Virtual reality is a tool that offers a world full of possibilities to those who have the economic capacity to access it. Within the health field and specifically, for the students of the Faculties of Health Sciences, this device can change the current teaching model that is implemented in the classrooms. In fact, it is already happening.
Within the Radiology classroom at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Malaga, professor and radiologist Francisco Sendra teach his classes using a virtual model installed on the computers of the campus where he teaches.
In this program, students can enter with their avatar inside a simulation program with the possibility of carrying out activities there, such as attending debates on this specialty, conferences or simply chatting with each other within this universe. “It’s quite similar to a video game,” Sendra said.
Despite being a new form of teaching, the radiologist intends to go a step further in the way of educating through virtual reality and in the near future wants to jump to complete virtual simulation, as indicated by the doctor in an interview with Medical Writing.
Virtual Simulation of Inside a Medical Office
The learner accesses this simulated world through their computer monitor, he said, rather than a full virtual simulation that would require the usage of virtual glasses and other accouterments.
In this sense, Sendra has affirmed that “they are beginning” to have contact with companies to collaborate and develop some applications. Specifically, for visual simulation. “We not only want to enter a classroom, but a medical consultation, which is where things happen and simulate what can happen there without having manual skills involved”, he has had an impact.
Even so, he has recognized that this progress is still ” in diapers “” in their group and that, for the moment, they have only proposed strategies to see if they can start the idea of implementing them. “It would be very interesting to simulate an environment, that you are in a room and that there is an interaction that is very similar to reality”, he has indicated.
Other Universities that Use Virtual Reality
Sendra has been using this type of teaching application for “almost” twelve years thanks to a company in San Francisco that offered it and developed it for this purpose. Although it is something new, the health expert acknowledges that ” they are not the only ones in Spain.” The pioneers were the Family and Community Medicine Society (Semfyc), who were the ones who taught him this virtual resource. “Unfortunately, they no longer use it,” he said.
“There are other faculties that are also using them, such as the Distance University of Madrid (Udima) and the University of Salamanca, focused on the Pharmacology sector”, he concluded.
