It all started with a manikin. When training her Yale School of Nursing (YSN) students in clinical skills, Christine Rodriguez will often use the human-shaped models in simulated health care procedures. But she noticed that, when it came to some physical attributes, the manikins tended to look the same.
“For diversifying manikins, most vendors use medium, dark, and light skin tones,” said Rodriguez, associate dean of nursing impact and assistant professor of the clinical track. “But you’re not really seeing a lot of different physical representations.”
Specifically, she wanted a manikin that would help train students in caring for patients with disabilities. Rodriguez started looking for one, and that’s when she met Gwen – a hyper-realistic silicone manikin made from a 3D body scan of a seven-year-old girl with Down syndrome.
“It’s the first hyper-realistic manikin that actually has a clinical presentation of someone who has Down syndrome,” Rodriguez said. “Moreover, the anatomical structures allow for training in difficult intubation, helping nurse practitioners develop skill and confidence in airway management for children with Down syndrome.”
Rodriguez knew that bringing such models to the school would be valuable to students. But she didn’t want to stop there. Inspired by Gwen the manikin, and with the support of colleagues, she put together a proposal to better integrate intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) health care education across the entire YSN curriculum. That idea is now becoming a reality, thanks to a $7.7 million gift from Susanna Peyton ’83 M.S.N. and John Campbell ’80 M.A., ’84 Ph.D.
