Aspen Drude walked into a pitch-black 13-by-13-foot room on the second floor of the University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work Smart Hospital building and stood in the middle of the space.
She pulled out a controller and pressed the On button. The four walls and floor illuminated with light from projectors on the ceiling, producing a simulation of a car crash all around her.
“This is going to offer our students a different way of learning,” said Drude, who serves as the manager of UT Arlington’s Center for Rural Health and Nursing.
The UTA College of Nursing and Health Innovation unveiled its new Igloo Vision Immersion Room on April 29. The simulation system will allow nursing students to immerse themselves into various training scenarios to hone their educational skills.
Founded in 2007, Igloo Vision designs 3D projections for immersive workspaces, according to its website. The cost of an Igloo Vision system can range from $100,000 to $2 million, depending on the services included. UTA did not disclose the total cost of its Igloo system.
The College of Nursing and Health Innovation and the Center for Rural Health and Nursing have been working to invest in a full-room simulation system for over a year. Faculty wanted to find a new way to teach, said Drude.
The nursing simulations will range from being in the middle of a disaster to completing home visits. Students will then analyze what is the best equipment and procedure for each situation.
“Our hope is to offer this to faculty who are interested in utilizing it as an additional resource for their classroom and curriculum,” said Drude.
Jill Whitfill, associate professor of practice at UT-Arlington’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation, is designing the simulations for nursing students. She and her team are traveling across rural areas in Texas to film 360-degree videos.
The college wanted to focus on rural nurse training because of the health care deserts that exist in these areas. Rural Americans are more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory disease and stroke than their urban counterparts, according to the Centers for DIsease Control and Prevention.
“We can take the Igloo and turn it into an operating room or turn it into a (neonatal intensive care unit) with a focus on that rural setting,” said Jennifer Roye, assistant dean for simulation and technology at UT-Arlington. “I like that flexibility we have to build this space into whatever we want.”
For Roye, the introduction of the Igloo is a step forward in innovative education. The College of Nursing and Health Innovation plans to focus on extending the system to other UTA colleges and departments, rather than purchase a second Igloo.
“This will give us another modality to deliver some fantastic educational tools to our students,” she said.
David Moreno is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. His position is supported by a grant from Texas Health Resources. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports on X.
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