As technology advances and time becomes even more precious to healthcare professionals,  the way their education is delivered also needs to change. This was something that innovative Australian-grown healthcare education company Bundle of Rays identified and set out to achieve.

A new frontier in healthcare education, participants at a Bundle of Rays course can expect Immersive, hands on interaction that enables them to deconstruct anatomy and drift through physiology within a virtual 3-dimensional environment.

This is what virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology can bring to healthcare education. “The advancement of technology is now influencing the way nursing education is conducted” says Patrea Anderson, Associate Professor Nursing, Sunshine Coast University.

Based on the Sunshine Coast, Bundle of Rays is now delivering courses all over Australia, teaching the vital skill of chest x-ray interpretation and linking this with clinical simulation.

Using VR and AR technology, the company has developed a course that provides learning outcomes based on the gross anatomy of the chest, cardio-respiratory assessment and the basics of chest radiograph interpretation.

“We recognise that your job isn't two dimensional, so why should your training be?”, says Bradley Chesham, Founder of Bundle of Rays.

That’s not all that’s different about these courses though, gone are the days of trying to hold your concentration in a traditional white walled training room. Bundle of Rays courses are delivered at unique venues.

“We’ve sourced locations around Australia such as art studios, restaurants, café’s, entrepreneur share spaces, the list goes on. We believe that by ensuring our classes are taught in dynamic, interactive spaces, with small class sizes we’re setting the standard for the future of healthcare education”, says Bradley.

Historically, nursing students have reported difficulty translating concept-based scientific knowledge into practice. This can have a significant impact on their development as a professional and on their ability to provide safe care.

Bradley says, “VR technology has been shown to improve user performance in tasks such as spatial understanding, memorization and training by allowing users to experience applications from a first-person perspective and to interact using natural techniques.”

Reports from attendees have been highly positive and people are embracing the virtual classroom environment.

"Bundle of Rays offers a unique course! The VR aspect was really original and helped immensely with visualising different aspects of anatomy. I feel much more confident looking at chest x-rays now than I did before the course", said Kate Koning, RN.

But it’s not just the attendees that benefit from this interactive training model. For organisations this new style of education gives hospitals and employers the ability to train their staff virtually, therefore limiting the cost of full simulation training.

To find out more about Bundle of Rays or to book a course visit www.bundleofrays.com