THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Since the pandemic, burnout and retirement have been leading to a nursing shortage; more nurses are needed quickly nationwide.
The University of St. Thomas has an accelerated nursing program (you can become a nurse in 12 months). While they’re working to accelerate nurses into the medical world, their Shenandoah campus uses mixed reality to add value to their training.
Mixed reality means students wear a headset to see a patient (who is not real) while using the real world and supplies around them in the clinic.
“It just makes it more impactful. When you think of sitting in a classroom listening to somebody lecture, you tend to fall asleep, or it gets boring, “said Kristen Tamez, senior director of nursing services, University of St. Thomas accelerated BSN program. “The more experience they get in the various situations, the better they’re going to be when they get to the bedside and they’re seeing a real person.”
Tamez said the mixed reality program is preset with patient answers about their condition and the virtual patient gets smarter as students ask more questions. She said it helps students get comfortable asking uncomfortable questions, such as those about abuse, alcoholism and human trafficking.
“It just kind of guides us to essentially make our practice safe for when we actually start practicing in the real world,” one student explained.
The students admit the headset and delays in response time make the interactions feel less realistic, but overall, they say it’s helping them learn.