A pair of battery-powered goggles and two joysticks is all it takes to enter another reality. The immersive magic of virtual reality was just one of the fun activities available to students, faculty, and staff at the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies during Healthcare Simulation Week, September 16 to 20.
Accelerated B.S.N. student Lara Olivera enjoyed her first experience using virtual reality goggles. She had to navigate a sterile operating room with a patient waiting to be prepped for surgery. Press one button and you can lift a virtual warming blanket to cover the patient. Press another and transport yourself to the other side of the room. Complete all tasks correctly and “escape” the OR for some rest and relaxation in a simulated paradise of waterfalls and colorful parrots.
The hands-on demo in the M. Christine Schwartz Center for Nursing and Health Studies was hosted by the team from S.H.A.R.E. Simulation Hospital Advancing Research & Education® and led by Dr. Greta Mitzova-Vladinov, director of the school’s nurse anesthesia program, who innovated the virtual OR “escape room” concept in collaboration with UMVerse. “The operating room is an intimidating environment for novice anesthesia learners,” Dr. Mitzova-Vladinov stated in a recently published study, Feasibility and Acceptability of Virtual Escape Room Simulations for Novice Anesthesia Learners. She and her colleagues pioneered a safe and exciting way to help first-year nurse anesthesia students get more familiar and comfortable with this challenging environment and the equipment they’ll encounter in real-world clinical rotations.
“I thought it was really cool,” said public health/premed major Rachel Ramos, also a first-time virtual reality participant. “It’s easier to learn in that atmosphere than just reading because it’s more hands-on.” Ramos took part in other Simulation Healthcare Week activities, such as the “moulage” workshop, practicing her hand at some of the makeup techniques S.H.A.R.E. simulation technologists use to replicate realistic-looking conditions of all kinds for scenarios—everything from basic bruises and bullet holes to open fractures and even frostbite (not a common South Florida occurrence). In addition to moulage, the S.H.A.R.E. team showed how they use high-fidelity simulators such as Nurse Anne and infant Super Tory to amplify simulation education and posted behind-the-scenes simulation videos on social media for a wider audience.
Healthcare Simulation Week is an annual undertaking established by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. Celebrations like the one hosted by S.H.A.R.E. take place around the world. “This year’s theme, ‘Launchpad to Legacy: What’s Your Next?,’ encourages students, faculty, educators, and administrators alike to set our simulation goals,” said Zuzer Calero, S.H.A.R.E.’s executive director. To amplify the theme, members of the school community were invited to write their own professional goals on a banner displayed in the school’s lobby. “Every year S.H.A.R.E. observes and celebrates Healthcare Simulation Week, highlighting the importance of simulation education for everyone in the health care field,” explained Calero. “It’s a great opportunity to share what we do with the community and reflect on our next individual or team goals within simulation.”
