Student paramedics at a university in West Yorkshire are believed to be the first in the UK to use virtual reality (VR) technology as part of their training.
The trainees at the University of Huddersfield are using the technology to train for mass casualty incidents such as terrorist attacks and marauder attacks.
The technology can be used by up to six students at a time in the immersive suite in the Daphne Steele Building on the university’s National Health Innovation Campus.
Nick Holbrook, an A&E operations team leader for Yorkshire Ambulance Service, described the experience as invaluable: “They are getting to see as close to a real-life version as they can from in a classroom.”
The software can accurately recreate mass casualty incidents in real time, such as accidents or terrorist attacks.
“The students are getting the exposure to these sorts of incidents they would not normally get,” said Holbrook.
He added that the technology would help them in their future careers: “They will get more exposure to real-life situations like this, so they should become more employable so we can have a better paramedic when we hire them into Yorkshire Ambulance Service.”
Eve Quainton, a student on the MSc Paramedic course, said she would feel more prepared to deal with being faced with such situations in reality having used the technology.
“It is already helping with my confidence and just general improvement as well, and looking forward to these kinds of situations – not that anyone looks forward to major incidents, but I do not fear them quite as much as I would otherwise,” she said.
