Virtual Reality helps students get clinical hours

For The Madera Tribune

UbiSim, the world’s first immersive VR training platform for nursing, is now being used to teach students at Madera Community College.

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Registered Nursing students at Madera Community College are now able to enhance their clinical experience thanks to virtual reality simulation.

UbiSim, the world’s first immersive VR training platform for nursing, is now being used to teach students at Madera Community College. The program has been instrumental during the COVD-19 pandemic in helping students improve clinical and communication skills utilizing non-direct patient care hours.

“Virtual reality brought the fun back into teaching during the pandemic. Watching the students go back and forth laughing and having fun meant the world to me,” said Elizabeth Day, Ph.D., RN, nursing faculty member. “We will continue to use this technology after COVID. It’s an absolutely remarkable product.”

The platform gives students real-life clinical situations in areas such as pediatrics, blood transfusions, IV pumps, and more. Faculty can edit scenarios making them more complex over time.

“At Madera Community College, we partner with the community to create programs to prepare students for the workforce. Our flagship nursing program is one great example. During the pandemic, we have gotten creative to ensure students can continue their studies uninterrupted. Technology has enabled us to evolve and innovate in ways that are shaping how we will offer our programs in the future,” said President Ángel Reyna, Ed.D.

Funding for the six VR stations was made possible by a Perkins IV federal grant, a program built to improve career and technical education programs across the country. Each VR station supports up to four students at a time.