St. Vincent’s “vision-ary” approach to infection prevention
By Chris Mueller
At St. Vincent Regional Hospital, virtual reality has been implemented for scenario-based training to help new nurses refine their infection prevention practices. More than 30 caregivers within St. Vincent’s Graduate Nurse Residency Program are participating in the initiative, which consists of four modules that simulate typical scenarios encountered during a real-world shift.
While wearing a VR headset, caregivers enter a simulated patient room and are prompted to follow the hospital’s infection prevention protocols. Their performance is analyzed by the headset, generating actionable data insights about how well the participants are applying protocols. That data can also be used to measure the effectiveness of physical instruction conducted during the residency program’s orientation period.
“We’re assessing hand hygiene, PPE gloves and gowns, sterilization techniques, and disinfecting surfaces,” said Natalie Boucher, Nursing Continuing Education (CNE) program coordinator at St. Vincent Regional Hospital. “We look for continuous improvement across each touchpoint from the first to last module. Over time, we’ll be able to connect a dotted line between our preceptor program and the practices caregivers are currently following.”
The initiative started at St. Vincent in October 2024 and is set to conclude later this month. Caregivers have shown noticeable progress through each phase, demonstrating a clear upward learning trajectory. After completing the second module, 81% of users successfully cleaned critical sites by identifying contaminated surfaces.
The VR-enabled learning has also been a key driver of efficiency and cost savings. Each module only takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and doesn’t require physical PPE that must be discarded after use.
Caregivers at St. Vincent participate in VR training.
“We’re not running through our supplies, and the time it takes them to complete the VR training is so much less than pulling somebody into a physical classroom,” Boucher said. “They don’t need to come in on their off time. We have the headsets readily available on the floor so they can train mid-shift during periods of downtime.”
Boucher estimates the seven headsets in use at St. Vincent cost a combined $5,000, which pales in comparison to her simulation lab’s hi-fidelity simulators that cost as much as $100,000 per machine. And there’s also a generational learning component. Many of the caregivers completing the program are Millennial and Gen Z digital natives.
“They grew up with this stuff in their hands,” Boucher said with a laugh. “A lot of them already use VR for gaming so it immediately resonates. It’s a fun and convenient way to learn.”