Photo/filming opportunity: Mannequins made to order

March 31, 2003

Assisted by a sculptor, a Nurse Demonstrator at the University of Wollongong has created her own mannequins for "Wound Care Day" to be held at the University tomorrow (Tuesday 1 April).

Nurse Demonstrator Elfi Ashcroft had a problem. How to provide efficient hands-on wound care training to student nurses with their commercially purchased mannequins which not always reflect the wound in question. Her solution? Create her own mannequins with the help of sculptor Didier Balez from the Faculty of Creative Arts.
" One of the topics we were focusing on this session, wound care, required specialised models to achieve effective hands-on training for our nursing students at the Wollongong and Bega campuses, so we needed more mannequins reflecting various wounds," Elfi said.

More familiar with creating art pieces out of steel and ceramics, the creation of specialised health models was a new challenge for Didier.

" I already had a plastic model of a human torso in the studio, so we decided to use that to make the plaster mould which would then be filled with layers of latex. Gauze material was also added to the latex at various stages to strengthen the areas wherestudents would be manipulating.

" To seal the mound and add bulk, a foam backing was added and once dried the wound detail was applied with acrylic paint," Didier said.

Elfi said eight mannequins have been made at a fraction of the cost of commercially available equipment allowing every nursing student the opportunity for a lengthy hands-on training session.

The Head of the Department of Nursing, Professor Patrick Crookes, said the collaboration between his department and the Faculty of Creative Arts would provide invaluable and realistic practice for the students before clinical placement.

Time and venue: The mannequins will only be available for filming/photography between 11am to midday tomorrow, Tuesday 1 April, in Room 229, Building 41, University of Wollongong.

For further information contact Elfi Ashcroft on 4221 5541 or Didier Balez on 4221 3790.