Oxford University students get access to VR simulators

Medical students at Oxford University are now able to train using VR simulators after the school agreed to a technology partnership with Oxford Medical Simulation.

Students at the British university can treat a library of virtual conditions such as sepsis, diabetes, cardiac failure and pancreatitis once they put on an OMS Oculus headset and are greeted by their patient. Learners can question, comfort, examine and treat the patient as they would in real life.

Image credit: Oxford Medical Simulation

The OMS VR simulators record all the decisions made by the student up to diagnosis, allowing the tutor to review and talk through the feedback after at the OxSTaR centre at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford – the main teaching hospital for Oxford University Medical School .

“As a world-leading institution, it is important for us toremain at the forefront of changes in the types of learning opportunities weoffer our students,” said Rosemary Warren, Centre Manager at the OxSTaR centre.

“Simulation is a vital part of medical education and studentsjust don’t get to do it enough. The OMS virtual reality platform allowslearners to enter simulation as often as they like to transfer their knowledgeto practice.”

Oxford University says the simulation technology will allow them to train more students and improve patient care in real life by allowing repeated VR practice sessions to build competence and confidence in students.

“We havedeveloped OMS out of a belief that training healthcare professionals in aflexible, zero-risk environment will transform patient care around the world,” saidDr Jack Pottle, Medical Director at Oxford Medical Simulation.

“We learn best when learning from experience and our system allows users to do just that – without putting patient’s lives at risk.”

VR patient Wilfred
Image credit: Oxford Medical Simulation