Integrating VR Into the CTE Health Science Setting

You’ve probably seen Virtual Reality being used by someone you know for pure entertainment such as gaming, which is why it may be difficult for you to imagine actually using VR as a tool in your Career & Technology Education program.

The last thing we need to do is purchase another simulation product that we either only use for a small percentage of our curriculum, or we don’t use at all because it ends up being more of a “toy” than anything else.

I’ve been there and done that too many times.

Today I’d like to show you how you can use VR to motivate, reinforce and evaluate students in a step-by-step approach to adding Virtual Reality in your lab.

First let’s talk about “why” VR may be something you want to consider.

I first started to consider VR when I realized I needed something as a “between step” between lab practice/evaluation and students entering the real environment of health care.

The health care setting is SCARY.

I can remember crying, in my first year in a long term care facility, on my way home from working as a Nurse Aide.

True, I learned the techniques necessary to do the job in the classroom on other students or a manikin.

But no one prepared me for THIS!

The sounds, the sights, the feel of touching a real person was terrifying.

If it wasn’t for my parents pushing me to stay, I probably wouldn’t have stuck it out.

I knew, as a CTE instructor, I desperately needed something to increase students’ confidence.

Covid made the real environment even scarier and parents, well, let’s just say it’s a different world today.

We have a serious problem with retention in health care right now and I believe VR can help with that.

So I began researching different VR programs on the market.

VR training programs are everywhere right now but I knew I wanted certain features.

First, I have to be able to see what the students are doing.

I wanted the oculus glasses to really put the student into the environment but I need to be able to guide them from the outside or catch any horseplay that might be happening.

So simulcasting was a must.

Because healthcare is constantly changing and evolving, I wanted a program that would provide updates as skills are added and skill techniques change.

Next, a teacher dashboard was absolutely necessary. I need to see the data.

How is each student doing with each skill? Is there improvement with repeated attempts?

I also wasn’t interested in a program that taught each skill step by step.

I’m the teacher. I do that.

I wanted an environment that enabled students to experience the skills they were already taught.

Last, it had to feel real to me. While working with the VR program I am using with my students, I actually walked around equipment that wasn’t there and even tried to push a cart out of my way numerous times…now that’s real.

I found that VRSims’ VRNA for Certified Nurse Assistants checked all these boxes.

Many of the Virtual Reality companies are using the word “Immersive” in their advertising.

To me, this simply means “experiencing the feel of the environment all around you”.

This is what is missing with sim-manikins.

They only cover the senses of sight and sound for student learning.

The “feel” is a huge VR advantage.

I am not just talking about the feel of the movement with the skill…there’s much more “feel” than that.

It’s the sounds of the nursing floor.

The people walking around you in the lobby and up and down the hall.

The water dripping off your hands after hand washing.

The student can perform incontinence care with perineums so realistic looking it’s astonishing.

When you watch a student use VR, it seems like it touches a whole different part of the brain than regular classroom/lab activities.

Now let’s talk about HOW to integrate VR into your CTE classroom.

Step 1: Safety First

The students need some ground rules about safety.

No one walks into the “VR Zone” when a student is working and absolutely no touching of the student wearing the oculus glasses.

I marked my “VR Zone” with painter’s tape.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how much space per set of glasses is needed. 10-15 square feet seems to be average.

Make sure, if using more than one set of oculus glasses at a time, that the work areas do not intersect.

Students who have seizure disorders and concussion plans should be cleared by their physicians before working with VR.

Step 2: Set UP

Find out if the headsets are included in the package or do you have to purchase them separately.

My controllers and their corresponding headsets have matching stickers on them to keep them together.

Again, I recommend a program that includes the ability to simulcast so you can see what the students are doing. So you will need a laptop or console with that capability.

In order for your students to know how to log into and out of the program (and student dashboard if they have one), YOU need to be completely comfortable with it first.

My BIGGEST piece of advice for teachers wanting to integrate VR into their classroom is to “get in there” and do every single program function yourself, numerous times.

This means you will need some time between receiving your purchased program and integrating it into your curriculum.

I would also recommend testing out the classroom wifi and make sure your IT department knows you are implementing VR, so they are available for any wifi issues.

Step 3: Classroom Management

Orient the students to the headset including adjusting the fit, the buttons and the charging port.

The hand controls need to be reviewed also. Let the students know which thing does what.

When do they use the triggers vs any buttons they may need to press.

Also review the suggested cleaning of the headset and hand controls between student use.

I suggest you simulcast to the students while YOU are in the program to demonstrate how to enter into the program, navigate from scenario to scenario, and perform basic functions (for example how to raise the hospital bed and pull the privacy curtain).

This is the time to review any differences in environment between VR and a real resident’s room.

For instance, soiled linen hampers may be located in the room instead of in the hall, but the infection control concepts are the same.

If there is any type of feedback display or dashboard it is important students know how to view this data to encourage self-evaluation.

When YOU work the program prior to students working with it, take note of the average time it took you for each scenario or skill.

This will help you come up with time slots for student practice (based on those average times).

I like to set up VR as the “end goal” of learning a cluster or group of skills.

For instance, if the VR program has five (5) skills in a particular scenario, I like to have those five (5) skills set up separately in my lab in stations (using lab equipment/manikins).

Students have to work through each station before they are eligible for VR practice.

What a motivator!

Basic troubleshooting techniques such as what to do if gridlines are appearing and how do you recalibrate the visual field to fix that, need to be reviewed also.

I have assigned students team leader positions to monitor student safety and help with troubleshooting during use.

This fosters collaboration and responsibility.

Step 4: Student Self-Evaluation

I like to use student self-evaluation in general because it sets the stage for life-long continuous improvement, and encourages students to be actively involved in their own learning process.

A good educational VR program will have a way for students to do this.

VRSims’ VRNA does this three ways.

First, students are able to see missed steps of a skill in real time while performing the skill.

They can also see an overall summary following the scenario AND once logged out of the program totally, they can log into a student dashboard and compare past and present attempts.

A reflective journal for each student where they can document each scenario’s experience and their progress using all of their feedback methods helps students keep track of “where they left off”.

Step 5: Teacher Evaluation

Teacher evaluation can be accomplished in a few different ways.

First, real time. By simulcasting you can see the student performing the skill and you can give immediate feedback.

Next, I mentioned before that a good VR program will have a way for students to self evaluate.

The same goes for providing a way for teachers to evaluate.

I LOVE VRSims’ VRNA teacher dashboard.

I am able to monitor each student’s progress by scenario, by skill and by attempts.

Now, let’s talk about how VR can encourage a higher level of learning.

Once the students complete a passing score for each scenario it’s time to challenge them.

I would recommend creating an addendum to your curriculum to include variations of the scenarios the students mastered.

For instance, let’s say resident Mrs. X’s scenario included denture care, radial pulse, ROM, dressing and transfer bed to wheelchair.

Once the students earn a “master” score (determined by you) they then have to work through some higher level questions to be able to move on to the next set of skills.

Examples of this would be: When might there be a different order the skills are to be completed?

If Mrs. X has severe osteoarthritis and has very limited movement, how would this scenario have been handled differently?

What if she has teeth AND dentures (a partial plate)? Explain how she would be transferred if she has a weak right side.

Can you think of an emergency situation in this scenario and how it would be handled?

This hits every level of Bloom’s Taxonomy hierarchy of learning!

I love this because students can mentally place themselves back into the VR environment to address these variations.

In conclusion, diving into the realm of Virtual Reality (VR) in Career & Technology Education might seem like a leap initially, especially if your initial encounters with VR were very little.

But trust me, there’s a whole world beyond entertainment—there’s a world where VR becomes a transformative tool in education.

I get it.

The last thing you want is another fancy gadget that ends up collecting dust.

Do your own research and let me help you incorporate steps to using VR to not just teach skills but to empower, reinforce, and evaluate students in a way that goes beyond the ordinary.