She blinks, breathes, bleeds and births a baby, either by caesarean section or vaginally; take your pick.

Victoria is a $65,000 US lifelike mannequin having contractions and she’s about to deliver another silicone mannequin — this one an average 6.5 pounds and 19 inches long — that will cry and need its umbilical cord clamped once it has emerged.

During her labour, Victoria will say things like: “Please help me, the baby is coming” or “I need something for my pain” or “I think I’m going to be sick.”

Patient simulators have been used for decades to help train medical students, military medics, doctors, nurses and first responders. But they have never looked so real (they come in three skin tones) nor had so many pre-programmable capabilities.

At a conference this week in Vancouver, 7,000 obstetrician/gynecologists, midwives and nurses are getting a close look at how far simulators have come. One of the biggest medical simulation companies, Gaumard Scientific, brought several to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) conference to demonstrate how they can be used. Health professionals can practice certain skills in a bid to help reduce medical errors and prepare for scenarios that may be unusual but potential deadly.

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