At OMS, we have always been committed to creating the most realistic learning experiences for our clients and learners. With advancements in AI technology and the growing accessibility of VR headsets, we are excited to introduce a new generation of OMS scenarios!
As learners evolve and develop their skills, their needs change. They may need more complexity in their learning materials or greater levels of immersion in their simulation experiences. To further reflect real life, OMS Hands & Voice scenarios allow both psychomotor and communication skills practice simultaneously by integrating AI technology to support multitasking communication and hands on care.
With the continued issues facing healthcare today, with workforce shortages and limited clinical placement experiences, it’s vital that simulation be as realistic and immersive as possible to prepare learners for the breadth of situations they may face.
In keeping with the idea of scaffolding learning and realistic simulations, OMS now utilizes both hand and voice controlled technology in scenarios, called Hands & Voice scenarios.
Meet the Future of Clinical Training
OMS Hands & Voice is the next level in simulation. These scenarios are built with AI at the core, and shifting from a menu-driven system to a fully voice-controlled experience, with hand control as the standard for a more immersive and intuitive interaction.
These simulations are designed to enhance realism and immersion while improving engagement and knowledge retention.
Hands and voice control bring scenarios closer to real-life clinical practice, delivering an experience that feels natural and intuitive. This supports better skill transfer and prepares learners more effectively for real-world patient interactions.
Learners can interact dynamically with scenarios, improving their focus, critical thinking, and engagement. This deeper immersion translates to better learning outcomes and more confident clinical practice.
As Hands & Voice scenarios are rolled out and become the standard for OMS simulations, you may have questions on what this means for you, your learners, or your institution.
What This Means for Educators and Institutions
Hands & Voice scenarios will be best suited for more advanced learners, like senior nursing students or clinicians in practice.
This does not mean that menu-based interactions are going away. Menu-based interactions are a great framework for more novice learners who benefit from structured, modeled communication.
In keeping with true OMS fashion, a screen-based version will continue to be available to support those who may not have access to VR headsets, ensuring adaptability for varied teaching strategies and learning environments.
Hands & Voice scenarios are AI-powered, using Voice Control technology to let learners speak naturally to OMS virtual patients, just as they would in real life, while the platform will continue to provide standardized feedback and analytics, assuring competency at scale.
Hand Control will be supported with haptic feedback, providing intuitive interaction to further clinical realism.
This next generation of simulations enables realistic interactions, boosting learners’ confidence, critical thinking, and decision-making skills by closely mimicking actual clinical environments.
These features make interactions more dynamic and personalized, increasing learners’ focus, motivation, and commitment to mastering clinical skills.
OMS will continue to provide a broad range of simulation experiences, suited to varied learning styles and needs.
Stay in the Loop: What’s Next
As we continue to roll out our Hands & Voice scenarios this year, the easiest way to stay in the loop on which scenarios have been launched with this new technology will be through our monthly newsletter, which you can sign up for here.
You’ll get all the latest information, and you’ll be among the first to know about what’s coming next – stay tuned for more!
Glossary of terms
The VR and healthcare space continues to grow rapidly, which can make keeping up with the language difficult. See a quick overview of the terms we use above so everyone is on the same page:
- AI-powered (artificial intelligence): In this context, we’re talking about artificial intelligence being used to support virtual reality clinical simulations. This includes the use of a large language model to support natural communications, and emotion and physiology engines underlying scenarios for realistic reactions and symptoms with virtual patients.
- Haptic feedback: Haptic feedback provides sensory cues to learners during the course of the scenario as they interact with the environment. This provides another layer of immersion and engagement in the scenario, used to support our Procedure scenarios for psychomotor skills.
- Menu-driven: Scenarios that use a menu for learners to navigate through the scenario. These involve drop-down menu choices when clicked, providing a more structured and guided framework, well-suited for novice learners.
- Screen-based: OMS scenarios can be used on either a VR headset, like the Meta Quest series, or on a computer, which we often refer to as “on screen” or “screen-based”.
- Voice control: Scenarios that are listed as ‘Communication’ or ‘Voice Control’ are AI-powered to allow for natural conversations where learners can speak to OMS virtual patients just as they would in real life.
The definitions above are related to the context of OMS and OMS scenarios. For more complete definitions, see the Healthcare Simulation Dictionary.