GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — Through a $300,000 grant from Achieving the Dream and the Brave of Heart Fund to address shortage of nurses and systemic inequalities in nursing pathways, NWTC launches its first Health Sciences Extended Reality (XR) Lab.
NWTC was selected among ten community colleges nationwide to further develop sustainable solutions that accelerate and increase enrollment and completion of nursing credentials.
“Extended reality provides an innovative platform to enhance students’ clinical skills, critical thinking, and patient care techniques. It’s truly the wave of the future in healthcare education, and it’s happening here,” said NWTC Dean of Health Sciences, Scott Anderson. “This facility represents our ongoing commitment to training highly skilled and adaptable professionals who can meet the growing demands of the healthcare industry.”
The Lab offers eight extended reality stations that provide a variety of simulated experiences.
Students can engage in lifelike clinical scenarios using state of the art technologies such as Meta Quest 2 (headset), HoloLens2 (headset), Acadicus (software), Microsoft Dynamics 365 Guides (software), allowing them to practice in a realistic and risk-free environment.
“This Lab is not replacing the in-person clinical experience, as experience with actual patients is critical to the learning process. But the virtual world offers something the real world does not – an opportunity for mistakes in an environment that is safe for the students as well as patients,” said NWTC Coordinator of Nursing Simulation, Mitch Luker. “Students can train on a scenario as many times as needed to fine tune their responses and learn best practices.”
NWTC is the largest producer of nursing graduates than any institution within the Wisconsin Technical College System over the last four years.
“As the healthcare industry continues to combat staffing shortages, it is critical that our graduates are ready to hit the ground running with the skills, confidence, and experience needed for their fast-paced careers,” said Anderson. “There is no doubt that extended reality will set a new standard for nursing education within our community and beyond.”
NWTC’s Health Science XR Lab became available to nursing students in fall 2023. Since then, the College has also offered XR training in Respiratory Therapy, Dental, Radiography, Echocardiography, and more.
Looking ahead, the College is actively planning for all campuses and learning centers to have this technology, providing access to high quality, specialized health sciences education to students throughout the region.
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