Victoria lays on a hospital bed inside a classroom at Nicolet College, and she’s just about ready to push.
“The baby is coming,” said Victoria, a high-tech birthing simulator. She’s about as close as you can get to the real thing.
This simulator is a life size woman with brown hair, eyes that can open and looking around, a big pregnant belly.
Students can take her pulse, put an IV in her, and help her give birth.
“This particular simulator can go from a very basic scenario, just a normal labor and delivery to advanced and sophisticated scenarios,” said Nicolet College Nursing Instructor Dilya St. Louis.
St. Louis said throughout all their courses students will get the experience of helping a patient suffering from preeclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage, and breeched births as well as a birth without complications and assessing the baby afterward.
Victoria and her two newborns are the newest and most advance simulators at Nicolet College, but not the firsts.
For years, the college has been using a male adult and a child to help teach students.
Associate Dean of Nursing and Program Director Michelle Novotny-Sedelis said these simulators are the future of teaching medical students.
“For students to apply knowledge when they’re there watching happen then the things, you’re learning just make so much more sense and the other thing is you can’t cause harm here. It sets you up for success,” said Novotny-Sedelis.
This also might be the only time students get to experience certain scenarios. Students to go to local hospitals to gain experience, but in a rural area like the Northwoods there’s a lower chance of seeing a woman give birth or having a complication they can learn from since there’s simply fewer people coming through the hospital as compared to bigger cities.
“We want to make sure all of our students experience that OB rotation and improve their knowledge and enhance their knowledge and prepare them better their outside world and for their license and exam,” said St. Louis.
St. Louis is excited for students to start running through the different simulations and is grateful this technology is available to the students at Nicolet College.
“We call it the Cadillac of the models because it's very sophisticated. It’s pretty expensive and it can do a lot. I’m just so very happy that Nicolet College supports our program, supports our simulation program and helps us grow it. I’m very excited,” said St. Louis.
The program for this simulation is still being set up. Students will start working with it in April.
