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December 13, 2010 vol xvi, number 12 Events Calendar Dec. 20-31 Christmas Recess - UVI Closed Jan 3 UVI Re-Opens STT/STX Jan. 4 New Student Orientation STT/STX Jan. 5 New Student Registration STT/STX Jan. 6 Three Kings Day - UVI Closed Jan. 7 St. Croix Festival - UVI Closed Jan. 10 Spring Classes Begin STT/STX Jan. 14 SBDC Workshop STT/STX Nursing Students to Benefit from Birthing Simulators T hey have inflatable lungs, pulses, veins, a uterus, a bladder – and they are pregnant. But these are not your average women. Actually, they are not women at all. They are ad- vanced maternal birthing simulators. The life-size mannequins belong to the University of the Virgin Islands School of Nursing and will be used as teaching tools to simulate vari- ous birthing scenarios. The birthing simulators were unveiled and demon- strated on the St. Thomas campus on Dec. 6 and on the St. Croix campus on Dec. 10. The two Gaumard Sci- entific NOELLE Advanced Maternal and Neonatal Birthing Simulators, one for each campus, were purchased with a $28,574 grant from the Bennie and Martha Ben- jamin Foundation. They will provide all UVI nursing students instruction in normal, abnormal and multiple deliveries. These advanced birthing simulators are used world- wide by healthcare educators. The equipment came with monitors that can be programmed to show body temper- ature, pulses and fetal heart rate, among other conditions. It also came with a “code blue baby” on which CPR and nasal gastric procedures, among other procedures, can be performed. “It rivals any university on the mainland and the world,” Dean of UVI’s School of Nursing Dr. Cheryl Franklin said. “It allows students to get the same experi- ence as any medical or nursing stu- dent in the world.” Nursing Professor Meg Sheahan explained that the Roy L. Schneider Hospital on St. Thomas averages 60 to 90 deliveries per month, but be- cause births are not usually sched- uled, it is hard to guarantee that stu- dents will experience a live delivery while enrolled in obstetrics courses. “By putting this into their clini- cal experience, we can prepare them for what they’ll experience at a hos- pital, clinic or wherever they are,” Prof. Sheahan said. During the unveiling Nursing Professor Dr. Marion Howard and Prof. Sheahan used the simulator to demonstrate a normal delivery, a breach delivery and sev- eral positionings of the placenta and umbilical cord. The simulators also have several models of the vaginal open- ing, showing various types of episiotomies, and a uterus UVI Nursing Professor Meg Sheahan “deliv- ers” a baby from the newly acquired birthing simulator as Tina and David Beale look on. See Birthing Simulators on next page UVI Gets a $1.5 M Grant, $1 M to be Used for Scholarships T he University of the Virgin Islands has received a $1.5 million grant to increase the number of students in the Virgin Islands who enter colleges and universities. A total of $1 million in scholarships will be available to eligible students for the 2011-2012 academic year. UVI, in collaboration with the Virgin Islands Board of Education and the Office of the Governor, received the grant from the U.S. Department of Education College Access Challenge Grant (CACG) Program. This grant allows UVI and its community partners to provide information to students and families about post- secondary education benefits, opportunities, planning and career preparation, and to offer need-based scholarships to students. Scholarships in the amount of $5,000 will be available for students who demonstrate a need and meet See Scholarships on next page GET CONNECTED TO UVI news, activities and accomplishments at . . . www.uvi.edu dateline: UVI 2 John Brewer’s Bay St. Thomas, VI 00802 dateline: UVI is a production of the UVI Public Rela- tions Office. Contact us by telephone at 340-693-1056 or by fax at 340-693-1055. that can be hardened, softened and infused with fluid to simulate blood loss. “As nurses we have to anticipate everything,” Dr. Franklin said. The simulators allow students to work through many possible childbirth scenarios and get them to critically think through problems, she said. “It lends itself to so much on-going teaching.” Students on both campuses will begin using the simu- lators in the Spring 2011 obstetrics courses. But because the simulators are so multifaceted, they will also be used in the labs of other courses, Dr. Franklin said. Birthing Simulators Continued “The dream of Bennie Benjamin was to have the healthcare in the Virgin Islands rival anywhere,” David Beale, executive director for the Bennie and Martha Ben- jamin Foundation said at the event. Beale said he is happy to see that dream being fulfilled. He was joined by Tina Beale, the Foundation’s administrator. The Foundation is a long-time supporter of UVI’s School of Nursing. Bennie Benjamin, an acclaimed song- writer and producer, was born on St. Croix. The UVI School of Nursing offers two nursing pro- grams. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree is offered on the St. Thomas campus and the Associate of Science degree is offered on St. Croix. the grant’s criteria for application. Scholarships can be used at any accredited college or university. Scholarship applications and awards will be administered through the V.I. Board of Education. For more information contact Educational Outreach Coordinator Denise Lake at 692-4101 or CACG Pro- gram Project Investigator and Associate St. Croix Cam- pus Administrator for Student Affairs Miriam Osborne Elliott at 692-4188. Scholarships Continued Woodworkers Expo Offers Early Holiday Gifts W ooden oil lamps, bowls, can- dlesticks, mirrors, plaques, pen cases – even model sail boats and intricate sculptures were on sale at the fifth annual Virgin Islands’ Woodworkers’ Expo. Spectators and shoppers made their way from table to table admiring and purchasing items at the Expo held on St. Thom- as Dec. 3-5 at the UVI Sports and Fitness Center, before it moved to St. John’s Market Place Dec. 10-12. Left: Candlesticks, mirrors and other items by Carol Spanner are on display and right, a wooden dinnerware set by Bill Johnson is on display at the UVI Sports and Fitness Center.