS?

A. I have been a proud member of the Canadian Respiratory Health Professional Assembly of the CTS since 2019.

Q. What company or organization do you work at right now? What is your role?

A. I have been a cardiopulmonary physiotherapist working in acute care, community care, and continuing care with Alberta Health Services, Calgary Zone, for most of my 33-year career. Since 2004, I’ve held the position of Palliative Consultant for End-Stage Lung Disease in the Calgary Zone. In this role, I provide education, support and consultation to patients, their families and healthcare staff across both rural and urban areas. My primary goal is to facilitate the highest standard of care for patients in the terminal phase of their lung disease.

Q. What do you love most about your job?

A. What I cherish most about my work is the opportunity to offer practical advice and support to patients and families grappling with severe lung disease. As a valued member of their healthcare team, I collaborate closely with respirologists and often with home care teams to assist patients with symptom management and comfort. Discussing palliative care, including end-of-life matters, can be daunting for many, but after many years in the field, I feel that I can discuss palliative care in such a way as to reduce some of their stress and allow them to talk about “the unthinkable”.

Q. What has been your biggest professional achievement?

A. I am always humbled to hear the positive impact I have had on the lives of patients and their families. That keeps me going. One significant achievement has been helping respirologists and family physicians become more comfortable with palliative care management for their patients. I also played a key role in establishing the Home Care COPD/ILD Team within Calgary Integrated Home Care, which has excelled in caring for respiratory patients. Additionally, I have a passion for teaching and have provided education to fellow healthcare professionals across Alberta and Canada through in-services, workshops, courses and webinars. I am constantly seeking ways to enhance my skills as an instructor.

Q: How do you take care of yourself when working in a palliative environment?

A. Debriefing with my fellow palliative consultants is essential, especially after challenging situations. Once I’m home, I enjoy long walks with our three playful dogs, indulging in cooking, and spending quality time at our family cabin. I’m working on getting my two twenty-something sons launched into life!

Q: What career advice do you live by?

A. The career advice that guides me is the importance of continuous learning. Not only in the fields of palliative care and physiotherapy but in every aspect related to patient care and your profession. There is an abundance of knowledge to explore, and numerous articles to read, and the challenge lies in integrating new, relevant, best-practice ideas into your work. How can I apply How do I take something I have read and make it applicable and practical for a patient who lives on a ranch in a remote rural area with limited resources? I love these kinds of challenges!

Q: What career advice do you have for those entering practice (palliative or otherwise)?

A. My advice for those embarking on a career in palliative care or any new field is to seek out a supportive mentor and ask questions relentlessly. Be a sponge for knowledge. Shadow experienced professionals and observe how they interact with patients. I learned invaluable lessons by watching my colleagues delicately but confidently approach palliative care discussions, putting patients and families at ease. They appreciated having difficult conversations with a palliative consultant who exuded knowledge, confidence, kindness, and compassion. That is who I wanted to be when I grew up, and I think, I hope, I’m there now.

Join the Palliative Care Working Group today!

CTS members are invited to join the interdisciplinary working group focused on addressing education and training needs in Palliative Care for respiratory healthcare professionals supporting individuals with advanced respiratory disease. The Working Group is co-chaired by Dr. Donna Goodridge, RN, PhD and Dr. Tara Lohmann, MD, FRCPC. For more details or to join the group, please contact the CTS office at info@cts-sct.ca

Did you miss the latest CRHP webinar?

The most recent CRHP webinar on “Let’s Talk Living with Grief and Helping Others who are Grieving” with speaker Dr. Donna Wilson is now available for viewing.Click here to access.

Introducing #MemberMonday Spotlight: Celebrating Remarkable CTS members!

Do you have the privilege of knowing a CTS member who consistently goes the extra mile to support their colleagues, uplift patients, contribute positively to the workplace, or empower others to achieve greatness? We are thrilled to showcase the outstanding members of our community! Nominate a member today by clicking here and help us shine a light on their inspiring contributions!


Prix de distinction des PCSR 2023:  Donna Turner, RT, CRE, professeure émérite de soins infirmiers, reçoit le Prix de distinction des Professionnels canadiens en santé respiratoire pour ses apports au leadership, au mentorat et à l’application du savoir. Le prix lui a été remis par David Gourde, président du Conseil du leadership des PCSR.

L’assemblée annuelle des PCSR a généralement lieu conjointement au Congrès canadien sur la santé respiratoire .  En 2023, l’assemblée annuelle sera le 11 avril 2024 à Toronto, ON.

Contactez-nous à info@cts-sct.ca ou via Facebook.


Les membres de la Société canadienne des thérapeutes respiratoires (SCTR) ont droit à un tarif réduit pour l’adhésion à la SCT lors d’une adhésion à la SCTR ou d’un renouvellement. Pour plus d’information sur cette offre, veuillez écrire à membership@csrt.com ou à info@cts-sct.ca

Les membres du Réseau québecois en santé respiratoire (RQESR) ont droit à un tarif réduit pour l’adhésion à la SCT. Pour plus d’information sur cette offre, visiter: https://cts-sct.ca/rqesr/?lang=fr ou veuillez écrire à info@rqesr.ca ou à info@cts-sct.ca.

Les membres du l’Ordre professionnel des inhalothérapeutes du Québec (OPIQ) ont droit à un tarif réduit pour l’adhésion à la SCT. Pour plus d’information sur cette offre, visiter: https://cts-sct.ca/adhesion/adhesion-conjointe-opiq/?lang=fr ou veuillez écrire à info@cts-sct.ca.