Virtual reality is opening new pathways for technician training—bringing immersive, hands-on practice to both education and clinical operations.
Once the domain of gamers and tech hobbyists, virtual reality (VR) is making inroads into healthcare technology management (HTM). Whether it’s a student learning the basics or a field tech brushing up on a procedure, VR is becoming a practical tool for delivering consistent, hands-on training in both classrooms and real-world settings.
A key player in bringing VR into HTM training is NVRT Labs. Originally conceived within the College of Biomedical Equipment Technology, NVRT Labs began as an internal initiative to explore how VR could fill hands-on training gaps. As demand surged, the college’s leadership team spun it off into an independent company about three years ago—freeing it up to collaborate widely with hospitals, independent service organizations, original equipment manufacturers, and educators across the country.
“The biggest value proposition for doing training this way is that it’s successful, it’s repeatable, and it’s scalable,” says Matthew Bassuk, CEO of NVRT Labs. “We’re finding, from an efficacy standpoint, it’s really powerful. It’s really quality training. And you can walk away with skill sets in such a short amount of time that it’s just going to be the easiest and fastest way to do it.”
Inside the Virtual Training Library
At the core of NVRT Labs’ platform is a growing library of immersive training modules replicating hands-on procedures, offering exposure to the types of devices biomeds are most likely to encounter in the field.
Since its early work developing 10 modules for St. Petersburg College, the library has expanded to include various scenarios covering preventative maintenance (PM), electrical safety testing, component replacements, device rebuilds, and more. Examples include output testing an Alaris infusion pump using a Pronk Flowtrax, performing a full teardown on a Philips Epiq 7 ultrasound system, and replacing the X-ray tube in a Siemens CT scanner.
“Everything you’re doing with the headset on is exactly what you would do in real life,” Bassuk says. “If you’ve got to connect leads to the analyzer, then you’re connecting leads to the analyzer. If you’ve got to open up a panel using a screwdriver, then you’ve got to pick up a virtual screwdriver and open up that panel.”
While the modules cover foundational equipment frequently seen in entry-level biomed roles—like the LIFEPAK 20e defibrillator, GE MAC 5500 ECG, and Hill-Rom Advanta beds—they’re also beginning to reflect higher-level needs. Hospitals and independent service organizations frequently request custom modules tailored to their fleet. For example, after Alaris updated its infusion pump cleaning procedures, NVRT Labs began developing a corresponding module in response to customer demand.
Bringing VR Into the Field
Healthcare organizations are turning to NVRT Labs’ VR modules to onboard new technicians, support ongoing training, and meet evolving compliance needs.
Patrick Duncan, CBET, clinical engineering manager at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, uses the modules to build confidence and muscle memory before scheduled PMs. For example, if defibrillators are scheduled for PM next month, he’ll ask technicians to go through the corresponding module once or twice in advance to refresh their skills. As a quality manager, Duncan says he can easily tell if techs are getting PMs done on time—but not necessarily if they’re doing them correctly. “That’s what keeps me up at night,” he says. “There’s a certain confidence level you have to build up to know you’re doing it, A, timely, and, B, correctly. That’s where this product helps.”
He points out that the devices technicians interact with most often are also the ones most likely to cause harm if maintenance or repairs aren’t done properly. With VR, staff can practice on these high-touch devices, “and they’re not doing it in an environment where they’re going to damage any equipment or break anything,” he says.
Dayton VA Medical Center also incorporates VR as a refresher tool. Being able to brush up ahead of time has helped speed the workflow by reducing delays at the start of a job when technicians are getting reacquainted with a procedure, says Tyler Langdon, biomedical equipment support specialist and United States Air Force BMET veteran.
Langdon also has found it helpful as an on-site tool. Because the headsets come in carrying cases, techs can bring them directly to the equipment they’re working on. If someone forgets where a component—like a circuit board—is located, they can put on the headset, walk through the module, and quickly find what they need. “It’s a faster way of also referencing the service manual,” he says.
TRIMEDX, an independent service organization, has been putting the technology to work across several sites and notes improvements in technician preparedness, confidence, and performance. “Through these virtual opportunities, technicians can enhance their ability to manage and maintain medical equipment. This reduces errors while ensuring devices are functioning properly, directly impacting patient safety,” says Kelley Jacobsen, senior vice president of supply chain and shared services at TRIMEDX.
At the University of Miami Health System, Anthony McCabe, LSSBB, CHTM, PMP, CHFM, CHSP, executive director of clinical engineering and facilities regulatory quality and compliance, has been using NVRT Labs’ VR platform to help onboard and upskill technicians. “For our lower-level technicians coming in, it’s a good either refresher training or official first training with some of the modalities,” McCabe says. The fast turnaround of VR-based instruction has been especially useful in a system that promotes from within and must efficiently backfill open positions, he says.
The platform is also supporting the health system’s efforts to meet regulatory requirements. As the organization works toward ISO 13485 certification and navigates increasingly strict Joint Commission competency standards, McCabe says the ability to deliver standardized training—and document its completion—is essential. This approach, he adds, has helped strengthen both compliance and staff preparedness.
VR in the College Setting
Colleges are also integrating the technology to prepare the next generation of HTM professionals. At MiraCosta College in Carlsbad, Calif, Jeffrey Smoot, professor and curriculum developer in biomedical technology, has made VR training a core part of his 16-week program.
The modules create a more realistic, tactile experience than traditional study tools. “They get a chance to actually see it in a virtual world and have the real haptic feeling. When they turn the screwdriver, they feel the resistance and low vibrations and different things,” Smoot says.
At the College of Biomedical Equipment Technology, president Richard “Monty” Gonzales says the VR platform has been especially valuable for remote learners. In a field with low program density and widely dispersed learners, VR has allowed the college to deliver standardized, skills-based instruction to students across the country—without requiring access to physical labs.
VR use is currently optional, but Gonzales says about half of students opt in, surpassing initial expectations. Approximately 150-200 students are actively utilizing VR as part of their training program.
Virtual reality is also helping the college launch a new biomedical imaging program. Developed in partnership with NVRT Labs, RSTI, and PartsSource, the seven-week course, expected to start in the second quarter, will blend online instruction, VR labs, and a one-week hands-on training component at RSTI in Ohio. Gonzales says the VR content was the “linchpin” that made this hybrid approach possible, enabling students to build core competencies in a scalable, cost-effective way before they ever interact with real imaging equipment.
At Texas State Technical College, biomedical equipment technology instructor Terry Whitworth has turned to VR to give students access to equipment they otherwise wouldn’t be able to train on. Since reintroducing NVRT Labs’ headsets following a campus remodel, he’s had students complete four modules so far—all tied to equipment the school doesn’t have in its lab. “They can be helpful as exposure to high-end equipment that is very expensive and as practice on equipment that is very common for biomeds to work on,” Whitworth says.
To better gauge the effectiveness of VR versus hands-on instruction, Whitworth plans to run a small experiment. In an upcoming lab, half the class will use the LIFEPAK 20 VR module first, while the other half will start with the physical defibrillator. He hopes the results will reveal whether one method better supports learning.
Real-World Impact
For NVRT Labs’ Bassuk, one of the most compelling demonstrations of VR’s training potential happened at the 2022 AAMI eXchange in San Antonio. A group of students from St. Clair College received a briefing on contrast injectors. Afterward, they put on VR headsets and ran through a simulation of the PM procedure for the device.
The students were then asked who felt confident enough to perform the procedure on a real device. All of them said they were ready—so they headed upstairs and completed the full procedure in under two hours, according to Bassuk.
“You can put somebody that’s never seen this particular procedure in a headset, and in 15 minutes, they have a skill set that they didn’t have 15 minutes ago. That’s pretty remarkable,” says Bassuk.
Although NVRT Labs hasn’t conducted formal research studies of its own, Bassuk says experiences like that continue to validate what published research has shown about VR’s training value. He often points to two studies—one from UCLA and another from Yale—that evaluated the use of VR simulations among surgical residents.
In the UCLA study, novice medical students who trained on a VR platform for a tibial intramedullary nailing procedure performed significantly better than those who used a standard guide. The VR-trained group completed 63% of procedural steps correctly, compared to 25% in the guide group. They also scored more than twice as high on global performance assessments and showed greater improvement in instrument knowledge.
A separate randomized, double-blinded study from Yale found similarly promising results.2 Surgical residents who trained on a VR simulator before performing a gallbladder dissection were 29% faster and made six times fewer errors than their non-VR-trained counterparts.
“There’s definitely a lot of compelling data,” says Bassuk. “We know that it’s extremely powerful.”
What’s Next
Plans are already underway to shape the platform’s next phase. One potential addition: continuing education units (CEUs). Bassuk says NVRT Labs has submitted applications to the Advanced Certification Institute to offer CEUs for completing virtual modules. “It’s another modality for technicians to pick up a headset, go to training, get some kind of refresher training, and they’re getting that credit tied back to their professional profile,” says Bassuk.
NVRT Labs is also beginning to explore augmented reality (AR) to support technicians in real-time, on-the-job scenarios. While VR is ideal for immersive training, AR could help guide users through procedures directly at the device—bridging the gap between simulation and hands-on service, says Bassuk.
Also on the horizon is a transition to a more flexible, app-based platform. Currently, VR content delivery relies on specific hardware, but NVRT Labs is working toward a system that would allow users to access training modules from a wider range of devices. Gonzales says this shift would reduce logistical hurdles, especially for remote learners, and help integrate VR training more fully into academic programs.
In the field, hospital-based users are eager for additional features. Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare’s Duncan notes that multicasting—allowing supervisors to view what a technician sees in the headset—could support coaching. “If you think about it, I could be here at our corporate office, and I can have a headset at each hospital. I could just say, ‘OK, participant, we’re going to go training for an hour.’ And I actually could see what they’re seeing and help walk them through it,” says Duncan. “That’s what we’re hoping to get to.”
Meanwhile, users across both clinical and academic settings continue to await a broader range of modules that reflect the diversity of equipment used across HTM environments.
As demand grows, NVRT Labs’ next challenge may be keeping pace with its expanding audience. But for now, stakeholders agree that VR is no longer just a promising idea—it’s becoming a practical part of how HTM professionals learn, train, and grow. “This technology opens many new learning pathways for all levels of HTM professional development,” says TRIMEDX’s Jacobsen.
Quelle:
https://24x7mag.com/management/staffingtraining/vr-training-changing-game/?utm_source=pocket_saves
References
- Blumstein G, Zukotynski B, Cevallos N, et al. Randomized trial of a virtual reality tool to teach surgical technique for tibial shaft fracture intramedullary nailing. J Surg Educ. 2020;77(4):969-77.
- Seymour NE, Gallagher AG, Roman SA, et al. Virtual reality training improves operating room performance: results of a randomized, double-blinded study. Ann Surg. 2002;236(4):458-64.
