Is anyone like me, wanting to have some useful medical skills, but without any way of learning them? I enjoy watching medical dramas on TV. Every time someone needs CPR (CardioPulmonary Resuscitation) after a near drowning or a car accident, I remind myself that I should probably learn how to do it myself, a better use of my time than being fascinated by all the weird diseases I watch on old episodes of Doctor House.
I opened up Yelp and searched for CPR and AED (Automated External Defibrillator) classes. Most cost around $99 and come with a certificate, but for someone like me who does not need legitimate credentials, the time it takes to both travel to a class and participate in it are a much bigger issue than something you can do in the comfort of your own home in your free time. (Just ask my gym membership!)
ER School came up while searching for something I could do online or in a more flexible and easy way. ER School is a VR educational program that teaches two basic medical rescue skills: CPR and AED. You can practice medical techniques by hand and voice command in virtual emergency situations and learn how to respond wisely in cases of emergency. After learning the whole process, I think it is a great alternative for emergency response practice and a great educational tool for hospitals, schools, offices and other facilities.
If you do not do chest compressions properly, they can be very harmful: If you do them too hard, it can result in broken ribs and other internal injuries, but if you do them too easily, no blood will be pumped to the dying organs – and the patient will almost certainly die.
In ER School, the program uses hand-tracking technology to recognize real hand movements and allows you to use your hands to practice, rather than hold controllers, to learn hands-on skills by practicing CPR techniques. ER School also shows you the procedures you need to perform, the actions you need to take, and the precautions you should know, such as checking if the patient is conscious and asking for help.
When learning the AED method, ER School provides hand movement recognition technology and a voice command system that allows you to check the patient’s consciousness, ask bystanders for help, and communicate with people. This makes the entire learning experience more engaging and effective.
To help you quickly and better understand your medical knowledge, ER School offers a range of content and quizzes in addition to VR practice. The quizzes pop up at every stage of the practice to help you make quick decisions under pressure, just like in real emergencies. It is very hard to forget things if you make mistakes along the way. Feedback on your performance is evaluated and the result is displayed on a scorecard, so you can check your weak points and practice continuously to get better and better.
We all know how fast VR is evolving these days. It’s nice to see that it’s not only used in games, but in more and more useful and practical areas. ER School combines motion detection and voice command to create a course that allows us to learn and practice CPR and AED.
Compared to live training, this is much more convenient and cost-effective. We can practice anytime and almost anywhere without having to set up medical equipment. ER School has just launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. Get one and start your own course right away!
