Presented By: Natascha Heise, Eastern Virginia Medical School
Co-Authors: Robert Armstrong, Eastern Virginia Medical School
Tod Clapp, Colorado State University
Chad Eitel, Colorado State University
Michael Foley, Eastern Virginia Medical School
Lisa Fore-Arcand, Eastern Virginia Medical School
Kelly McCoy, Eastern Virginia Medical School
Lindsay Meyers, Eastern Virginia Medical School
Lauren Roten, Eastern Virginia Medical School

Purpose 
Human anatomy is recognized as a foundational course for health professions but can be challenging for students who struggle with the amount of content and three-dimensional visualization. While virtual reality (VR) has shown to be a helpful tool for understanding structural relationships, shortening of the didactic phase has impeded its implementation. Here, we propose VR study sessions focused on anatomy to assist students at academic risk.

Methods 
First-year health profession students identified as at academic risk were invited to attend weekly VR study sessions during their 16-week anatomy course at a medical school in Virginia, USA. Data collection was composed of observations, a post-survey, and individual written and practical examination scores. An inductive thematic analysis was performed to capture student perspectives.

Results 
Student participation in VR sessions grew throughout the course and those students who participated in the sessions (n = 12 out of 123) performed similarly to the non-VR group in all laboratory examinations. Written examination scores were comparable except for the head/neck (71.5% VR vs 83.4% non-VR, p = 0.005) and pelvis/lower limb (76.6% VR vs 87.0% non-VR, p = 0.005). Post-survey responses indicated that VR was beneficial to goal progression and confidence. Positive themes included structure visualization and accessibility, program capabilities, the learning environment, and VR as an additional resource. Emerging themes for improvement were logistics and certain program capabilities.

Conclusion 
VR for learning anatomy may be beneficial for students at academic risk to bridge knowledge gaps experienced from studying with textbooks and the gross laboratory. However, VR may be best suited for anatomical areas of lesser complexity such as the limbs. Comparable academic performance, increase in confidence, and positive feedback support the continuation of this resource. This effort demonstrates an effective approach to implement VR as a supplemental learning tool.