Clay High School Getting Lifelike Geriatric Simulator For Health Science Students

Clay County High School’s TCAT Health Science Program is getting a new piece of equipment to help nursing students.

“Vivienne” is a Lifecast geriatric manikin modeled after a real, 82-year-old woman who donated her body to science. Instructor Stacie Franklin said that the lifelike equipment will allow students to practice skills such as catheter insertion and range of motion exercises.

“Of course with COVID we’ve not been able to do clinicals in a real nursing home setting with vaccinations and the spread,” Franklin said. “And I happened to come across a video of her and it was just amazing. Her structure, and her skin, she has human hair. So it really just fell into place.”

Franklin said that the device will be purchased through a grant opportunity. She said that the order was placed about two weeks ago, and that they’re hoping they can begin use before the end of the school year.

Franklin said that students are excited to get to use Vivienne in their studies. She said that they’re hoping this serves as a viable substitute while not being able to be in nursing homes.

“I love to take them to the clinical setting where they get hands-on experience with actual people,” Franklin said. “We try to do mock nursing home in the classroom with the students taking turns being the patients. But when you have something that they can see hands-on and it’s as close to an elderly female as we can get, that just gives them more confidence in the ability to do their skills when they get out into the workforce.”