Virtual Reality’s improvements towards the Healthcare industry
Tags: virtualreality, vr
Published: 2022-08-25 11:47:00

Virtual Reality is an artificial environment in which 3D objects are displayed to the user to make it seem like they are in an alternate reality. Primarily seen in the gaming industry, [Virtual Reality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_reality), also known as VR, can be used as a new form of entertainment for the new generation, however, the potential for much more is available. The Healthcare industry is projected to grow at an accelerated pace in the next 10-15 years according to the [U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/). This means that there will be many new nurses, doctors, and medical professionals along with the existing ones. Virtual Reality can be directly linked with the upbringing of these future Healthcare workers by creating a pathway for them to learn, allow a hands-on learning experience with a reduced risk and can also be a new form of treatment for those who suffer from specific mental diseases. 

There is no doubt that the current labor industry is changing. More and more jobs are available via the internet. Virtual Reality has slowly joined this group of changes, meaning that change to the Health industry will come. Following the after effects of the Coronavirus, we were shown that in the United States, we are not ready for another pandemic because we lack the resources necessary to treat them. According to Boardvitals, 35% of M.Ds fail their boards. This means that they will not participate in treatment of patients, as they are not insured nor will they get paid. The main resource for studying for Boards are textbooks and past knowledge from medical school. However, with Virtual Reality, a whole new avenue is opened up in terms of ways to prepare for your board exams. It is a tested and proven fact that Hands on Learning is the best way to learn and retain information. If Virtual Reality was brought into the Healthcare industry, the rate of board certification should increase in which there will be more medical professionals available for situations similar to the Coronavirus. Along with board certification, undergraduate students studying to seek acceptance into medical schools have to go through one of the hardest standardized tests created, the MCAT. The Medical Certification Assessment Test is used to evaluate a student's ability to retain the information they have studied in their undergraduate years. Virtual Reality in healthcare can heavily alter a student's score for the better in this situation. The average age for a student who is taking the Medical exam is around 20-24 years old. This generation of students would have little to no problems adapting to a new system, especially if it gives them a different pathway to study outside from Textbooks, professors, and tutors. Undergraduate Science Labs are immensely helpful for a student's success in classes, the reasoning for this is because the student is doing the work in person with the help of a Teacher's Assistant. Virtual Labs can be administered through VR so that students can use this to learn about different chemicals, reactions, and elements. By doing this, we would see an improvements in exam scores for the MCAT, Boards, and Medical examinations, but we will also see improvements in class exams offered through schools. 

Not only will VR allow students and members of the medical community to study for their exams easier, it can also completely reshape the path toward medical certification. Currently, it takes a minimum of 9 years to complete the training for medicine; Four years of Undergraduate program, Four years of Medical School, and one to two years of residency. Money is a huge factor in the world in this economy, and with an already rigorous schedule it is hard to balance school, work, and studying. Virtual Reality can speed up the process by holding online classes, with hands-on learning, to teach the student better than any textbook would be able to. Along with this EMTs can benefit from this immensely. Emergency Responders are the first ones to be on the scene of any medical situation, and with a lack of skilled training, it is near impossible to be able to handle these moments. Virtual Reality can offer different scenarios where you must perfect emergencies such as Anaphylaxis, Blunt Force Trauma, and other fatal emergencies. It has always been a problem for new EMTs to learn how to respond to these situations as there is a high risk with lack of experience. With VR, the risk factor is not even in the equation, as it is an Alternate reality. Not only can this help in Medicine, it can also be a huge part in Dentistry, with practice in different surgeries such as root canals, or tonsil removal. By reducing risk, it will relieve stress on the upcoming professionals, and will also increase the learning curve that each of these students will receive. 

Doctors can benefit heavily from Virtual Reality in many ways, medicine isn’t just a one way street. The patients have a huge part in every decision that is made. In the United States, over 3 million people suffer from PTSD every year. This mental disorder can be treated by the use of Virtual Reality. By plunging soldiers back into their past, it has been researched and studied that it has positive effects on their PTSD. By doing this you can not only help them, but also help other diseases similar to it. Another situation that could help patients is by example. VR is also a known stress reliever for thousands of students with mental health issues. In the United States 52.9 million people suffer from some sort of mental illness every year. Many known relievers are studying, video games, sports, and Television. Virtual Reality can stick all of these into one platform for students and adults to use to relieve stress and perform at their peak. Mental health is a known problem around the world. No matter how hard it is for some people to control, there are ways to do it. Mental health illness is caused by many things, whether it is a break up, abuse, PTSD, illness of a relative, it takes students stress and multiplies it to make it worse. With a large number of suicides every year a result of mental health, Virtual Reality can help give them a sense of hope depending on what is recommended to treat their illness. Doctors should be taught to use VR, to assign certain treatments for different situations. Virtual Reality development can have so many lasting effects on the world. Not only in Healthcare, but in gaming, engineering, accounting, and almost every career. While the world continues to evolve and technology improves, adapting to these new changes are extremely important for the maximum effort from all labor workers. 

Healthcare will improve with the addition of more technology, and as things start moving from online to in-person, it is important that we bring the things that helped us through virtual learning, and implement them to our everyday lives. Virtual Reality can be directly linked with the upbringing of these future Healthcare workers by creating a pathway for them to learn, allow a hands-on learning experience with a reduced risk and can also be a new form of treatment for those who suffer from specific mental diseases.