Nursing program receives new diverse manikin
Over the past decade, the usage of technology has not only helped the way professors teach, but improve student’s education by giving them more hands on experience. Minnesota State University, Mankato’s College of Allied Health and Nursing recently received a new manikin for the Maverick Family Nursing Simulation Center.
The manikins in the simulation center help students apply the skills learned in their classes in a safe environment. The simulation center currently has around 12 to 15 high fidelity manikins from a brand called Laerdal. The manikins range from adults, children and infants. These manikins are able to breathe, talk, and bleed, allowing students to practice a number of skills. Professors can program a variety of scenarios that simulate experiences and illness real patients could face.
What makes the new manikin stand out is its slightly darker skin tone, the first one the simulation center has received. Maverick Family Nursing Simulation Center Coordinator and Assistant Professor Megan Dohm explained how it’s helping increase diversity in the program.
“[Laerdal] is based in Norway and so their facial features are very caucasian and that’s true across many of the mannequin brands that are out there,” said Dohm. “This new one has different facial features and shape of the face so it’s not so Northern European looking. We specifically ordered one that had a little bit darker skin tone to try to increase the diversity of the mannequins in the center.”
Senior Mallory Steinmetz is in her third semester of the nursing program. Steimetz praised the program for increasing the theme of diversity.
“Fostering that theme of diversity is super important in nursing because we need to have that cultural awareness so we’re able to make it an inclusive environment [when we] practice here,” said Steinmetz.
The program is going beyond ethnicity for diversity. One of the most beneficial simulations Steinmetz took part in was regarding a transgender patient. Steinmetz hadn’t had any prior experience working with an LGBT individual and their preferred pronouns, but Steinmetz explained that the simulation helped give her experience.
“What people prefer to be called in society became more popular and accepting and it threw me for a loop because I don’t have much experience with [preferred pronouns], so being able to practice that now was helpful,” said Steinmetz. “We should be caring for everyone with respect and same level of care. I think it was helpful to make me comfortable with situations like that.”
Besides the use of manikins, the nursing program has also purchased Oculus Virtual Reality Headsets and plans to develop simulations that students will be able to participate in. Steinmetz feels that the technology the program uses has been beneficial to her education.
“Sometimes clinical time is cut down or some of our other opportunities that might be on the schedule might not happen because of difficulties and so being able to use things like the simulations and manikins or even VR headsets is so beneficial,” said Steinmetz.
The use of technology has helped increase student’s confidence. Steinmetz plans to find a job working as a nurse on a medical and surgical floor in a hospital post-graduation. Steinmetz feels like the practice she received from the manikins has helped prepare her for her career as she feels her knowledge gained will keep her calm in stressful situations.
“[Using the manikins] helped enhance my future career as a nurse because I’ll be prepared to deal with certain situations compared to colleagues who might not have had that experience,” said Steinmetz.
For anyone interested in learning more about how the manikins are used at the university, more information can be found on the Maverick Family Nursing Simulation center’s Instagram page @mavfamsim.
Header Photo: The new manikin the nursing program received has a darker skin tone than the others, helping to increase diversity in the program. (Bisrat Tadesse/The Reporter)
Write to Emma Johnson at emma.johnson.5@mnsu.edu