Students in the Masters Entry into Nursing Practice (MENP) program use virtual reality and web-immersive training platforms, in addition to adaptive equipment, to actively embody different patient diagnoses.

The Empathy Lab’s immersive training modalities are designed by Los Angeles-based Embodied Labs to “uncover hidden perspectives” as a way to encourage “actionable empathy.” They include patient experiences with dementia and Parkinson’s disease, pediatric autism, vision and hearing loss, trans health and LGBT aging, end-of-life conversations, social isolation and elder safety and well-being.

“It’s really impactful, because you hear what’s happening in the person’s head,” said Lori Thuente, PhD, RN, founding chair of the MENP program. “In the Alzheimer’s lab, you see through Beatriz’s own eyes as she looks at her pills and sees bugs. You experience her frustration as she struggles to care for herself, as her own mind and home become strange and frightening. You see her family members grapple with the changes they see in her.

“Insight into the patient’s perspective helps our students think about how they can deliver more patient-centered care, which improves satisfaction for both the patient and nurse,”  Dr. Thuente said.