In a field already marked by cutting-edge technology, medical training has taken a significant leap forward with the introduction of virtual reality (VR) training programs for nurses and medical staff.
SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital, part of a multi-state medical organization, is the latest facility to embrace VR headsets to simulate real-world medical situations. The VR training enhances existing training protocols, providing opportunities for realistic experiences. Mel Thompson, SSM Health regional manager of clinical education in Wisconsin, highlighted the benefits of the technology by stating, “I’m excited to get to use emerging technologies to create realistic and real-time scenarios and learning opportunities for our health care staff.” She added that the technology is especially useful during competency sessions.
Desiree Stensrud, a registered nurse at the hospital, experienced VR training on Wednesday, February 19. “It takes a minute to refocus yourself once you get the mask on,” she said. “It’s a very wide view. You feel very much in the room and you can walk to where you need to go. As many steps as it normally takes to get to the patient, it takes [the same] there. It was very real life.”
The VR system includes a headset and hand controllers for interacting with virtual items like charts and monitors and for carrying out procedures such as administering medication and listening to heartbeats. Currently, the system contains 12 scenarios, with more possibilities for programming and modification, according to Thompson. Simulated environments include the emergency room, patient rooms, and even childbirth scenarios. The program is remotely accessible, which allows employees from different locations to participate simultaneously. Thompson explained that the VR program allows, “new graduates trained in a safe environment where they don’t have to worry about necessarily causing any harm, but they are able to safely try and build their confidence and their skills.”
User feedback underlines the immersive nature of the experience, with SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital Manager Ashley Kohlberg reporting that “Anything you can do in real life you can do in the virtual world.” The system’s design also allows for collaboration among different skill levels, with experienced team members able to advise and assist less experienced colleagues during training. Thompson explained that the system can also be used in non-medical training settings, enabling patient interaction practice with office and other non-clinical staff to enhance interpersonal and communication skills.
Along with real-time monitoring, VR sessions are recorded. This feature enables participants to review their performance, identify mistakes, and learn how to correct them. The new VR tool is now being routinely used throughout much of the SSM Health system, with the Ripon campus now implementing the technology. “In health care, we have been utilizing increasingly high-tech equipment to deliver the very best safe and efficient clinical outcomes to our patients for decades now,” said Caren Lewis, SSM Health Wisconsin Regional Vice President of Nursing/CNO. “I absolutely love the fact that we now have that level of technology to utilize with the education and preparation of our team members to respond optimally in varying situations. It is creating a totally new scenario where ‘high-tech preparation meets high-tech care delivery’ at the patient’s bedside … the most important place.”
