• Paramedicine students are encouraged to participate in a virtual reality study to advance their communication skills in the field

Paramedicine students at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst and Port Macquarie will have the opportunity to experience an emergency scenario through the eyes of a virtual reality headset.

Sessions will operate with up to six students able to view a 360-degree hypothetical emergency scenario, where they must put their interpersonal and interprofessional communication skills to the test.

The experience will form part of a PhD study by Lecturer in Paramedicine Ms Jennifer Mangan in the Charles Sturt School of Nursing, Paramedicine and Healthcare Sciences.

“My research is looking at new and innovative ways of better preparing our students to be effective communicators, for placement and for the workplace,” Ms Mangan said.

“Communication is a vital paramedic skill and one we are required by our accrediting body to instil in our students prior to graduation.

“This experience essentially brings the workplace - the real world, to them through a head-mounted VR system.”

The concept is a first for the University’s paramedicine discipline, and Ms Mangan said it’s already been trialled on a group of five students last week with great success.

“It is an innovative and student-centred initiative, unique to our paramedicine discipline at Charles Sturt University,” she said.

“Paramedicine in general has used simulation and scenario-based learning for many years and there is lots of evidence supporting this.”

The sessions will run until Ms Mangan collects enough data to complete her study.

“Participants will be involved in a group debrief after they have the experience, and then I may interview them at a later date as well,” she said.

“My aim is to understand the students’ perspective about the VR experience and its implications for undergraduate paramedic student interpersonal communication development.

“A qualitative research approach is ideal for this.”

For more details about the research, contact jmangan@csu.edu.au.

ENDS