Virtual reality is invading hospitals — but in a good way! That’s because video-game applications are being adapted to create virtual training programs for doctors and nurses that save time and money for the facilities, and make the training easier and more convenient for the healthcare workers.
According to a recent story in the Wall Street Journal:
“Dozens of hospitals, medical schools and health foundations have staked out space in the online community Second Life, where participants can build their own virtual clinics and stage just about any training drill they can imagine.”
For instance, facilities have set up virtual hospital programs where nurses who need ongoing training, such as ER nurses, can log into the nurse training application using a unique avatar character, which they control as it moves through the hospital and reacts to different situations – providing emergency triage, making patient reports, etc. – as set up by the instructors.
Better yet, the nurses can do it on their own time or during specific periods set aside for the virtual training, either with an instructor or in a group setting. The flexibility in administering these training programs – as well as the savings cost compared to hiring actors to play patients and setting up an elaborate emergency-drill scenario in the entire hospital – have made these virtual hospital programs extremely appealing to many healthcare providers.
Debbie Bacurin, RN Clinical Resource Manager for 50 States Staffing, agrees that the virtual hospital is the way to go when it comes to nurse training:
“As a previous ED NM (emergency department – nurse manager), we had to do annual disaster drills, and about every two to three years, a hospital-wide disaster drill. This took a lot of time and energy to plan, prepare for and run this drill, as well as the extra expense to have your staff come in for this on their off time. To have this on a computer and have staff take it at their leisure would be a dream come true, as well as a great opportunity to do one-on-one coaching with staff.”
Even better yet, the savings in operations that the hospitals realize by using virtual training can then be invested in healthcare staffing to improve nurse-to-patient ratio. In other words – they’re more likely to be hiring traveling nurses! And many of these travel nurse employers will be looking to 50 States Staffing, because they have to come to trust our ability to provide highly skilled nurses and great services.
So, here’s some advice for our travel nurses: Practice your video-gaming skills – so you’ll be able to practice your nursing skills in a virtual hospital. By becoming a better virtual nurse, you’ll become a better nurse, period!
