Shaping the Future of Healthcare: The University of Manitoba's Virtual Reality Interprofessional Education (VR-IPE) Program

Authors

  • Nicole Harder University of Manitoba, Winnipeg Manitoba, Canada
  • Kimberly Workum University of Manitoba, Winnipeg Manitoba, Canada
  • Moni Fricke University of Manitoba, Winnipeg Manitoba, Canada
  • Kellie Graveline University of Manitoba, Winnipeg Manitoba, Canada
  • Lawrence Gillman University of Manitoba, Winnipeg Manitoba, Canada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56198/5M1RHCQLM

Keywords:

Virtual Reality Interprofessional Education (VR-IPE), Virtual Reality in Healthcare, Cross-Disciplinary Communication

Abstract

In many health sciences academic programs, interprofessional collaboration among students and faculty is an accreditation requirement. Time, curriculum alignment and physical location continue to be significant barriers to providing experiential learning opportunities, which require innovative means to provide interprofessional education experiences.  Virtual Reality (VR) is a growing area of simulation-based learning that removes obstacles like physical co-location and can join interprofessional groups of students to engage in experiential learning activities.  Members of the presentation panel met in February 2023 and were overwhelmingly in favour of exploring the development of a metaverse within the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences (Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Rehabilitation Sciences).  Funding from a Strategic Initiatives Support Fund allowed us to secure the hardware and software necessary to create a metaverse in our faculty that would allow for inter- and intraprofessional learning activities.  

This panel will present the phases of implementing a virtual reality program in a large health professions faculty of over 3500 students.

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Published

2024-05-30

How to Cite

Harder, N., Workum, K., Fricke, M., Graveline, K., & Gillman, L. (2024). Shaping the Future of Healthcare: The University of Manitoba’s Virtual Reality Interprofessional Education (VR-IPE) Program . Immersive Learning Research - Practitioner, 1(1), 43–46. https://doi.org/10.56198/5M1RHCQLM