USF EM residents had the opportunity to test out virtual reality training modules using technology developed by Immertec, a local tech start up company.  This technology could be a game changer for medical training, especially in the field of emergency medicine where physicians are expected to be competent at rare, high risk procedures.  One of the challenges in emergency medicine is that true emergencies can be stressful!  Emergency physicians, just like laypersons, are prone to the same fight or flight stress reactions.  Physicians must train their minds to deal with stressful situations and develop default patterns that enable them to care for patients.  Simulated training, also known simply as “simulation” in the EM world, is one of the ways that physicians train for these stressful situations.  In recent years residents have become accustomed to using high fidelity mannequins which are capable of functions such as breathing, vomiting, and even hemorrhaging to help them better prepare for real life situations.   Simulation programs have become a cornerstone for emergency medicine training and virtual reality technology may take that training to the next level.  Dr. McKenna is currently serving as the principal investigator on a study collaborating with Immertec to investigate this immersive medical training model.  Stay tuned for study results!  In the meantime, residents seem to be enjoying the futuristic training opportunity!  

Please note that while, we did conduct research at CAMLS using Immertec technology, these photos are not of and were not taken during the research activity.