GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Life EMS Ambulance is now using virtual reality (VR) technology in the training curriculum for its paramedic program.
Partnering with VRpatients, a company that creates VR medical training, Life EMS Ambulance is using the technology in hopes that it will give the trainees valuable experience training in life-like simulations.
"We recognize the benefits of this type of technology and how it can take our traditional field training exercises to another level," said Mark Meijer, founder and president of Life EMS Ambulance. "By providing this immersive, hands-on training, we can enhance our team’s skills and confidence, ultimately improving patient outcomes and saving lives.
Patrick Cooney-Davis, a field training coordinator, said they're able to put what the trainee sees on a TV so the trainer can see their decision-making and thought process and answer any questions they have.
He said the software also tracks how long it takes for the trainee to come to the right conclusions, whether things are done in the correct order and even gives the trainee a grade once they're finished.
"With doing this, we're able to see what the trainee's thought process is, how quickly they would come to conclusions and perform interventions and critique while we don't have any of the real-life consequences of patients that are critically ill or injured," Cooney-Davis said. "(It) allows us to, you know, kind of make mistakes and learn from them in an environment where we don't have those consequences."
Cooney-Davis said when using a traditional mannequin, there's a lot of pretending and imagination involved in the learning process. Whereas, the VR technology helps trainees to feel as though they're really in the room with a patient.
There are currently around 20 VR headsets being used by Life EMS trainees, many of which are in rural facilities.
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