Photo By Airman 1st Class Zachary Jakel | U.S. Air Force Maj. Aaron Mangubat, 31st Medical Group education and training flight...... read more read more
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LAS VEGAS -- In an age where technology is the difference between winning and losing, the United States military strives to develop and implement new cutting-edge tech.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Paige Warren, 31st Medical Group chief nurse executive, and Maj. Aaron Mangubat, 31st MDG education and training flight commander, combined the hands-on experience of tactical combat casualty care (TCCC) with the technological properties of virtual reality.
In November 2021, Mangubat arrived at Aviano Air Base, Italy, and noticed the medical simulation equipment was old and outdated. Over the course of the next year, Mangubat and his team searched for the best training equipment and decided to go with virtual reality.
“Our equipment was over 12 years old,” said Mangubat. “I made it a priority to update our inventory with equipment that our Airmen could get excited to use and prepare them with the most life-like technology and experience for training and medical readiness.”
The 31st MDG first implemented VR training in November of 2022. The team primarily focused on using the VR for TCCC scenarios, one of which included applying a tourniquet to a troop who lost his leg in an explosion.
“We’re able to put our nurses and our medical technicians into a live-type environment that they may experience in a hospital setting or in a combat setting outside the facility that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to train them in,” said Warren.
With this new training, Mangubat and Warren witnessed a massive uptick in training hours, going from 800 hours a year to 3,000.
After seeing the success of the VR training, Mangubat and his team looked for opportunities to share their idea. One of those opportunities was the Emergency Nurses’ Association Foundation.
The ENA Foundation is a resource for emergency nurses looking to advance their career and improve practice around the world. Since 1991, the ENA Foundation has supported emergency nurses globally through grants and scholarships totaling more than $5 million.
Each year, the ENA Foundation travels around the country and hosts a conference to provide emergency nurses relevant education that can immediately be implemented into practice. In 2024, it was set in Las Vegas, Nevada.
On September 6, 2024, Mangubat and Warren presented the VR training to the conference attendees, as well as the positive impact VR has had on his career thus far.
“I have been an emergency and trauma nurse for 18 years working in both civilian hospitals and military treatment facilities,” said Mangubat. “Because of the administrative responsibilities of now being a training commander, I have been removed from patient care. Having this technology and unlimited virtual sets and reps allows me to stay keen on my nursing and military medical skills which prevent skill degradation.”
Mangubat and his team are always looking for ways to improve the VR program, such as adding scenarios to help medics with prolonged field care training.
“Virtual reality has opened my eyes to what options there are to train,” said Warren. “I am optimistic and look forward to what the future of VR entails.”
| Date Taken: | 09.06.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.18.2024 05:37 |
| Story ID: | 481149 |
| Location: | LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, US |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, In the Virtual Trenches: Advancing Military Nursing Preparedness with VR, by A1C Zachary Jakel, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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