Westminster Foundation donors pose with Baby Westminster
Members of Fanshawe’s health sciences lab welcomed donors from Westminster College Foundation today, after their donations helped with the purchase of simulator “Baby Westminster.”
Baby Westminster is a baby simulator that has a pulse, moves, cries, and even turns blue when lacking proper oxygen levels.
Carol Butler is Fanshawe’s Simulator Lab Coordinator, and says the new simulator will help prepare students for real life situations, “getting experience before students graduate, or even getting an idea about whether they would like to work in this area – this is the only way that they’re going to get that experience.”
She adds that often times, going into pediatrics can be very overwhelming for new grads, “if they get the experience here, they’ll be a little more confident and be able to be ready when someone takes them on as a student.”
Baby Westminster is controlled by a a computer in their control room, and it’s movements and mood can be altered as the situation varies.
Butler says simulated situations are pre-planned, but can change depending on what actions the students choose to take.
Most manikins in the department are treated like humans by the students, and Butler says it can really add a sense of urgency and emotion to the situation.
Baby Westminster was just a recent addition to one of London’s most advanced student settings. A life like adult manikin, named Noelle, has been apart of the department for quite some time and includes some of the same features, such as breathing, blinking and even giving birth.
Below, Butler demonstrates how the manikin is designed to simulate a birth.
