The University of Nebraska Medical Center is on the leading edge of a movement to transform health sciences education.
That movement includes real-life virtual reality scenarios and 3-D content creation and is the centerpiece of UNMC’s iEXCELSM (Interprofessional Experiential Center for Enduring Learning) initiative, which is focused on the use of advanced simulation clinical settings and virtual immersive reality technology.
On Thursday (Sept. 22), UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., will discuss the movement during his opening keynote address at the second annual Florida Simulation Summit in Orlando, Fla. The summit focuses on advancing human performance in life sciences, health care and sports through the use of simulation.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to spotlight UNMC’s vision for iEXCEL and how it can transform health sciences education,” Dr. Gold said. “The gathering also provides an occasion to collaborate with the Orlando-based National Center for Simulation and others in simulation development.”
Dr. Gold’s presentation will spotlight the use of simulation and virtual reality to educate and prepare students for real-life scenarios in the medical field. He’ll discuss the opportunities surrounding experiential learning, including student retention rates that average 75 percent to 90 percent when students use experiential learning or an instructor uses it to teach them. Lectures and reading, on the other hand, respectively have a 5 percent and 10 percent retention rate.
Dr. Gold also will discuss challenges of the movement, including technology that changes rapidly, the need for dedicated physical space and required resources for faculty development
Also at the summit, UNMC’s Pamela Boyers, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for interprofessional education and experiential learning, will moderate a panel discussion on the use of simulation to improve human performance.
UNMC’s iEXCEL initiative will create up to 325 well-paying jobs and is estimated to generate as much as $137.7 million annually in economic impact for the city and state economies. The initiative will be housed in the planned Global Center for Advanced Interprofessional Learning, a $102 million facility that will be completed in summer 2018. Groundbreaking is expected early next year.
We are Nebraska Medicine and UNMC. Our mission is to lead the world in transforming lives to create a healthy future for all individuals and communities through premier educational programs, innovative research and extraordinary patient care.
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