Augmented Reality Adds Human Element to Nursing Curriculum

An important part of the curriculum for first-year Fisher nursing students is learn to assess a patient’s nonverbal cues, as well as their verbal ones. They’re learning to read these cues from an unlikely source – avatars in an augmented reality (AR) environment.

Using their iPads, students can project a hologram of a patient into the classroom, and interact with the patient as if they were right in front of them. During the visit, the patient could walk, sit, fidget, or talk.

“If the students are watching their patient walk about with an unsteady gait, they can access that and identify that they might be at risk for falling,” said Crystal Dobri, director of experiential learning for the Wegmans School of Nursing. “We’re teaching students to look beyond vital signs, and see what information you can learn from nonverbals even before you begin a physical assessment.”

The technology rolled out last year for seniors in the program, and this fall, expanded to provide juniors the opportunity to engage with it. Through a $350,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, the School was able to redesign an additional classroom with modular furniture that can accommodate the use of AR.

The grant also funded the creation of case studies by professors Melissa Bourne and Melinda Zalewski in collaboration with Dobri’s team. Together they wove AR into the first-year nursing curriculum a foundational course and a health assessment lab. Students will use AR again as seniors, including in a leadership course when they will assess patients for substance use disorders and use the tool to “call” other health care providers, giving them interprofessional practice.

“Because the technology is so flexible and adaptable, faculty can be creative in developing case studies that can provide real-life scenarios,” Dobri said. “We can’t guarantee students will see every type of situation during their clinical rotations but now, we can bring those experiences to the student through augmented reality.”

Dobri said the technology has been well-received by faculty and students alike, adding that it enables students to move around, work together in small groups, and immediately put to use the skills they are learning.

“I often say that the technology is flashy, but more than that, it is meaningful and impactful,” Dobri said.