Summary:

In this episode of Acadicus Simulation Pulse Live, Jon Brouchoud, Bill Ballo, Rick Castille, and Reed Champagne from Northcentral Technical College (NTC) discuss the development of a multi-patient VR clinical makeup simulation at NTC. Reed provides an in-depth tour of a newly developed Acadicus unit, designed to replicate a realistic nursing clinical day with dynamic patient conditions.

The team explores how VR can enhance student learning by replicating real-life decision-making, patient prioritization, and emergency response scenarios. Reed shares his experience designing the four-bed VR clinical unit, highlighting the challenges of building multiple patient cases, including scripting patient deterioration events, designing medical records, and creating interactive medication stations.

New features in Acadicus’ latest update are also showcased, including the toggle widget, which allows for dynamic patient transitions, scenario branching, and enhanced facilitation control.

Episode Highlights:

Developing a Clinical Makeup Simulation in VR

• Reed built a four-patient VR simulation to serve as a clinical makeup option for nursing students who miss a clinical shift.
• The experience mimics a full hospital unit, requiring students to assess patients, prioritize care, administer medications, and respond to patient deterioration.
• Each patient follows a unique pathway, with scripted events that force students to make critical decisions.

Key Features of the Simulation

• Pre-Briefing & Patient Reports: Students receive handoff reports, medication orders, and charts before entering VR.
• Realistic Medication Administration: Students retrieve medications from a virtual Pixis station and bring them to patient rooms.
• Dynamic Patient Deterioration: Patients experience unexpected conditions, requiring students to adjust treatment plans.
• Multi-Stage Scenario Progression: The experience is split into three stages, allowing for natural breaks and debriefing sessions.

Challenges & Lessons Learned

• Asset Limitations: Some medications and patient symptoms (like jaundice for liver failure) required workarounds.
• Facilitation Load: Running a four-patient simulation alone was overwhelming, requiring additional faculty support.
• VR Experience Gaps: Not all students are equally familiar with VR controls, so orientation and training are crucial.

New Acadicus Features to Improve Simulation Design

• Toggle Widget: A new tool that allows facilitators to instantly swap patient states (e.g., move a patient from a hospital bed to an operating room or change their vitals instantly).
• Pre-Built Patient State Changes: Facilitators can now pre-set vitals, medications, and conditions that students trigger via interactions.
• Sequencer Alternatives: The toggle widget can act as a mini-sequencer, reducing reliance on complex scripted scenarios.

Future VR Nursing Simulations & Expanding Faculty Buy-In

• The success of this multi-patient VR clinical makeup unit is leading to potential expansions for other semesters.
• Faculty are becoming more interested as students report positive experiences with VR in other nursing courses.
• Reed and the NTC team are considering adding skills-based VR scenarios (IV starts, medication administration, Foley catheter insertion, etc.) to further expand training.

This episode highlights how VR is transforming clinical education by allowing students to practice decision-making in high-pressure scenarios while maintaining a structured, instructor-led environment. The discussion also reinforces the importance of collaboration between faculty, instructional designers, and VR developers to create meaningful, adaptable training solutions.