The surgical technology program at Lakeland Community College recently acquired new software intending to give students a feel for what it’s like to work in an operating room.
According to the program, PeriopSim and PeriopSimVR use lifelike imagery and gaming technology to immerse students in a 3-D world.
The simulation apps work by students donning a virtual reality headset and grasping right and left controllers which are connected to a laptop loaded with the software.
Once “inside” the virtual operating room, students can view any number of surgeries and then pick up the correct instrument and place it into the surgeon’s hand.
Scores are kept to measure progress and success, giving students the chance to compete with themselves and each other to do their best, officials confirmed.
“This helps our students with developing the skill of anticipating what instrument the surgeon will need,” said Janice Lawrenz, program director for surgical technology at Lakeland. “This practice gives them confidence in their abilities to become an important member of the surgical team.”
Other competencies assessed include steps of a procedure and instrument recognition, Lawrenz noted. Spending 10 minutes within the PeriopSim program relates to approximately two hours in an actual operating room and prepares students for real surgical cases during their clinical rotations.
The addition of this teaching tool complements the program’s physical classroom and perioperative laboratory, which includes industry-grade operating room equipment, surgical instruments and scrub room.
Members of the community are invited to view a demonstration of the PeriopSim software on April 7 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the college’s Health Programs Open House.
PeriopSim and PeriopSimVR were developed by Conquer Experience in collaboration with surgeons, nurses, educators and neuroscientists to ensure accuracy and realistic learning outcomes. The company is based at the Health Tech Innovation Hub at Surrey Memorial Hospital in British Columbia, Canada.
In 2021, Lakeland’s surgical technology graduates had a 100 percent pass rate on the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting national credentialing exam and 100 percent job placement, officials confirmed.
The program is currently accepting new students.
For more information contact Janice Lawrenz at [email protected] or 440-525-7016.