Las Vegas City Wire

A graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Nursing utilizes virtual reality in her teaching.

Jaime Hannans is a professor at California State University Channel Islands, according to a news release from UNLV. She uses virtual reality experiences to put students in patient roles in clinical simulations.

"[Students] say, 'I read chapters about macular degeneration, but I didn't understand the significance of day-to-day living and the impact,'" Hannans said in the news release. "For me, it was like a magic match. This is why I wanted to teach, because this matters. Being able to get the students to understand what it's like for the patient, to be able to empathize with them, will make them better care providers in every way."

The virtual reality sessions allow Hannans to suggest what students should say and how they should interact with patients, the news release noted. Her work consists of using immersive virtual reality (headset-based graphics), augmented reality (graphics overlaid onto the real world through a device), and mixed reality (students speaking to virtual avatars). She uses at least six virtual scenarios to teach nursing students how to face challenging situations and deal with patients with empathy. One simulation involves a man who was diagnosed with a terminal illness.

"That can be really emotional and hard for students," Hannans said. "Some of the cues in this scenario they may or may not understand, depending on their cultural background and experiences. Going through that as a small group, we discovered, was really powerful."