North West Hospital and Health Service (HHS) is proud to announce the implementation of a hybrid virtual reality training model for nursing and medical staff across the region’s health facilities.  

Thanks to funding from the Rural Maternity Implementation Oversight Committee Funding (RMIOC), and software and technology from Bundle of Rays, North West HHS is the largest rural health service in Queensland to adopt this innovative approach to training.

North West HHS Executive Director Nursing, Midwifery and Clinical Governance, Michelle Garner said the introduction of the technology would allow the delivery of education from Mount Isa to remote sites without the need to travel.

“The utilisation of virtual reality is responsive to the changing environment of today’s healthcare needs and supports the health service in being an agile and connected health system,” Ms. Garner said.

“We are thrilled to be at the forefront of this new technology, which will allow us to provide high-quality training to our staff across rural and remote facilities. The benefits of this approach are significant, and we are excited to see the impact it will have on patient care and outcomes.”

North West HHS Midwifery Educator Helen Bailey said the first training package launching in May would be for the clinical management of presentations of pregnant, labouring and birthing women, and emergency neonatal care.

“Staff will have the chance to experience simulation scenarios by wearing headsets. The immersive training experience will help build confidence and proficiency in clinical staff across our remote facilities and prepare them in case there is an emergent or unexpected birth,” she said.

Education sessions will start in Mornington Island, Doomadgee and Cloncurry hospitals and will soon be rolled out to Julia Creek and Normanton.

The implementation of the virtual reality training package is an exciting development for North West HHS, and will continue to provide staff with the most innovative and effective training solutions available.