Oxford Medical Simulation partners with the Big 10 Practice-Ready Nursing Initiative as part of $1.3 Million virtual reality project.

The Big 10 Practice-Ready Nursing Initiative - a partnership between the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, University of Michigan School of Nursing and Purdue University School of Nursing - has chosen Oxford Medical Simulation (OMS) as their partner for an immersive, clinical preceptorship focused on the care of multiple patients in virtual reality (VR).

The Big 10 Practice-Ready Nursing Initiative was formed to respond to the systemic issues in healthcare relating to nurse graduates being unprepared to practice in today’s highly complex and dynamic care environments. Added to this, current clinical education structures are understaffed and limited by an overburdened care system.

To address these issues, the Big 10 Initiative is exploring the strategies and curriculum integrations a nursing school can employ to reduce the time their graduates need to onboard into the workplace and prevent burnout and turnover in nursing. This initiative is supported by a $1.3 million grant from the American Nurses Foundation, being selected from more than 350 nurse-led projects in order to transform nursing education and practice.

Enter VR simulation. Using the OMS virtual simulation platform and a Meta VR headset, nursing students will be able to practice caring for multiple patients at one in a safe, risk-free, virtual environment. By allowing more time to practice without risking patient safety, the project aims to demonstrate how nursing students' confidence, competence and readiness for practice can be improved through virtual reality.

Cynthia Bradley PhD, RN, CNE, CHSE, Director of Simulation at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing says: “As a caseload of patients increases, how do students learn how to prioritize care? How do they know what to do first and with which patient? We believe that in the virtual environment the student will be able to practice and master those skills, starting with one or two patients and working their way up to a caseload of five. They’ll have more time to practice in a safe space without risking patient safety, while also gaining confidence and competence. Most importantly, they’ll be able to practice decision-making skills.”

OMS, a global leader in the VR industry, is developing the modules with the Big 10 Initiative. Two modules have already been developed, with three more to be added in early 2023.

Dr Jack Pottle, Chief Medical Officer at OMS, says, “We founded OMS to address the global issues of preparing learners for the realities of working in healthcare today. These issues have only become more apparent in recent years. We’re delighted to be partnering with the Big 10 Initiative to further this mission whilst breaking new ground in VR simulation technology by offering true-to-life multi-patient scenarios.”

The potential impact of the Big 10 and OMS collaboration reaches far further than the students that will be enrolled in the pilot project. Bradley imagines that, “With a headset and an internet connection, students anywhere can have the same learning experiences as students in our program”.

About Oxford Medical Simulation

Oxford Medical Simulation design, build and deliver virtual reality healthcare training. Using VR headsets, learners can practice in immersive, fully-interactive clinical scenarios as if in real life. They then receive personalized feedback and can repeat as often as they like to improve performance. These scenarios deliver consistently excellent, standardized clinical training for students, doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals.

Oxford Medical Simulation works with over 150 healthcare training institutions worldwide, allowing students and healthcare professionals to learn through practice, without risking patient lives, to improve patient care.

Website: www.oxfordmedicalsimulation.com

Press Contact: jessica@oxfordmedicalsimulation.com

Press Images: Image Gallery

Case Studies: OMS Case Studies