Virtual Jessica

Jessica Tate has been pregnant since 2004 and has been examined by countless student midwives.

She is a computer based training package, created by two midwifery lecturers from Swansea University, Susanne Darra and Marian Mclvor.

The project has just won an award at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) sixth Annual Awards Ceremony, and there is a plan to roll Jessica out to other universities.

It is a genius project, and although Jessica Tate's pregnancy is 'normal' there are just a few minor warning signs thrown in. Susanne Darra, one of the program’s authors, says, “There is a big issue in the western world with ‘problem’ births and it doesn’t have to be like this. We have a strong trend to alert people to problems, but most of the time things turn out fine.”

If only Jessica could develop a fever and a rash, a few days after being discharged from a normal delivery, then she could be a really powerful teaching aid.

External Link: Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Sixth Annual Awards

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