Thinking Outside the Box: Use Cases for Virtual and Augmented Reality in Healthcare Simulation

Mitch Luker received their RN diploma from Baptist Health School of Nursing in Little Rock, AR, in 2004. They began their career at Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock, assuming various roles. In 2008, they relocated to Wisconsin and joined ThedaCare in Neenah. They completed their BSN in 2011 and their MSN in 2014. That same year, they transitioned into teaching and currently hold the position of Nursing Simulation Coordinator at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. Part of their role involves integrating Virtual Reality simulation into the curriculum. They have also established the Health Sciences XR lab, where both virtual reality and augmented reality are utilized.

Lance W. Baily, BA, EMT-B is the Founder / CEO of HealthySimulation.com, the world’s leading healthcare simulation resource website which supports thousands healthcare professionals a month. As an experienced entrepreneur, digital media producer and administrative professional, Lance has the background and the experience necessary to help guide the clinical simulation industry to mass adoption.

Lance is also the Founder of SimGHOSTS.org, the leading 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to supporting healthcare professionals operating clinical simulation technologies which has organized over twenty hands-on training conferences around the globe since 2011. His co-edited  book “Comprehensive Healthcare Simulation: Operations, Technology, and Innovative Practice” provides 400 pages of in-depth articles supporting the technical integration of medical simulation in any sized program.

Formerly he served as Director of the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Clinical Simulation Center of Las Vegas, Simulation Technician for the LA Community College District, and volunteer Fire-Fighter, after receiving his BA in Film and Digital Media Production and working on Hollywood production sets. He currently lives with his wife and two young daughters in Las Vegas.

Melissa Jo Tully, BSN, MHPE, RN-BC, is a highly accomplished healthcare professional with a passion for education and patient safety. With a Master’s degree in Health Professional Education from the College of Medicine at Vanderbilt University, Melissa has honed her expertise in developing innovative programs to enhance healthcare performance and quality. As an experienced nurse, Melissa followed her passion for lifelong learning by exploring nursing specialties through her early nursing career as a float nurse, including working in critical care, emergency room, labor and delivery, and hospice. Melissa launched her career in consulting, by starting Medical Simulation Consulting. Her firm’s primary focus lies in designing, developing, and evaluating simulation programs that integrate augmented and virtual reality technology, as well as audiovisual technologies.