St. Cloud State University’s top-ranked nursing program has added an industry-leading birthing manikin to its nursing simulation lab.
The manikin, named MamaAnne, will provide realistic, immersive experiences in obstetrics (OB), the field of pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care.
“We can simulate a normal birth, or we can do complicated scenarios,” said Jan Richardson, nursing science lab coordinator at SCSU. “Our students are fortunate where they get clinical OB experience, but they may never see complications. This can help them connect their classroom learning to hands-on application.”
MamaAnne replaces a decades-old manikin that could no longer deliver a baby. The new manikin can simulate complications like postpartum hemorrhage or shoulder dystocia, and it also has the ability to scream during contractions or provide realistic fetal heart monitoring.
It will begin to be used this spring in the program’s maternal child course, which nursing student’s take in their third semester of study.
“This new manikin is a game-changer in the type of educational experiences that our nursing students will receive, and it will help our students be properly prepared for the workforce,” said Melissa Hanzsek-Brill, interim dean of the College of Health and Wellness Professions.
The $90K manikin was purchased this fall using Leveraged Equipment Funds (LEV). In Fiscal Year 2025, the Minnesota Legislature allocated $7.2 million in LEV to Minnesota State to support equipment purchases for instructional programs with high employment needs within the system’s 33 colleges and universities.
SCSU’s nursing simulation lab includes six simulated hospital rooms with state-of-the-art equipment for student training. It is part of the Jim ’73 and Ann Marie Maciej Nursing Education Suite, which was established after a $1 million gift in 2018.
