ORU Nursing Program Uses New Augmented Reality Program For Learning

A recent John Hopkins study claims "medical error" is the third leading cause of death, but Oral Roberts College of Nursing is trying to change that with a little help from game-like technology.

“It’s like a video game,” says nursing instructor Sharon Willis. "You can read a book watch a video but until you actually get your hands on it and do the skills and take care of the patient, the learning hasn’t taken place."

Willis' class is using augmented reality. Students use a real mannequin and virtual reality glasses, giving a more hands-on approach to learning.

"When you get those stressful situations like childbirth, you don’t know what to do because you have never been in that situation before," says nursing student Daniel Terrill. "But here we can do CPR on a mannequin, and it's still stressful but it's not as real."

The class uses LucinaAR, a state of the art mannequin that blinks, breaths, and can simulate all stages of delivery and emergency scenarios. Then virtual reality HoloLense glasses allows students to see the fetus inside the womb. 

“Simulation is a key in nursing education today because it helps our students to learn critical thinking skills,” says Willis. 

ORU is one of the first colleges to use the technology in the classroom and it's already proving to be a game-changer for nursing education.

"Just having these mannequins to work with is really awesome because it puts you in those real-life situations, things you will encounter things you won't encounter before you do that with a real patient," says Terrill. 

Willis hopes this technology allows her students to be prepared for every situation when seconds count. 

“We are all allowing the make a mistake in a safe environment instead of making a mistake in the real world with a real person," says Willis. 

ORU says this is the future of modern medicine, so they are hoping to use new technology in years to come.