Melissa Hardcastle walks into the examination room, where herpatient is seated. Melissa's patient, Jerry, came to the hospital complainingof being drowsy and dizzy. Melissa checks his vital signs to diagnose hiscondition. Suddenly, Jerry's blood pressure drops. His airways narrow, blockinghis breathing. His pulse races, and a rash appears on his skin. Melissaconfirms that Jerry is going into shock from anaphylaxis, a potentially fatalallergic reaction, and needs an injection of epinephrine right away to save hislife.
In less than a minute, Jerry's vital signs return to normal and as her patient stabilizes, Melissa—a second-year Practical Nurse program student— slides off her virtual reality (VR) headset and turns to her instructor, Sarah Brown, for an evaluation.
Jerry is what is known as a "HoloPatient," an immersive 3D learning application that helps students like Melissa learn how to assess, diagnose and treat true-to-life holographic patients with real-life conditions in a virtual classroom. Welcome to the future of learning at New Brunswick Community College's School of Health and Wellness.