Jennifer Cera, DNP, APRN-NP, WHNP-BC, assistant professor and co-coordinator of the Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Program at the UNMC College of Nursing, will receive an iEXCEL Academic Award this month for the creation of an innovative, immersive and interactive 3D virtual reality pelvic floor model.
Calling it a “labor of love,” Dr. Cera partnered with the iEXCEL team on the multi-year project to create a clinically beneficial interprofessional education tool. The result? A highly accurate anatomical female pelvic model that is deployable on multiple visualization platforms and modalities.
With the model, students now can see – like never before – the urogenital, musculoskeletal and neurovascular systems of the female pelvis, which improves their clinical knowledge, application and retention. The model also is one of the first to demonstrate the dynamic changes in structure and function of the pelvic floor that accompany pelvic organ prolapse.
Said Dr. Cera: “Developing a 3D virtual reality pelvic model where students are immersed within the content, enabling them the opportunity to dissect organs, muscles, nerves and arteries, on multiple platforms will make for an impactful and robust learning experience. With the capability of scaling the content to multiple levels of education and inter-professional dissemination, the 3D virtual reality pelvic model will improve clinical expertise and mastery…without iEXCEL we could have never done this.”
For training purposes, the model can be used on the iWall, 3D CadWall and ZSpace, whichever interactive technology format best fits the individual’s learning style. Students are able to independently visualize the model on any smart device as a study tool and a QR code is provided for easy access. Rotation and Zoomable functions help increase student comprehension.
The model is being used as part of the Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner program for the UNMC College of Nursing. It also is being used by College of Medicine third-year students and other OB-GYN rotations.
Dr. Cera and two of her Doctor of Nursing Practice students – Taylor Hedgecock and Leah Adams – are taking the 3D virtual reality pelvic model to a new phase by creating a patient education tool that – via a QR code or link to the 3D model – will help patients better understand their diagnosis and treatment.
Dr. Cera specializes in women’s health, specifically the need for greater pelvic floor health education and community access to prevent or lessen the impact of pelvic floor dysfunction to increase women’s overall quality of life.
Congratulations Jen. So glad to see your dream and hard work come to fruition. Really proud of you. What a great educational tool.
Congratulations, Jen!