Earlier this year, a new manikin was donated to the Mount Saint Mary College School of Nursing's Simulation Lab.
Named "Gwen" by the non-traditional Nursing class of 2021, it recently joined the cohort of manikins that make up the Simulation Lab, including "Noelle" – the obstetric patient that gives birth – as well as adult patients, pediatric patients, and a newborn baby.
Stacia Donaldson, director of Simulation at the Mount, explained that the newest manikin "allows educators to engage the students in a wide range of simulated medical experiences."
The Mount's Simulation Lab provides a supportive environment in which students at all learning levels are able to practice skills, participate in patient care scenarios, and enhance critical thinking and clinical judgment.
"The interactive nature of these manikins allows educators to provide immediate feedback to students, creating a connection between the content taught in their Nursing classes and its application in direct patient care," Donaldson explained. "Students are able to learn from their mistakes, developing greater proficiency and confidence in not only their individual nursing practice, but in their ability to provide safe patient care."
Donaldson added that the confidence students gain by working in the Simulation Lab carries over to the clinical setting, "decreasing student anxiety and allowing our students to engage in more meaningful clinical experiences."
"Gwen" has been positively received by the Mount's Nursing students, who are always surprised, at first, to find that the manikin talks and blinks, among other human-like reactions.
Stacia Donaldson is a 2006 graduate of the Mount's School of Nursing. In 2018, she returned to the Mount as the manager of Nursing Laboratories before becoming the director of Simulation. Her background is primarily in Nursing management and logistics.
Donaldson is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist (CHSOS) with a passion for inventing and constructing realistic models, task-trainers, and simulated experiences. Her goal as an educator is to help her students feel confident about their nursing practice.