story and photo by James Coburn, Staff Writer
Birth can be such a vulnerable time. Stillwater Medical Center has new mannequin equipment for its nursing staff to train on for normal and more difficult birthing experiences, said Susan Jones, RN, interim manager staff educator for Stillwater Medical Center. Jones is also a neonatal resuscitation provider who teaches a class on the subject annually.
“It makes them better prepared to handle those emergencies,” Jones said.
The Stillwater Medical Foundation provided funds to purchase a maternal mannequin, Victoria, and baby Super Tory for simulating emergency and normal birth training opportunities. Victoria replaces a more limited mannequin who could also simulate birth. Victoria can wink her eyes, cry out and speak such things as “ouch” and “Give me an epidural.” Jones recently programed Victoria to ask who her doctor on call is. (story continues below)
“She will give birth and she can have complicated birth,” Jones said. “She will bleed so that our staff can engage in those types of things without it being an actual emergency.”
The baby mannequin can be adjusted to stop breathing and turn blue in respiratory distress. Intravenous (IV) administration can be started on both mannequins to simulate a controlled setting. Opportunities for the team include acting out emergency responses before being faced with a real-life event.
Jones can’t count how many times she has helped physicians deliver babies at the hospital but said she has delivered at least 30 infants herself when she had to step in to act quickly in the hospital. Victoria can be set to train nurses on expedient deliveries.
Many babies take their first breath at the medical center. More than 800 babies are born at Stillwater Medical Center each year and are trending toward 1,000 births, Jones said. In order to respond to community needs, Stillwater Medical Center is set to expand its capacity with new construction.
“We’re getting a huge new addition back here behind the hospital. And the whole second floor is going to be ours. We’re getting all new labor rooms, postpartum rooms.”
A level-2 nursery will have 12 beds in the existing space, she continued.
Jones’s 30 years of nursing experience provides essential qualities of leadership gained after she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at the University of Oklahoma. Her nursing history includes med/surg and rehab. She came to Stillwater Medical Center 26 years ago and was asked to work in labor and delivery for six weeks before becoming a nurse supervisor in another area the hospital.
“I didn’t mind, and I met some really awesome people and I really liked it,” she explained. “I stayed and I feel this is where God wanted me to be. I’ve always done this now and I’m okay with that. We have a good crew here. People care about each other and work well with each other. Right now, we have a lot of young nurses and they’re excited about learning and that’s fun, too, when you have a group that is cohesive like that.”
Newly hired nurses in the unit can expect a six-month orientation period and will learn from Victoria and Super Tory as part of their training.
Many of the nurses have had their own children at Stillwater Medical Center. Jones’s adopted son was born there, and her sister had four babies delivered at Stillwater Medical Center.
Nursing is in Jones’s blood. Her mother, Joella Francis, 78, is a retired nursing instructor and part of the reason why Jones became a nurse.
“My mother-in-law worked here before me and that’s how I met my husband. She worked on this unit. So, I have nurses all around. My sister is a nurse, too.”
Jones said her career has been a journey. She sometimes gets emotional about bonding with a patient. She has remained friends with some of the mothers and even the babies (now adults) she helped to deliver.
“Some of them are coming back and having babies. I have an emotional bond with them a lot of times — not every single person, but especially if it’s somebody where I really want to see the end result — I really want to see the birth and help them through that. I don’t do that as much anymore just because I’m doing education more now, but I enjoy that, too.”
Her family keeps her on her toes as well. Her 19-year-old daughter, who was adopted from China, competed in the Miss Oklahoma pageant this year. She is a cheerleader at Northern Oklahoma College in Enid and was Miss NOC a year ago.
“So, I am extremely busy and she’s trying to get another local crown to go back,” Jones said. “I’m going to pageants a lot on weekends to help with that.”
Meanwhile, Jones is grateful for having an enriching career that is a motivating factor in life.
“This hospital is a really good facility to work for. We have a good crew on this unit, and that makes a difference. We’re happy and enjoy taking care of mommas and their little babies,” she said.
Modern Healthcare cited Stillwater Medical Center as one of the best places to work at for 2022.
For more information about Stillwater Medical Center visit: https://www.stillwater-medical.org/careers
