First-ever VR training programme for nurses introduced in Minnesota
A newly established pilot programme in the Twin Cities aims to transform the nursing education system.
The University of Minnesota School of Nursing worked with a VR firm to develop a fully immersive simulation training programme for nurses, using funds of $1.3 million from the American Nurses Foundation.
With partner campuses at Purdue University and the University of Michigan, the U of M is spearheading the endeavour.
It marked the first and foremost initiative, according to Cynthia Bradley, assistant professor and head of simulation at the University of Minnesota’s nursing courses. This is the very first multi-patient VR scenario available for purchase.
Utilising a virtual reality headset equipped with speakers and hand controls, participants are immersed in training modules that showcase patients in a range of emergency scenarios, including but not limited to labour and delivery and potentially fatal allergic reactions.
According to Bradley, participants immerse themselves entirely in the patient’s room once they wear the headset. They may go around the room, talk to the individual being treated, and get close to their bed. They have the ability to arrive at all the decisions regarding the need of nurses without putting any real patients in peril.
In order to provide this technology to newly graduated nurses who are working in hospitals, the University of Minnesota and M Health Fairview are collaborating on a nurse residency trial programme that began in November.
On Thursday, the U of M School of Nursing hosted over thirty nurses from M Health Fairview to engage in virtual reality patient simulations.
Lauren Nitahara, a nurse at the emergency department, remarked that the offering is the first VR experience for her. According to her, partaking in it allowed her a lot of freedom to commit errors without having to think hard.
Programme organisers said that new nurses and nursing students may encounter high-stress scenarios in a low-stakes setting thanks to technology.
Katie Pitzl, Assistant Manager, Clinical Education and Learning, M Health Fairview, said that the pilot run of the VR offering offered her a great deal of confidence and freedom to make different choices without inhibition. She remarked that such technology being used can lead to better outcomes for the future of the nursing profession.
In order to eventually increase nurse retention across their hospitals, she thinks it will also enable nurses to have more reasonable expectations for their work.
For a recently minted nurse, caring for a patient that is so sick at such an early point of their career may be quite frightening. If they are able to commit mistakes electronically while gaining insight from them, they could have the support and incentive required to carry that into their professional lives.
It is expected that the project will spread to more Minnesotan institutions in the coming years, in addition to campuses throughout the country.
Bradley remarked that there are several events occurring in the healthcare industry at the moment that place nurses in novel roles. It is very challenging; there is a shortage of nurses, and several other things have an impact on the care that nurses deliver. She said that there is a need for making nurses feel more certain of tackling things in modern healthcare settings.
