The children's emergency department of the Clinique des Grangettes in Geneva is the largest private paediatric consultation and emergency service in Switzerland. The presence of specialists in many pediatric fields allows optimal and complete management of emergencies.

A center open 7 days a week

With its modern structure and adapted to the specific needs of parents, the center offers comprehensive medical and surgical coverage. 

Open to all patients including with basic insurance only, the paediatric centre provides emergency consultations in both medicine and paediatric surgery from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., 7 days a week, without the need to make an appointment in advance. Emergencies benefit from the infrastructure present on site. The paediatric radiology unit and the presence of specialists in many paediatric fields allow optimal and comprehensive management of emergencies.

An aquarium in the heart of the building

The circular building surrounded by water with modern architecture catches the eye from the Route de Chêne but the real surprise is inside with an incredible central aquarium on the three floors of the building, one of the largest in French-speaking Switzerland (ten meters high). All the fish come from the African lake Taganyika, whose basin mimics the ecosystem. This unique construction offers a welcome distraction to all children who arrive at the centre and forget that they are in a hospital. 

Virtual reality, a tool to fight pain 

Since 2020, the Clinique des Grangettes' Pediatric Emergency Department has been using a "virtual reality" headset to help children and adolescents relax during medical care. This technology allows them to be immersed and provided with active distraction during otherwise difficult care. This tool can be used alone or in addition to mild procedural sedation. The goal : to reduce pain and anxiety in children.

The use of virtual reality is part of a broader desire for early and multimodal management of pain and anxiety in care, in particular by training our teams in therapeutic communication or by implementing early pain management protocols. 

The theme of "pain and anxiety management" is a subject that particularly affects pediatric emergency teams. To this end, they have created a working group to meet and discuss this theme. Since then, many initiatives have been put in place in recent years and teams continue to develop new approaches and train their colleagues.

Pre-graduate training

In partnership with the ESAMB (HES ambulance drivers), the Pediatric Emergency Department of the Clinique des Grangettes welcomes ambulance students on site to carry out a pregraduate training course. 

Students in the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine also have the opportunity to train for one month at the Clinique des Grangettes as part of the pediatric internship. The Clinic is thus recognized by the HES and UNIGE as a training site. 

Postgraduate training

A job in the Pediatric Emergency Department is recognized as one year of validated post-graduate training for the title of specialist in pediatrics. In this context, pediatric emergencies welcome hospital clinic managers to complete their training in pediatrics.  

Medical trainers

On the other hand, the team of specialists is made up of doctors involved in UNIGE and ESAMB and who thus participate in teaching within the framework of these two institutions.

Nursing education

All pediatric emergency nurses hold a diploma issued by the American Heart Association called PEARS (pediatric emergency assessment recognition and stabilization).

This diploma attests to the completion of a course to assess and care for children who are in distress. As part of internal training, resuscitation simulations are also organized every 3 months. Finally, the nursing team has extensive expertise in wound treatment and pain management.

Paediatric emergencies
Opening times
Moday to Sunday (incl. holidays) : 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.