SimMan has an irregular heartbeat and labored breathing. A nurse notices that his tongue is swollen and his pulse is erratic.

Fairview Southdale Hospital nurses can give SimMan a shot, put in a catheter, and listen to the patient's complaints.

All this is to prepare medical staff to provide improved care of patients.

SimMan, as it is officially called, is a computerized mannequin that has a heart beat, talks, and can even develop a swelled tongue.

Renee Steffen, nursing education coordinator at Fairview Southdale, said the mannequin provides hands-on learning to nurses.

"Instead of sitting in the classroom, they're going to be taking care of the patient," Steffen said.

To make the training as close to reality as possible, the hospital set up a patient room on the hospital's remodeled seventh floor. Everything is laid out the same as regular patient rooms. There is a nurse's station, the mannequin is hooked up to IVs, and a monitor is above the bed. Lifting equipment has been installed, as well, so nurses can practice.

Steffen said the room and mannequin will mostly be used for new nurse orientation and critical care training.

The SimMan - which can also be treated as a woman - gives nurses a chance to do hands-on work before treating real patients.

"I think it will help," ICU RN Megan Manthey said. "It boosts confidence levels."

The mannequin is connected to a computer, so Steffen can change the symptoms to provide nurses with different scenarios.

The mannequin can have an irregular heartbeat, labored breathing or wheezing or a systolic murmur.

The mannequin has pulse points at different parts of the body so nurses can practice checking its heart rate. Nurses can also give the mannequin shots or hook up IVs in artificial veins.

Inside the SimMan's chest is a speaker, which plays recorded messages to communicate what the symptoms are based on the scenario.

"We can change the breathing on the simulator to have it sound like pneumonia," said Holly Briggs, nursing orientation assistant.

While the mannequin's home is in the seventh floor patient room, it can be moved to the ICU or surgical room for other hospital staff to practice their skills. ICU staff use it to train for post-operation complications.

Fairview hospitals use a similar mannequin to practice C-section procedures.

The mannequin patient room is videotaped, so people can watch what is going on in a nearby classroom. The classroom also includes several computers where hospital staff can go through online learning modules independently.

Manthey said she spends a significant amount of time on the seventh floor going through different modules.

The combination of hands-on learning, watching others practice and online learning is known as blended learning, said Steffen.

"It meets learners' needs better," Steffen said. "Nursing is learned by experience and this helps promote that experiential learning."

Besides using the mannequin and its patient room for orientation, nurses will use the mannequin to learn advanced skills and practice procedures that are infrequent but high risk.

"Nurses are going to be able to learn in an environment that is safer," Steffen said.

Comment on this story at our website, www.mnsun.com.

The mannequin has pulse points at different parts of the body so nurses can practice checking its heart rate. Nurses can also give the mannequin shots or hook up IVs in artificial veins.

Inside the SimMan's chest is a speaker, which plays recorded messages to communicate what the symptoms are based on the scenario.

"We can change the breathing on the simulator to have it sound like pneumonia," said Holly Briggs, nursing orientation assistant.

While the mannequin's home is in the seventh floor patient room, it can be moved to the ICU or surgical room for other hospital staff to practice their skills. ICU staff use it to train for post-operation complications.

Fairview hospitals use a similar mannequin to practice C-section procedures.

The mannequin patient room is videotaped, so people can watch what is going on in a nearby classroom. The classroom also includes several computers where hospital staff can go through online learning modules independently.

Manthey said she spends a significant amount of time on the seventh floor going through different modules.

The combination of hands-on learning, watching others practice and online learning is known as blended learning, said Steffen.

"It meets learners' needs better," Steffen said. "Nursing is learned by experience and this helps promote that experiential learning."

Besides using the mannequin and its patient room for orientation, nurses will use the mannequin to learn advanced skills and practice procedures that are infrequent but high risk.

"Nurses are going to be able to learn in an environment that is safer," Steffen said.

Comment on this story at our website, www.mnsun.com.