The Bradenton Herald (Florida)
Copyright 2006 The Bradenton Herald
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
The Bradenton Herald, Fla. — There won’t be any cigars handed out, but Manatee Technical Institute will proudly show off a new baby at an open house at its East Manatee campus tonight from 6-9.
The new baby is actually a $40,000 infant patient simulator made for MTI’s medical and dental campus at 5520 Lakewood Ranch Blvd. by a Sarasota firm called Medical Educational Technology, Inc.
“It’s as close as you can come to working with a real infant,” said MTI paramedic student Vincent Casale of Cape Coral.
The baby, which is made of soft materials that feel like flesh, comes with its own computer and is capable of crying, burping, sneezing, coughing, screaming and cooing, said Kathleen Matthews, an MTI career counselor.
The baby can also be programmed by an operator to demonstrate many medical conditions that MTI students can react to, including choking on formula or a small object or an irregular or flatlined heart beat, said Jim Cena, MTI’s Emergency Medical Technician coordinator.
Those who attend the open house, which also gives MTI the opportunity to show off its full complement of medical and dental programs, will be able to participate in a “Name the Baby” contest.
The winner will receive a gift certificate for a dinner at Flemming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar on Siesta Key, Matthews said.