Weber State innovates nursing with virtual reality mass triage exercises
OGDEN, Utah — Students in the Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing are honing their skill set by participating in virtual reality triage exercises to respond to mass casualty incidents or emergency events.
Throughout the VR exercises, students can engage with victims of vehicle crashes, active shooter scenarios or similar events. The scenarios allow students to triage patients and perform emergency treatments like opening an airway or stopping major bleeding.
“Our students can go into this virtual world, and suddenly they’re surrounded in a hospital emergency room, which really creates a sense of urgency,” said London Draper Lowe, professor of nursing at Weber State University. “Your brain processes this as a real situation, and it really gets your adrenaline pumping as you’re engaging with patients.”
After 9/11, Weber State launched a disaster nursing course that teaches students how to respond to natural disasters, mass incidents and other accidents.
Lowe said the course was one of the first in the nation, and since then, over 3,000 nurses have completed it.
“Working efficiently with first responders is crucial to patient care,” Lowe said. “This training teaches our nurses how to triage and interact with first responders and step up no matter where they are.”
Previously, Weber State hosted in-person mock disaster training with Corey Barton, Ogden City Fire Department, which included volunteers acting as casualties. However, the old training came with challenges due to space, location, supplies and scheduling.
The innovation of virtual reality resolves many of those challenges and allows more flexibility for online students or those with work responsibilities and other personal commitments.
The virtual reality program was made possible through grants secured by WSU Online, an entity in the university’s Division of Online & Continuing Education, and a generous donation from Ann Millner, who served as WSU president from 2002 to 2012.
Addison Rodriguez, Marketing & Communications
801-626-7948, addisonrodriguez@weber.edu- Contact:
Bryan Magaña, public relations director
801-626-7948, bryanmagana@weber.edu