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This is the first time St. Mary’s has had the technology. SSM Health in Wisconsin started rolling out the technology for its training in May, said Mel Thompson, regional manager of clinical education. SSM Health started rolling it out in other states in 2023.

Thompson said the new technology is a boost for its staff.

“The repetition of getting in and thinking about things in a different way and having it be OK, and it’s safe to learn this way as a nurse,� Thompson said, adding that partnerships that SSM Health has with other providers can enhance the learning experience.

Across the SSM Health system in the virtual reality program, there are 14 scenarios. Scenarios include helping patients after a motor vehicle accident, chest pain in the emergency department, COVID-19 triage, pediatric advanced life support and heart attacks, among others.

“We’ll be implementing the VR scenarios into some of our traditional classes,� Thompson said.

In those scenarios, nurses have a headset with goggles on and controllers in each hand. With the headset on, people see into a virtual hospital room. Depending on the scenario, there is a patient in a hospital bed. There can also be an avatar of a nurse in the background.

Nurses can do many of the things they do in real life in the virtual experience. There is a button on one of the controllers. By clicking on it, in the virtual experience a person can take a pulse. They can take a linen out of a drawer or get a pillow for a patient, or even administer medicine to a patient. When administering medication, there will be a notification given on how much is going into the virtual patient. People can even wash their hands and sanitize their hands virtually.

“It’s very real to practice. That’s the thing. It’s a safe place to practice and have that interaction versus doing that with a static mannequin,� Thompson said. “It adds an additional layer of realness. Our staff, we remind them when they’re in the VRs not to lean things or to hold onto anything in the VR because they are so immersed in that scenario and so immersed in caring for that patient.�

The virtual reality training will not replace training with a mannequin. This will supplement that education, Thompson said. She said the equipment is not just a video game for staff to play.

“It’s fun to have the technology and to apply it this way,� Thompson said.

During the simulation, there is a video of what the person is seeing through the goggles on a screen in the room of the training. After the training, there is a debriefing to talk about where improvement is necessary, Thompson said. Sessions can be recorded.

Nurses can do the training individually, or cooperatively in groups of 2-5 people. They also can do this in groups across different facilities.

“We could have somebody be physically here in Janesville who is doing a simulation with somebody in Madison and St. Louis and Oklahoma,� Thompson said.

Thompson said SSM is working to have more scenarios available, with the intent of eventually building its own scenarios unique to Janesville, Thompson said.