Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health

Learning Objectives: The objective of this innovation is to provide virtual reality as an alternative method for learners in emergency medicine to build procedural competence. We will also be looking at feasibility of VR for education and participant satisfaction.

As part of a wider virtual reality curriculum, we are developing and assessing the feasibility of using virtual reality as an alternative method for learners to build competence in procedural skills. This innovation is being tested and implemented with medical students rotating through on their 4th year emergency medicine elective. The study’s plan is to look at how practicing procedures with virtual reality compares to more traditional hands-on simulation techniques. Medical students were given a lecture on how to do a surgical chest tube. Then, depending on the month, students were either assigned to practice with virtual reality programs or with simulation task trainers. The following week students were assessed on their ability to walk through and perform a surgical chest tube based on clinical skills evaluation that is already used for emergency medicine residents at VCUhealth. The goal of this innovation is to allow for more easily accessible ways to practice procedures through deliberate practice and allow residents to build experience and competence in procedures in emergency medicine. This has the potential to be especially beneficial in high acuity, low frequency procedures.