Virtual reality brought into UVM’s nursing curriculum to teach student nurses
By Charlotte Hancox
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BURLINGTON, Vt. (WPTZ) — The University of Vermont is bringing cutting-edge technology into its nursing curriculum, using virtual reality to help train the next generation of nurses.
UVM’s College of Nursing started integrating VR into its curriculum this semester.
With a VR headset and controllers, student nurses can now step into a virtual hospital at UVM where they interact with patient avatars, react to emergencies and practice making decisions in real time.
“When you put on the headset and log in to the software, you’re completely immersed in a digital hospital. There are a variety of different settings and different scenarios,” said Sarah Manacek, clinical assistant professor for the Department of Nursing at UVM. “They might be immersed in an emergency department, they might be in a primary care office, they could also be at the patient’s bedside.”
It gives students a chance to practice complex clinical scenarios inside a fully digital environment.
“It really brings simulation education outside of our physical space here so that they can participate in immersive learning from any classroom across campus or even at home if they needed to,” she said.
The program has been in development for about a year with the goal of expanding hands-on training opportunities while also addressing limitations like faculty shortages and limited clinical space.
“This is a concept called ‘deliberate practice’ where you start to do something and you can rewind and start again and take a different path,” Manacek added. “And the process of repeating and trying out different paths to navigate a complex situation is really important for developing those critical thinking pathways.”
Students have completed over 1,100 sessions so far, earning hundreds of hours of simulation experience.
While the VR simulation is still in its early stages, there has already been great success of student learning — UVM says it hopes this tool will better prepare students for the field.
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