Nursing and Allied Health: NIH Virtual Reality Funding

Virtual Reality VR provides a tremendous number of opportunities in education for teachers, 133s, and students. The focus of this proposal is to enable experiential health sciences education and wellbeing through VR and a series of student/133 developed VR experiences that will be available at the Greenblatt Library on the health sciences campus of Augusta University. This project addresses the goal of NN/LM funding to increase engagement with research and data, and to expand professional knowledge through the use of current and evolving technology.

This project proposes to purchase 8 virtual reality VR headsets along with a portable charging dock to bring VR into classrooms where health information is being studied. Having this portable VR setup will meet a growing demand to have students use VR together to learn about issues such as bias, health information literacy, functions of the human body, and the on-demand use of counseling using VR. This VR equipment will provide more equitable access of such technologies to those in the health professions.

This project will bring virtual reality hardware and accessories to Washington State University WSU Animal Health Library AHL to provide student access to open source virtual reality anatomy software.

UNE Library Services will collaborate with the College of Osteopathic Medicine COM to compare four virtual reality VR experiences related to older adult health with 1st and 2nd year medical students, and focus on analyzing the results. In addition, students in physical therapy, physician assistant, nursing, and other health professions programs will participate in the project. Embodied Labs EL technology immerses users into hypothetical situations that provide a first-person perspective on living with aging related diseases to increase understanding and empathy.

The Jay Sexter Library, together with the Office of Academic Services and Institutional Support OASIS, within the Department of Student Affairs DOSA at Touro University Nevada TUN, strives to educate the next generation of medical and health sciences professionals to serve the people of the state of Nevada. We seek to engage students from underrepresented populations and in areas of highest need.

Stated in the mission and goals of the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine ARCOM is the desire to recruit and train medical students who are focused on service to the underserved. This aim is important because Arkansas is one of the lowest ranking states in physician-to-population ratio. With over 80% of medical students who complete both their undergraduate medical education and graduate medical education in Arkansas staying in the state to practice, ARCOM strives to prepare its students to work in 95 and underserved areas of the state and help improve our states physician shortage.

UNE Library Services will collaborate with the College of Osteopathic Medicine COM to compare three virtual reality experiences related to older adult health with first and second year medical students. The technology immerses users into hypothetical situations that provide a first-person perspective on living with aging-related diseases to increase empathy and understanding in 126s and students, imparting knowledge about aging, dignity, and the importance of making meaningful connections in order to thrive.

Goal: Improve professional education of 126s, and provide information to patients and consumers. Objectives: Creating an effective teaching tool using VR technology Use this as a model for other VR modules teaching about anatomical and physiologic principles.

The Penn State Hazleton Library and Department of Biology propose to utilize Virtual Reality VR Anatomy hardware and software in undergraduate Anatomy and Physiology education. This project will provide students with access to innovative technology enhancing their learning experiences. VR hardware and 3D VR anatomy software will be made available to health sciences students enrolled in anatomy and physiology courses.

The Penn State Hazleton Library and Department of Biology propose to utilize Virtual Reality VR Anatomy hardware and software in undergraduate Anatomy and Physiology education. This project will provide students with access to innovative technology enhancing their learning experiences. VR hardware and 3D VR anatomy software will be made available to health sciences students enrolled in anatomy and physiology courses.

Stated in the mission and goals of the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine ARCOM is the desire to recruit and train medical students who are focused on service to the underserved. This aim is important because Arkansas is one of the lowest ranking states in physician-to-population ratio.

Since NN/LM NER Technology Grant #13868 'Empathy Learned Through an Extended Medical Education Virtual Reality Project' and subsequent grant, 'Empathy Learned Through a Physician Assistant Virtual Reality Project,' were such successes at the University of New England UNE, this grant proposal seeks to continue and solidify the project. Specifically, UNE Library Services will collaborate with the College of Osteopathic Medicine COM to compare three virtual reality experiences related to older adult health with first and second year medical students.

The health sciences campus at the University of Utah is very interested in virtual reality VR applications. These serious VR applications revolve around education for patients, students, and health professionals, training simulations, and immersive experiences. There is no centralized place on the health sciences campus for people to learn or use VR. There are smaller groups who routinely use VR, but their objective is not to expose or teach others VR. As a library, we can fill this need as a place of VR play and educational how-to.

It is particularly important that innovative learning modalities are utilized to augment our University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine UNECOM medical students' learning about empathy in relation to older adult health care. Currently those age 65 years and older use more than 50% of health care resources. As the older population increases and lives longer, their health care utilization is predicted to increase dramatically, therefore placing an obligation on our 126s to work with older 88 within primary care as well as any medical specialty.