Customer Story

Technical College System of Georgia Augments Health Sciences Programs with Transfr’s Virtual Health Clinic

Table of Contents

Since the summer of 2020, the Technical College System of Georgia has integrated virtual reality (VR) training simulations from Transfr into their programs. In 2023, the colleges started implementing Transfr’s Virtual Health Clinic (VHC).

Healthcare students in a variety of disciplines will be able to develop confidence and competence in core skills. The VHC’s robust, peer-reviewed curriculum has been designed and developed using best practices for teaching and learning, including the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice™. Content included is based upon extensive market research, accreditation requirements, federally recognized guidelines, and industry-specific standards.

Growing with Transfr: Expanding VR with VHC

Having used Transfr VR simulations since 2020, the team at TCSG already had an idea of the quality and range of options available from Transfr and how new sims could be applied to their programs. As recipient of the Strengthening Community College Grant (which began in early 2021), TCSG has been focused on finding engaging, top-notch educational tech tools to support workforce development across the state of Georgia; VR training is just one such technology.

 

“The primary thing that attracted us to Transfr was the depth of the training library,” said Keith Fletcher, former Executive Director for TCSG’s SCC grant. “There are an awful lot of VR systems out there, but they are generally very limited. Transfr has quality training across a large library.”

 

The VHC officially launched in April of 2023, and Instructional Designer Jaime Wadowiec, also attached to the SCC grant, said she was excited to integrate them into health sciences programs.

"It' s been exciting to be a part of Transfr's growth, which is moving in the same direction as our own in terms of course needs. Healthcare is a prime example of how the goals of the SCC grant — getting more folks out into the workplace into the workforce, specifically Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs) and so on — are aligned with Transfr’s direction and these new healthcare sims."

TCSG and Transfr: Partners in virtual health sciences learning

Building relationships and partnering with organizations who share our goals and values is core to our mission at Transfr. Sharing design ideas for simulations under development and seeking insight and feedback from clients and external stakeholders are part of how we strengthen relationships and ensure that new content meets the identified gaps and needs of organizations, as well as people in the pools of undiscovered talent who have the potential to step into the workforce.

 

“We’d been in contact with the Director of Health Sciences and gave her a sense of what we were doing in our programs, then showed an early demo to our faculty,” Jaime explains. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm here for healthcare specifically and I think in part because we’ve worked so closely with Transfr get things off the ground. So it’s been really exciting!”

 

The quality of the simulations, Keith says, is also a major consideration in implementing the VHC in programming:

“ I think that the VHC probably are some of the best medical VR training sims out there — and I taught medics for eight years! That quality is going to make a huge difference in the gap between classroom learning and practice.

VR health sciences simulations: Exceptional practice, quality content

The ability to do numerous practice repetitions is vital for every skill and profession. In health sciences settings, it can be difficult to outfit and staff simulation labs or find clinical sites where students can get the kind of practice hours needed. VHC simulations, under the watchful eye of a virtual coach who provides consistent instruction with impeccable attention to detail, is one solution to this challenge.

 

“Some people need to look at a process or part of anatomy ten times to really understand it,” Keith explained. “VR training gives students more independence to repeat sections and skills until they really understand the content. It also removes the peer pressure of having their classmates’ eyes on them as they try to master things. It’s win-win!”

 

Jaime reported that the content of the VHC simulations is also top-notch:

 

“Having had the opportunity to sit down with the instructional designers in the healthcare program, it was very clear to me that they took a lot of time to get the verbiage right to make sure that the student is coached effectively. It’s just such a well thought-out product from start to back. The virtual coach is encouraging without being over the top. And I think that students really respond to the natural flow of the dialogue from the coach. The flow from one learning objective to the next is also smooth and natural. It’s a tremendous product.”

Temperature

Table of Contents

Discover How Transfr is Revolutionizing the Career Exploration Experience

VR Career Exploration Reveals New Career Paths for Youths