Editorial: Nursing for dummies or dummies for nursing?
In the UK, schools of nursing appear to
have been invaded – they are every-
where! We refer to mannikins which are
now used commonly to train medical
and nursing students. As nursing stu-
dents we recall the large ‘dolls’ which
were used to practise lifting and han-
dling; positional change, bed-bathing
and, of course, the insertion of things
into the body through ports of entry
about which we had only heard rumours
before our own training. These were
inanimate and unresponsive aids to
nurse training and were often the butt
of jokes by medical students: ‘playing
with dolls today, were we?’ was a
common taunt. Such ‘dolls’ went out
of favour as we moved towards working
solely with real patients and also
because, in fact, they were useless.
However, we are all playing with dolls
again now and we are currently in the
process of testing and purchasing third-
generation mannikins which seem to be
capable of doing everything but walk –
presumably that function comes with
the fourth generation – even the second-
generation mannekins can talk!
Early basic ‘manual’ versions of
mannekins were fairly primitive but the
new interactive ‘hi-tech’ ones are much
more realistic – one minute, dormant,
reclining and receptive, the next a
Ó 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 18, 3069
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2009.02817.x
vibrating mass of organs and erect
extensions. Their appeal in the current
era of evidence-based health care is that
they are not only effective (including
cost-effective), efficient and acceptable
substitutes for patients, but they are also
compliant, adherent and concordant
and require little investment in time,
effort and other healthcare resources. As
such, mannekins present the ideal solu-
tion for nursing students who do not
quite ‘gel’ with their patients. After all,
it is not uncommon to hear students
returning to the skills laboratory after a
period of clinical practice expressing
relief at being away from people and
back to the mannekins. For some, the
vagaries of human nature and the
unpredictability of clinical practice are
just too much, but if we do not find a
place for them in nursing, then the
investment in their education and train-
ing is simply wasted.
We think we have the solution:
wards which only admit mannekins.
After all, there must be many obsolete
mannekin models gathering dust in
schools of nursing and hospitals that
need looking after. Why should they
be discriminated against? They should
be able to see out their final years in
the care of people who really care for
them. Towards this end we seriously
suggest that the Nursing and Mid-
wifery Council investigates the possi-
bility of adding another branch to the
register, the Registered Simulated Pa-
tient Nurse so that those who have the
vocation can have the professional
backing and work within an appropri-
ate framework of ethics and account-
ability.
Furthermore, mannekins hold great
appeal to managers, who are increas-
ingly looking at novel mannekinpower
solutions such as patient-substitution.
Mannekins do not complain or answer
back, do not get incontinent or get
infections, do not feel anxious or have
pain and do not mind being in mixed-
sex wards. In short, they are the model
patient. No more worries about wishy-
washy concepts such as dignity, privacy,
emotional care and lack of knowledge.
Luckily, nurses no longer have to con-
cern themselves with such trivia. Mann-
ekins – the perfect solution!
Roger Watson
Editor-in-Chief, JCN
E-mail: roger.watson@sheffield.ac.uk
David R Thompson
Professor of Cardiovascular Nursing
University of Leicester
Leicester, UK
3069