For new and experienced nurses alike, caring for premature infants can be intimidating. They are tiny, often have medical complications, and spend many of their first days or weeks within an incubator in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

The most recent addition to the “family” (generations of high-fidelity manikins used for educational purposes) was “Preemie Karen,” a premature manikin that helps prepare students for their clinical experience in a NICU. At approximately 1.7 pounds, Karen is a realistically proportioned 25-week preterm manikin that was developed in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics. The name Karen was chosen for the manikin in honor of the anonymous donors who provided the funding for this valuable learning tool for the B´ÎÔª School of Nursing.

All nursing students will have an opportunity to interact with Karen when they take the required senior-level course Nursing Care of Clients with Complex Episodic Health Challenges. During this course, students focus on the care of critically ill clients of all ages—including premature infants.

“We use preemie Karen to teach students how to lift, hold, turn and position premature infants, which helps them become comfortable in a simulated NICU environment,” said Dr. Renee Wenzlaff, associate professor.

Simulations in the Ruehlow Nursing Complex also give students the opportunity to practice inserting an intravenous (IV) cannula, drawing blood from the umbilical cord, listening to heart sounds for premature ventricular contraction (PVC), and intubating a preterm infant. During the simulation, professors control what is visibly happening with Karen (crying, turning blue, having retractions and more) and internally (vital signs, respiratory sounds, etc.).

In addition to teaching full-time at B´ÎÔª, Wenzlaff works as a NICU nurse at Aurora Sinai Medical Center, which allows her to bring her real-world experience into the classroom and simulations. “Guidelines for the care of preterm infants are always improving, making it important for students to learn the most up-to-date information in order to provide safe and effective care of the premature infant,” Wenzlaff said. “Our on-campus simulations truly prepare students for their clinical experiences and careers. We are fortunate to be the only nursing school in the area with a preemie manikin.”