Ok, so it has been just over a year since the last time I posted on here. Shame on me!
I really must get better about writing on here if nothing else to remind me of why I do what I do!

So I have decided that I need to keep pics of my moulage work on here since so many on my Facebook do not fully appreciate the pics (ok that should read non-medical people and medical people do not always like to look at simulate wounds, body fluids, etc.) But I digress. To me this is a great way for students to learn. I mean what better way to learn how to obtain a stool sample then to actually get to scrape some off of a specimen (ok so it was chocolate frosting and corn starch but it still did the job). My favorite teaching aid so far has been my urine samples. Everytime I get them out I get the "are those real?!" and have to reassure my students that while I am a dedicated instructor I am not that dedicated! I have one that is honest to goodness strong tea which is interestingly enough how a sample looks in someone with a kidney infection. I have a variety of others also. My mini-refrigerator at work resembles Frankensteins workshop in many ways, I have containers of fake urine, samples of different colored sputum, Coca Cola (hey I need my caffeine fix!), and a few yogurts for when I need a protein fix. In the store room I have the dry goods, including the prosthetic legs of my late father-in-law, various fake medications in multiple formats, syringes, needles, and other fun stuff to make practice funner for my medical assistant students as they learn medication administration, along with dressing supplies and other goodies. At home I have boxes full of even more supplies to make the magic happen so to speak. I am amazed at the effect of some clear hair gel and food coloring to make various wound secretions, red food coloring mixed in pearly white soap makes a wonderful fake blood. I have confiscated my mom's old fondue pot as it makes a wonderful warmer for gel effects, the wonderful substance that is the base for most fake wounds that I create along with other much more talented moulage artists. I also have a tool box full of wild eye and cheek colors ground up to aid in applying them to mannikins or real persons to simulate bruises, reddened cheeks in fever situations, and a variety of other uses can be made from them. And so my list continues with my basic everyday substances and tools.

So I am going to make myself post on here at least monthly, if not more often. It is my goal for the year starting now. Let's see if I stick with it! And so now to show some pics of my work, some are older pics some are from tonight. The last pics are from simulation day which was my practicum project for my master's degree and the end-of-year requirement for last years 1st year nurses, so fun!

2 small drain spots on an abd pad

moderate drainage on an abd pad

moderate flow, depending on how long it took for the pool to get this large

scant bloody drainage or small amount

imitation of a dressing on a healing wound, with some brownish discharge

1st degree burn tissue

heavy bleeding

heavy bleeding on 4x4s

3rd degree burn tissue

my first attempt at a bruise

side view of my first bruise attempt

my 1st 3rd degree burn tissuue

another view of the burn

the burn on my leg, some of the tissue stayed on the board

beginning of a surgical wound

surgical wound all done, preparing for sutures

with sutures in place

on my son's belly

nice green drainage from an NG tube

nice infected wound

belly wound and leg wound in place

sputum sample, this one is yellow and thick from a COPD patient

Little Tommy having a fever and little sleep while in the hospital for the first time