Authors: Lisa M. Ring, DNP, CPNP-AC, Juliana DeBitetto, MD, Jenhao J. Cheng, MS, Gregory K. Yurasek, MD

In acute pediatric cardiology, interprofessional co-management between physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs) is vital, yet opportunities for joint simulation training remain limited. This study evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) simulation for interprofessional education across cardiac intensive care (CICU) and emergency department (ED) settings.

Seventeen physician-APP pairs completed 33 VR simulation scenarios focusing on high-risk pediatric cardiac emergencies. Each scenario evaluated five clinical management objectives within a five-minute window. Teams averaged 3.4 completed objectives per simulation, with APPs initiating 41% of successful clinical actions overall and taking a leading role in specialized CICU cases (e.g., pulmonary hypertension crises and post-Norwood management).

Exit surveys revealed unanimous agreement (100%) that the VR environment enhanced the simulation experience and held high value for pediatric medical education. Researchers concluded that VR provides an immersive, cost-effective platform to foster collaborative decision-making and multidisciplinary teamwork.

The full research article can be found here.

Children’s National has used the SimX platform in its simulation training.