Innovation arcade: Exploration lab 
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, most EMS personnel with an average age of 40 plus and many are retiring at a fast rate resulting in staff shortages. What is worrisome is the dearth of interest among the younger generation to become EMS providers, especially in the rural communities.
A contributing factor is the obsolete system of traditional EMS training which has proved unappealing to younger people more inclined towards technology. This presentation is looking at EMS provider education and training from a new lens that employes proven technological innovation and integration strategies in mainstream health sector such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality Simulation (MRS).
The purpose of bringing this technological innovation in training of EMS providers is to ensure rural communities have well trained EMS workers and access to quality healthcare and at the same time attract and retain young people in the profession.
The importance of MR in such training is that it provides a failsafe learning environment where learners can make none- life threatening mistakes, learn from it, and simulate complex scenarios that help them practice their skills in a virtual environment, thereby enabling them develop high degree of confidence when faced with live emergencies in the field. This type of training has proven very effective in educator preparation programs where it is used to access pre-service teachers instructional skill before working into classrooms.
The outline for this EdTalk session is as follows.
Introduction: (5minutes)
Participants will discuss the current state and understanding of immersive technology.
Experiencing Immersive technologies and virtual learning spaces (10 minutes)
State of Emergency Medical Services in Texas (5 minutes)
EMS Education/Training (15 minutes)
EMS to the rescue (20 minutes)
Conclusion (5 minutes)
1. Zhang, W., Cai, M., Lee, H.J. et al. AI in Medical Education: Global situation, effects and challenges. Educ Inf Technol (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12009-8
2. Advances in Artificial Intelligence Impacts EMS
https://www.jems.com/operations/artificial-intelligence-and-ems/
3. AI in Prehospital Care: Enhancing Emergency Medical Services
https://ts2.space/en/ai-in-prehospital-care-enhancing-emergency-medical-services/
Return
Trips and Tours