KEOKUK, IA. -- Nursing students at Southeastern Community College have a new man in their life this week, a SimMan Patient Simulator Lab. He's a high fidelity mannequin that simulates almost every bodily function and illness.

Monday, S.C.C. nursing instructors invited their students and the community on campus to take a closer look. Used during clinical trials on both the Keokuk and Burlington campuses, SimMan can talk to students about his injuries and even health history. He breathes, has a functional bladder and a pulse.

Nursing instructors say this is quite an upgrade from the school's older and lower fidelity mannequins that aren't as interactive.

"It puts them in a situation where they actually feel that bit of panic, like 'What do I do?' The sim manican can talk to them, so it makes them feel a little more realistic," said Barb Marlin, a clinical coordinator and nursing instructor at the S.C.C. campus in Keokuk.

The new mannequins are the result of a colaboration with the SCC campus and area hospitals. The two campuses received the SimMan through a federal earmark grant of $118,000 as well as a $20,000 gift from the Nina Cullen Foundation.

Both will be used by students in the college's health programs and by area hospital staff continuing their education.